Hayleys Fibre appoints Ruwan Rajapakse as MD

Hayleys Fibre PLC, Sri Lanka’s leading manufacturer of coir fibre products and the flagship of the Hayleys group’s eco solutions sector, announced the appointment of Ruwan Rajapakse as Managing Director, with effect from April 1, 2026.

Rajapakse succeeds Rajeeve Goonetilleke, who retires from the Hayleys Fibre board on March 31, 2026. 

An industry veteran with over 30 years of professional experience spanning global manufacturing, supply chain management, agriculture and trade, Rajapakse holds more than two decades of international exposure in senior leadership positions. 

Most recently he served as Global Chief Production Officer and Member of the top management of Jiffy Group, headquartered in Rotterdam, Netherlands, a role in which he led global production, operations and supply chain functions across multiple facilities in Europe, North America and Asia.

Notably, his appointment marks a return to the Hayleys group, where he previously served as Director and CEO of the Hayleys agri horticulture sector and held senior leadership roles at Hayleys Advantis. 

Rajapakse has also held senior positions at Maersk Line, with a focus on global trade strategy, logistics and international market development.

He holds an MBA from the University of Colombo, a BSc from the University of Kelaniya and is a Certified Management Accountant (CMA — Australia). 

Rajapakse is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt qualified in manufacturing and is an active contributor to several national and international business and export-related organisations.