01
Current
Chairman
Indexpo Certification (Pvt) Ltd — ISO management systems certification
Manufacturing · Supply Chain · Operations Excellence
Building Excellence into Industry.
Four decades leading Sri Lanka's flagship manufacturers — from the Unilever factory floor to CEO and Chairman — turning around businesses, building plants at home and abroad, and teaching the next generation of supply chain leaders.
40+
Years of Industry Leadership
Rs 2.5B
Greenfield Plant Delivered
15000
MT Annual Export Capacity
98%
On-Time-In-Full Achieved
About Canisius
A Career Forged in Industry.
Canisius Fernando has spent more than forty years making Sri Lankan manufacturing work better — faster lines, leaner supply chains, profitable turnarounds and award-winning factories.
He began at Unilever Ceylon in 1983 as a Production Assistant and rose through soap and detergent manufacturing into front-level management. A decade at Coats Thread Lanka followed, where as Operations Manager he represented Sri Lanka in the global supply chain team and cut urgent-order lead times from 7 days to 24 hours. As General Manager he lifted Polytex Garments' line efficiency from 45% to 85%, then turned loss-making Dankotuwa Porcelain into a profitable Presidential Export Award winner within two years.
As Director of Manufacturing & Supply Chain at Hemas, he built and commissioned a Rs. 2.5 billion greenfield personal care plant, set up manufacturing in Bangladesh, and grew personal care market share from 7% to 21% while sustaining OTIF above 98%. At Browns Group he consolidated 13 warehouses into one centralized hub, saving Rs. 10 million a month, and as CEO of Aqua Packaging he led a 100% export flexible packaging business shipping over 15,000 MT a year to the USA and Europe, winning multiple Presidential Export Awards.
Today he chairs Indexpo Certification, leads InoPrintech as Director/CEO, lectures on supply chain management for the MBA programme at Oxford College of Business, and serves as Vice Chairman of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Quality and Productivity. He is a Past Chairman of the Ceylon National Chamber of Industries.
- Based in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka
- Languages English · Sinhala
- Discipline Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management
- Known for Business turnarounds & operational excellence
Leadership Roles
Positions of Stewardship.
Boardroom, lecture hall and chamber — the roles Canisius holds today.
02
Current
Director / Chief Executive Officer
InoPrintech (Pvt) Ltd — offset printing & packaging
03
Current
Visiting Lecturer, MBA — SCM
Oxford College of Business
04
Current
Vice Chairman
Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Quality & Productivity (SLAQP)
05
Current
Management Council Member
Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA)
06
Past
Past Chairman
Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI)
07
Community
President
Lions Club Pamunugama / Ja-Ela · Annites Alumni Colombo
The Journey
Four Decades of Making It Work.
1983 – 1994
Production Assistant → Front Level Manager · Unilever Ceylon PLC
Rose from Production Assistant to Front Level Manager across the Rinso washing powder and toilet soap plants, product development and QA/QC — driving right quality, right productivity, right cost.
1995 – 2004
Operations Manager · Coats Thread Lanka (Pvt) Ltd
Headed customer service within factory operations and represented Sri Lanka in the global supply chain team; introduced a 24-Hour Fast Track Service cutting lead times from 7 days to 24 hours with over 95% on-time delivery.
2004 – 2006
General Manager · Polytex Garments
Led 2,000+ associates across 15 woven and knit lines; built a KPI culture with the Thomas Group (UK) and raised line efficiency from 45% to 85% while meeting GAP, Nike, OEKO-TEX and WRAP compliance.
2006 – 2008
General Manager · Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC
Turned a loss-making operation profitable within two years, cut white ware rejects below 1%, and positioned the company to win the Presidential Export Award for ceramics.
2009 – 2014
Director — Manufacturing & Supply Chain · Hemas Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd
Built and commissioned a Rs. 2.5 billion greenfield personal care plant in Dankotuwa, set up manufacturing in Bangladesh, grew personal care market share from 7% to 21%, and sustained OTIF above 98% with 1,000+ accident-free days.
2014 – 2016
Director / CEO · Browns Industrial Park & Group Industries
Consolidated 13 warehouses into one centralized logistics hub saving Rs. 10 million monthly; led Yanmar and Cummins engine businesses and negotiated a Tata Nano assembly plant with 35% local value addition.
2016 – 2023
Chief Executive Officer · Aqua Packaging (Pvt) Ltd
Led a 100% export flexible packaging manufacturer across three plants producing over 15,000 MT annually for the USA and Europe, winning multiple Presidential Export Awards.
2023 – Present
Chairman, Indexpo Certification · Director/CEO, InoPrintech · Visiting Lecturer
Helps organisations implement ISO management systems, leads an offset printing and packaging business, and lectures on supply chain management for the MBA programme at Oxford College of Business.
Education
Master of Business Administration
University of Southern Queensland, Australia
Bachelor of Management Studies
Open University of Sri Lanka
Certified Management Accountant
Institute of Certified Management Accountants
Diploma in Public Law
University of Colombo
Advanced Diploma in Industrial Engineering
National Institute of Business Management
Diploma in Management
Open University of Sri Lanka
Signature Work
Projects That Transform.
