SLT gets acting head for six months

After months of being headless, Sri Lanka Telecom ( SLT) has finally found a CEO, but this acting appointment is yet to be announced to the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), which is a compulsory requirement.

K.A. Kiththi Perera, earlier SLT Chief Commercial Officer, was appointed acting CEO with effect from June 1, more than two weeks back. Additionally Chief Technology Officer M. B. Priyantha Fernandez has been appointed as acting Chief Operating Officer (COO)

The SLT board has made these acting appointments for six months, SLT Chairman P. G. Kumarasinghe Sirisena informed the staff in a circular. However as at Friday June 15, the SLT had not informed of these changes, which is stock-price sensitive information to the stock market.

Mr. Perera replaces SLT Group CEO Dileepa Wijesundera who tendered his resignation in December last year stating that he will step-down from the post in March this year. Mr. Wijesundera is now serving as the Chairman, Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment.

Attempts to recruit a suitably qualified and experienced person to head the management of the company by conducting interviews after calling for applications twice through newspaper advertisements were fruitless, SLT sources revealed.

Four senior officials earmarked by the SLT Chairman to appoint one of them to the CEO’s post came under severe opposition of the employees due to these officials alleged involvement in malpractices and corruption, a leader of the Telecommunication Engineers Union said.