leelarathna2075

Finance Director | Corporate Strategy

Profile summary

Career highlights

Key skills

Professional experience

Reported to the owner and chief executive officer, overseeing financial operations, reporting, and governance across a portfolio of premium hospitality properties. Shaped capital allocation, long-term financial planning, and expansion strategy while directing statutory accounts and risk management frameworks.

• •Directed group financial reporting and consolidation across the property portfolio to maintain accurate management and statutory accounts.
• •Strengthened financial governance and internal control frameworks across the portfolio, implementing approval controls and segregation of duties.
• •Managed the year-end audit process and maintained relationships with external auditors to ensure controlled audit cycles.
• •Advised the Board on capital investment projects, property renovations, and expansion initiatives by providing risk analysis.
• •Identified and delivered cost-saving initiatives across the portfolio without compromising service standards or internal controls.

Directed financial strategy, planning, and governance across 1,100 acres of historic parkland, advising the General Manager and corporate executive leadership while overseeing annual budgeting, forecasting, and commercial revenue centres.

• •Delivered monthly management accounts and performance reporting to Group leadership, providing commentary on variances, risks, and opportunities to inform corporate decision-making.
• •Directed a finance process improvement initiative that reduced month-end close time by 30%, which was adopted as a reference point for efficiency across the wider Group finance function.
• •Managed relationships with external auditors, HMRC, and banking institutions on behalf of the property within the established corporate governance framework.

Steered corporate strategy, capital allocation, and long-term investment planning as the founder's principal strategic finance adviser within an executive leadership team governing a diversified East African portfolio. Directed multi-currency treasury operations, enterprise risk management, and regulatory relationships across multiple jurisdictions.

• •Guided financial strategy for a portfolio generating 300 million USD in annual turnover across 15 operating subsidiaries.
• •Executed M&A due diligence, valuation, and post-acquisition integration for new business acquisitions and strategic investments.
• •Deployed Oracle ERP across multiple subsidiaries during a broader finance transformation and digitalisation programme.

Shaped the financial strategy and capital structure for an international consortium developing marina, hospitality, and leisure assets, steering investment planning and portfolio growth alongside executive stakeholders while directing capital raising and financial governance across operating entities.

• •Formed Perform Ltd as Chief Financial Officer, building a facilities management provider delivering hard and soft services across commercial, residential, and hospitality portfolios.
• •Managed treasury, cash flow, and working capital for a multi-client operating model, overseeing billing, collections, and supplier payment cycles.
• •Established financial controls, tender pricing frameworks, contract profitability analysis, and statutory reporting under IFRS standards.

• •Directed financial due diligence and structured investment recommendations for property acquisitions, evaluating asset quality, income yield, and capital appreciation potential.
• •Managed treasury and capital deployment strategy, covering banking relationships, acquisition funding structures, and investment portfolio oversight.

• •Evaluated investment requirements and monitored project costs against approved budgets for capital expenditure and refurbishment programs.
• •Managed external relationships with Abu Dhabi government entities, tourism authorities, auditors, and banks to maintain compliance with regulatory requirements.

• •Established the internal audit function from the ground up, including the audit charter, methodology, and a risk-based annual audit plan covering all business units.
• •Investigated instances of suspected fraud, policy breaches, and control failures, working with senior management to determine root cause and corrective action.

• •Consolidated resort-level financial results into Group statements, preparing statutory reporting packs for the parent company Board.
• •Advised senior leadership on long-term financial planning, capital investment priorities, and expansion strategy aligned with seasonal demand cycles.

• •Delivered financial reporting, cost accounting, and product-level margin reporting across production lines.
• •Managed inventory accounting and control across raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods.

• •Executed statutory audit engagements for corporate clients, determining appropriate audit methodology from initial risk assessment through final completion.
• •Prepared governance board reports on audit findings, communicating control weaknesses and actionable recommendations.