2012
Rs. 2.5 Billion Greenfield Plant — Dankotuwa
Designed, built and commissioned a state-of-the-art personal care manufacturing facility for Hemas, then relocated the Walisara operation into it with zero market disruption and zero industrial disputes.
2013
FMCG Manufacturing Plant — Bangladesh
Established a personal care manufacturing operation in Bangladesh for haircare and skincare products, anchoring Hemas' regional expansion.
2015
Centralized Warehouse & Logistics Hub — Browns
Consolidated 13 warehouse locations around Colombo into a single operation, integrating multi-category distribution and saving roughly Rs. 10 million every month.
2015
Tata Nano Assembly Negotiation
Conducted strategic negotiations with Tata Motors to establish a Nano vehicle assembly plant in Sri Lanka with a targeted 35% local value addition.
1999
24-Hour Fast Track Service — Coats
Conceived and implemented a fast-track manufacturing service that cut urgent customer lead times from 7 days to 24 hours at over 95% on-time delivery.
2007
Dankotuwa Porcelain Turnaround
Transformed a loss-making porcelain manufacturer into a profitable exporter within two years, paying one of the highest employee bonuses in its history.
2011
Food Manufacturing Plant — Pannala
Set up a food manufacturing plant in Pannala for ALS, extending proven FMCG plant-build experience into the food sector.
National Honours
Recognised by the Nation.
Sri Lanka
Presidential Export Awards — Flexible Packaging
President of Sri Lanka
Multiple Presidential Export Awards for outstanding export performance during his tenure as CEO of Aqua Packaging.
Sri Lanka
Presidential Export Award — Ceramics
President of Sri Lanka
Won for the highest export earnings in the ceramics category following the Dankotuwa Porcelain turnaround.
Sri Lanka
1st Place — National Quality Award
Department of Labour
First place in the National Quality Award for manufacturing excellence at Hemas.
Sri Lanka
Chairman — Vehicle Component Manufacturers Advisory Committee
Ministry of Industries
Appointed to chair the national advisory committee guiding Sri Lanka's automotive component manufacturing sector.
Honours & Recognition
A Record of Excellence.
- 2016–23 Presidential Export Awards — Flexible Packaging President of Sri Lanka National
- 2008 Presidential Export Award — Ceramics President of Sri Lanka National
- 2013 1st Place — National Quality Award Department of Labour National
- 2012 1st Place — National Productivity Award National Productivity Secretariat National
- 2012 Achiever Awards Gold — Business Excellence Ceylon National Chamber of Industries National
- 2013 Gold Award — 5S Excellence AOTS / Justica (Japan) International
- 2013 National Recognition — Kaizen Excellence National Kaizen Awards National
- 2014 National Recognition — Occupational Health & Safety National OSH Awards National
- 2018 Gold Award — Flexible Packaging Exports National Chamber of Exporters National
- 2011 Chairman's Crystal Award — Corporate Values Hemas Holdings PLC Corporate
How I Serve
Where Experience Delivers.
Supply Chain & Operations Advisory
End-to-end supply chain design, OTIF improvement, inventory optimization and operational efficiency programmes built on PQCDSM and world-class manufacturing practice.
ISO Management Systems Certification
Through Indexpo Certification — implementation and certification support for ISO 9001:2015, ISO 22000, BRC and FSSC management systems.
Business Turnaround & Restructuring
Proven loss-to-profit transformations: KPI cultures, best-fit management structures, centralized logistics and cost re-engineering for manufacturing businesses.
Lecturing & Corporate Training
MBA-level supply chain management lectures and corporate training in 5S, Kaizen, TQM, PDCA and Japanese productivity concepts.
Frequently Asked
Quick Facts.
Who is Canisius Fernando?
Nihal Canisius Fernando is a Sri Lankan manufacturing and supply chain leader with over 40 years of experience, having served as CEO, Director and General Manager at companies including Unilever Ceylon, Coats Thread Lanka, Dankotuwa Porcelain, Hemas Manufacturing, Browns Group and Aqua Packaging.
What does he do today?
He is Chairman of Indexpo Certification (ISO management systems), Director/CEO of InoPrintech (offset printing and packaging), and Visiting Lecturer in Supply Chain Management for the MBA programme at Oxford College of Business.
What is he best known for?
Business turnarounds and operational excellence — turning Dankotuwa Porcelain profitable in two years, building a Rs. 2.5 billion greenfield plant for Hemas, achieving 98% OTIF, and leading Aqua Packaging to multiple Presidential Export Awards.
What are his qualifications?
MBA from the University of Southern Queensland (Australia), Bachelor of Management Studies from the Open University of Sri Lanka, Certified Management Accountant (CMA), Diploma in Public Law from the University of Colombo, plus advanced diplomas in industrial engineering and management.
Which methodologies does he practise?
Japanese productivity concepts — 5S, Kaizen, TQM, PDCA cycle, Pareto analysis — plus KPI-driven management, lean manufacturing, TPM and ISO management systems (ISO 9001, ISO 22000, BRC, FSSC).
How can I engage him?
For supply chain advisory, ISO certification, business turnaround consulting or lecture invitations, use the contact form on this site, email canisius.csdlautolk@gmail.com, or reach him on WhatsApp at +94 77 244 7062.
Get in Touch