There is no better way to describe Arthur
Senanayake or I.W, Senanayake than as an
oak-hearted visionary. By placing his faith
on overlooked potential, the Chairman of
IWS Holdings has built one of Sri Lanka’s
largest private business conglomerates.
Before his return to Sri Lanka, Senanayake
had been employed in Europe for 15 years,
cultivating an impressive portfolio across
various industries. His professional profile
includes specialisation in CNC machinery
sales and services, consultancy services,
high sophisticated machinery training, and
the title of regional engineer for South Asia
and ASEAN. Hence, when he returned to Sri
Lankan soil, his keen eye found great value in Sri Lanka’s motherland and in the
capabilities of its people.
Seizing upon the opportunity presented by the nation’s 1979 open economic policy, the visionary jumped into the developing economic climate, investing heavily in bold business ventures. Filled with passionate vigour, Senanayake built his company from scratch, implementing a plethora of innovative ideas, knowledge and experience gained from hls vast experiences. He also instilled a culture of business ethics and responsibilities, innovation and continuous improvement among his thousand-strong employees to ensure that his company would continuously enhance and bring excellence in their fulfilling of customer needs.
Soon after its establishment in 1 980.
Senanayake’s business enjoyed exponential
growth, quickly expanding into a large
collective of companies under the name IWS
Holdings. Within the first few years, the
corporation had diversified into several
fields including food and beverage
processing and packaging, industrial
solutions, communication services,
transportation, commodities, general
trading, shipping, warehousing and freight
forwarding, logistics, automobile
dealerships with Porsche and Volvo,
engineering services, leisure, television
broadcast, satellite transmission, IT
services, and much more.
This was due to their two dimensions strategy, where one dimension of the company focuses on unity of traditional business activities through while the other technological innovation, while the other seeks greater diversification in emerging markets. IWS’ commitment to human resource and skill development, as well as Senanayake’s well founded entrepreneurial skills, are also key factors to IWS’ booming success.
However, the grand expansion of IWS
Holdings was not enough for the ambitious
Chairman. In 1987, he stepped into the
finance and banking sector by establishing
his own Sampath Bank Pic. He also invited
Neptune Orient Lines, a Singaporean global
container shipping company to establish
operations in Sri Lanka, and became the
Chairman of the Board of Directors of
NOL/APL. Later on, Senanayake would
become Sampath Bank’s deputy Chairman
in 1998, and its Chairman between 2008
and 201 1 . He was to goon to take
ownership of APL Lanka Ltd. with an
investment of 2.4 billion. He was also
invited to the Singapore Trade Development
Board that was established in 1 993 as the
honorary trade consul for Singapore. Under
his guiding hand, these establishments
thrive, further illustrating Senanayake’s
savvy business techniques.
Today, IWS Holdings are champion business leaders who fulfil the needs and provide opportunities for Sri Lankans thanks to their
international repute. With the connections established during Senanayake’s education
and career in Europe, the group has
developed strong international alliances and franchises in Germany, the United States of America, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Sweden, France, Korea, Singapore, Thailand,Australia and China. This international outlook incorporated into their business strategy has given confidence and pride to the corporation’s members. With this key
advantage on their side, they believe in
their ability to meet Sri Lanka’s economic challenges through the advancement of the nation’s technological capabilities.
With such a dedicated heart to service,
Senanayake truly deserve his title as
‘Justice of Peace Placing a strong
importance on ethics, values and humanity the Chairman has placed full commitment of himself to the community, providing his services in any way possible. Not only does
he contribute to the business and economic development of the nation, he has also provided education for underprivileged children by building a Computer Centre and a Daycare Centre in Kataragama. In the same area, he also constructed a golden temple in memory of his late son Alastair Yasvanth Senanayake, a memorial which
was the first of its kind in Sri Lanka.
Senanayake, as a professional man who is
the very embodiment of inspiration and
innovation, could have easily pursued a
grander career in first-world nations,
leaving his nation behind like most young
adults who gain the opportunity to study
and work overseas. However, he took the
grand step of returning to his homeland,
and placing his trust in the people, making
his great leap towards business success an
honourable journey. Because of this as well
as his kind heart, Senanayake truly
deserves to be known as one of Asia’s
inspiring leaders.
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