Projects

Delivered monthly management accounts and performance reporting to Group leadership, providing clear

Enhanced working capital management and financial control, improving cash flow predictability and reducing

Strengthened financial governance and internal controls in line with Arora Group policy, ensuring consistent

Led a finance process improvement initiative that reduced month-end close time by 30%, since adopted as a

Managed relationships with external auditors, HMRC and banking institutions on behalf of the property, within the Group's governance framework. Group Chief Financial Officer - Austen Group of Companies, Dubai, UAE Jan 2021 – July 2024 A diversified, founder-owned business conglomerate spanning mining, gold trading, real estate, hospitality, retail,

Served as the founder's principal strategic finance adviser and a core member of the executive leadership team,

Led Group-wide financial strategy for a portfolio generating over USD 300 million annual turnover across 15+

Directed enterprise risk management and corporate governance frameworks across a complex, multi-sector,

Led M&A due diligence, valuation and post-acquisition integration for new business acquisitions and strategic

Implemented Oracle ERP across multiple subsidiaries as part of a broader finance transformation and digitalisation

Managed multi-currency treasury operations, FX risk mitigation and working capital optimisation across

Introduced centralised, KPI-driven strategic reporting, providing the founder and Board with real-time visibility

Managed relationships with tax authorities, central banks, investors and regulators across multiple jurisdictions. Chief Financial Officer - Marina One International, I-Perform Ltd, Colombo, Sri Lanka Sep 2016 – Dec 2020 Established by a consortium of five international partners to develop and operate world-class marina, hospitality and leisure facilities at Colombo Port City and Galle Port; formed and led I-Perform Ltd as its facilities management arm,

Acted as principal financial strategist to an international ownership consortium, shaping long-term investment and

Provided strategic financial leadership for a diversified portfolio including hospitality operations, property

Led capital raising and structured funding negotiations with commercial banks to support working capital and

Formed and served as Chief Financial Officer of I-Perform Ltd, a facilities management business established under Marina One, growing it into one of Sri Lanka's leading FM providers delivering services across marina, hospitality,

Directed I-Perform's financial strategy, budgeting and service costing, including client contract pricing, margin management and performance monitoring across multiple FM service lines (hard and soft FM, security, cleaning,

Oversaw cash flow, working capital and treasury for I-Perform's contract-based, multi-client operating model,

Established financial controls and governance for I-Perform's client contract portfolio, including tender pricing,

Ensured IFRS compliance and timely statutory reporting across all entities, and maintained proactive strategic communication with the Board and investor consortium. Finance Director - Al Marina Investment, Abu Dhabi, UAE Jan 2015 – Jul 2016 A UAE-based diversified investment and holding company managing a portfolio of real estate, hospitality and

Served as senior financial adviser to the owner, shaping investment strategy across property acquisitions, disposals and portfolio optimisation, including deal appraisal, valuation and return analysis for prospective real estate

Led financial due diligence on acquisition targets and structured investment recommendations for the owner,

Directed consolidated financial planning and reporting across multiple legal entities and investment vehicles,

Developed and maintained investment portfolio models tracking asset performance, yield, occupancy and

Managed treasury and capital deployment strategy, including banking relationships, funding structures for

Advised the owner on capital structure and financing options for new acquisitions, including debt/equity

Led VAT preparation initiatives ahead of the UAE's statutory VAT implementation, positioning the business among

Introduced KPI-driven strategic management information dashboards for senior leadership, providing real-time visibility over portfolio performance, asset-level profitability and investment returns. Director of Finance / Financial Controller - National Corporation for Tourism & Hotels, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Provided strategic financial leadership for Danat Jebel Dhanna Resort, supporting the General Manager and senior

Led the full spectrum of hotel finance operations, including budgeting, forecasting, management reporting, cash-

Provided financial oversight of capital expenditure and refurbishment projects, evaluating investment

Managed relationships with Abu Dhabi government entities, tourism authorities, auditors, banks and other key

