COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — Specialty tire manufacturer Global Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd. (GRI) has hired rubber industry veteran Mahesha Ranasoma to be its CEO, a new position.
The move becomes effective July 23.
Mr. Ranasoma was managing director of Dipped Products P.L.C., a Sri Lankan rubber glove manufacturer, for more than eight years, and he serves on the board of directors of Hayleys P.L.C., a multinational conglomerate based in Colombo.
Prior to his time with Dipped Products, he was the country chairman and managing director of a liquefied petroleum gas distributors Shell Gas Lanka Ltd. and Shell Terminal Lanka Ltd.
Mr. Ranasoma has more than six years of research and development experience, GRI said, and also was a senior university lecturer in civil/costal engineering at the Open University of Sri Lanka.
GRI's Chairman Harris Premaratne, who was named to his position in March, said he is excited about "a prosperous future ahead of us" and that "together we will strive to new heights."
Mr. Ranasoma holds an undergraduate degree in engineering from the University of Peradeniya, an MBA from the University of Wales, and a Ph.D. in Coastal Engineering from the University of Cambridge.
GRI Managing Director Prabhash Subasinghe said GRI is "proud" to have him on its leadership board, and that "his immense vigor and business acumen will support GRI in exceeding our goals."
Established in 2002, GRI operates two plants in Sri Lanka — one for solid tires and one for pneumatics — and distributes in more than 50 countries across the globe. It operates sales offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia.