About Us
History
Every day since 1973, we’ve helped someone travel better.
Just like how an acorn grows into a mighty oak, we started as a small travel company. Today, we’ve grown into a conglomerate with operations in aviation, outbound travel, and destination management. Along the way, we’ve always strived to think big, adapt, and re-invent ourselves to suit a world that is changing fast. As a knowledge-driven company, our employees have been, and will always continue to be the driving force behind our success. In an industry where success is dependent on experience and professionalism, a member of the Acorn family should rightfully be on your speed dial. That’s how much value we bring to the table as your trusted travel and aviation partner. As we expand our footprint regionally and move into new territories, our North Star is our commitment to curate seamless experiences for our clients, while leading the industry forward into a new and exciting age of travel.
Head Office
Should you want to visit and say hello, here’s where you can find us.
Our Executive Committee
Malinga Arsakularatne
Chief Executive Officer
Malinga has 24 years of experience in investment management, corporate finance, business strategy and general management. He was with the Hemas Group for 16 years until March 2020. During his last four years at Hemas, he worked in the capacity of Managing Director of the Leisure Travel & Aviation Group, and in the capacity of the Group CFO during the preceding nine years. He was also a Board Member of Hemas Holdings PLC for over six years and the Serendib Hotels Group for over 13 years, until March 2020. He is a CFA Charter Holder and a Past President of CFA Sri Lanka. He is also a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK and a Past Board Member of the CIMA Sri Lanka Division. He holds a BSc in Computer Science & Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, an MSc in Investment Management from Cass Business School, and an Executive MBA from INSEAD.
Darshana Perera
Chief Operating Officer
Darshana has over 20 years of experience in Finance, Operations, Strategy, and general management across a variety of industries including Travel & Aviation, Manufacturing, Telecommunication, IT Enabled Services and Apparel. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and Institute of Professional Managers. He holds an MBA specialized in Finance from the University of Colombo. Darshana started his career at Ernst & Young and subsequently worked for John Keells Holdings PLC, Dialog Axiata PLC and Brandix Group in various capacities. He joined Hemas Holdings PLC in 2014 in the capacity of Group Financial Controller and was the Director Finance of the Leisure Travel & Aviation Group, until March 2020. Darshana was also a Board Member of several listed and non-listed subsidiaries of the Hemas Group, during his tenure.
Harith Perera
Executive Vice President – Hotel & Villa Management
Harith has a wealth of experience in Sales, Marketing, Branding and Finance. Having joined Hemas FMCG in 1997 he was subsequently part of the team launching Diethelm Travel in Sri Lanka & Maldives in 2006 where he functioned as the Managing Director until 2018. He is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK and has an MBA from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. Harith is the immediate Past President of Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators (SLAITO) and a former Board member of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau (SLTPB). He is also a founder member of the Tourism Alliance of Sri Lanka.
Dushy Jayaweera
Executive Vice President – Aviation Services
Dushy Jayaweera has over 38 years in the Aviation Industry and leads the Aviation Cluster of the Group which represents both on-line and off-line airlines. Having joined Hemas Air Services 1994, she has played a key role in the formation of the Aviation Centre and expanding the business overseas by setting up the two regional offices in Thailand and the Maldives. She is also the Managing Director of Aviation Services (Pvt) Ltd in the Maldives and a Director of LTU Asia Aviation Services Ltd, Thailand. Dushy has played a key role in all Industry related Associations and is a Past President of the Sri Lanka Association of Airline Representatives, Skål International Colombo, the Sri Lanka-Malaysia Business Council and the Travel Trade Sports Club of Sri Lanka. She is currently a Director of the Skal Asian Area overlooking Membership Development and an Executive Committee member of the Sri Lanka – Italy Business Council.
Suranjith De Fonseka
Executive Vice President – Inbound Travel
Having previously played a key role in Sales and Marketing at Serendib Leisure Hotels and Hemas LTA sector, Suranjith currently leads Diethelm Travel Sri Lanka & Maldives teams. He holds a B.A. with Honors in Business Administration from Nottingham Trent University (UK), has an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and is a Chartered Marketer. Suranjith also participated in executive education programs at INSEAD, Cornell Nanyang University and the Indian School of Business. He is a committee member of the Travel Trade Sports Club and a member of Skål International Colombo.
Nimali Welikala
Executive Vice President - Cheif People Officer
Nimali is a seasoned HR practitioner with experience in building business-relevant HR practices that drive impactful outcomes. She has extensive knowledge in managing organizational change, addressing internal structure issues, and improving productivity and effectiveness. Having worked in the apparel manufacturing, banking, IT sectors, FMCG, Leisure, Travel, and Aviation industries, she is currently the Chief People Officer at Acorn Group.
She is the winner of the National Young HR Minds Award in 2009 for her submission in ‘Global Financial Crisis and the role of Human Resources.’
Nimali is conferred the award for 100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals at the World HRD Congress in 2016
Gyan Amerasinghe
Executive Vice President - Business Development
Gyan with over four decades of experience in the travel and airline business leads the Business Development initiatives at Acorn Group.
He joined Qatar Airways as Country Manager in 2001 responsible for Sri Lanka, Maldives & Nepal. Gyan joined SriLankan Airlines in 2007 based in Hong Kong covering Southern China, The Philippines &Taiwan. He later moved to Italy looking after the commercial operations for SriLankan airlines in Rome & Milan
He had two stints with general sales agency (GSA) of Emirates Airline in Sri Lanka from 1987-2001 and from 2014-2022 holding various positions and finally heading the GSA as its Director/General Manager.
Gyan is a Chartered Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transpiration (CMILT)
