Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts announces new leadership appointments

Row 1 (Top to Bottom): Lankesha Ponnamperuma, Thanuja Mudiyanselage and Fowme Ibrahim. Row 2 (Top to Bottom) : Murfad Shariff, Charith Goonasekara and Keerthi Wimalasuriya

Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts has announced a series of senior leadership transitions across its Sri Lankan resort portfolio, reflecting the Group’s strategic commitment to strengthening internal talent pipelines, advancing inclusive leadership, and driving operational excellence across its Sri Lanka Resort portfolio.

Murfad Shariff has been appointed Area General Manager – Central and Eastern Resorts, Sri Lanka, overseeing Cinnamon Lodge Habarana, Habarana Village by Cinnamon, Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, Cinnamon Citadel Kandy, and the newly opened Kandy Myst by Cinnamon.

Simultaneously, Lankesha Ponnamperuma has been appointed Area General Manager – Southern Coast Resorts, Sri Lanka, overseeing operations at Cinnamon Bey Beruwala, HikkaTranz by Cinnamon, and Cinnamon Wild. In alignment with this strategic leadership structure, several resort-level transitions will take effect as well.

Thanuja Mudiyanselage has been appointed Resort Manager at Trinco Blu by Cinnamon, while Fowme Ibrahim assumes the role of Resort Manager of Habarana Village by Cinnamon.

Cinnamon Citadel Kandy welcomes Charith Goonasekara as its new Resort Manager, and Keerthi Wimalasuriya will move to the southern coast as Resort Manager at Cinnamon Bey Beruwala. 

Johan Aschan, Area Vice President – Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts, Sri Lanka Resorts, commented on the appointments; “These leadership transitions represent far more than new roles - they reflect our commitment to developing talent with depth, perspective, and destination insight. Each of these individuals brings not only operational expertise, but also an innate understanding of our brand’s values. As we continue to evolve across our key destinations, these appointments are vital in ensuring we deliver consistent, elevated experiences for our guests, while building a resilient and inclusive leadership culture from within.”