Worked closely with the General Manager and operational departments to drive revenue optimisation, departmental profitability, cost efficiency and working-capital management across the resort. Head of Internal Audit & Risk Management - Ishraq Gulf Real Estate Holding, Dubai, UAE Jan 2008 – Sep 2009

Established the internal audit function from the ground up, including the audit charter, methodology and a risk-

Led the execution of internal audit reviews across financial, operational and compliance areas, testing the design

Established enterprise risk frameworks and corporate governance protocols across all business units, reporting

Advised the Board and senior leadership on strategic risk exposure and mitigation priorities, presenting quarterly

Developed and maintained a Group-wide risk register and monitoring framework, tracking key risks, ownership

Investigated instances of suspected fraud, policy breaches and control failures, working with senior management

Reviewed and strengthened internal policies and procedures, including delegation of authority, procurement

Coordinated with external auditors on statutory audit planning and the resolution of control-related findings,

Tracked remediation of audit and risk findings to completion, providing the Audit Committee with regular status

Supported the development of a risk-aware culture across the business through training and engagement with operational and finance teams. General Manager Finance - Adaaran Group of Hotels, Maldives Jul 2005 – Dec 2007 A leading Maldivian hospitality brand offering luxury resort experiences across key island destinations, operating as

Held overall responsibility for the finance function across multiple luxury resort properties, providing strategic

Consolidated resort-level financial results into Group financial statements, preparing consolidated reporting for

Prepared statutory financial statements and corporate reporting packs for the parent company, ensuring accuracy,

Advised senior leadership and the parent company Board on long-term financial planning, capital investment

Directed the annual budgeting and forecasting process across the resort portfolio, aligning property-level plans

Developed strategic management information systems and consolidated reporting dashboards to support resort-

Managed relationships with external auditors and coordinated the year-end audit process across resort entities

Oversaw intercompany transactions, cost allocations and cross-charging arrangements between resort properties and the corporate head office. Finance Manager - Omega Line Ltd (Calzedonia Group, Italy), Sri Lanka Jul 2003 – Jun 2005 A Sri Lankan manufacturing subsidiary of Italy's Calzedonia (Oniverse) Group, operating within a BOI export processing zone to produce lingerie, hosiery and beachwear for international markets as part of the parent's integrated global

Acted as finance business partner to the manufacturing and operations leadership team, providing financial input

Delivered financial reporting, cost accounting and strategic management information for manufacturing operations, including standard costing, variance analysis and product-level margin reporting across production

Managed inventory accounting and control across raw materials, work-in-progress and finished goods, working

Oversaw the financial and logistics coordination of raw material imports and finished goods exports, including landed cost calculations, freight and duty cost tracking, and shipment documentation in support of the supply

Partnered with procurement and supply chain teams on supplier evaluation, cost negotiation and working capital

Monitored production cost efficiency and manufacturing overheads, identifying cost-saving opportunities and

Coordinated with the Italian parent company on consolidated reporting and transfer pricing strategy, ensuring

Ensured compliance with Board of Investment (BOI) regulations and export incentive schemes, including customs,

Managed cash flow forecasting, banking relationships and working capital for the manufacturing operation, supporting timely supplier payments and efficient use of trade finance facilities. Audit Manager (progressed from Trainee) - KPMG & Kreston MNS, Sri Lanka Mar 1998 – Jun 2003 Progressed from Trainee to Audit Manager, building a strong foundation in audit, assurance, taxation and advisory

Planned and led statutory audit engagements from risk assessment and scoping through to completion,

Managed statutory audits for hospitality, retail and manufacturing clients, advising senior client stakeholders on

Reviewed audit findings and prepared reports to those charged with governance, communicating control

Managed audit teams on assignments, reviewing junior staff work and ensuring audit files met firm and

Built a strong technical foundation in IFRS, audit methodology and financial reporting standards.

Education

Accountancy & Financial Management

Certifications

Languages