( Media Release – 2020/12/28 )
The MMBL-Pathfinder Group and the Washington DC based Centennial Group Holdings LLC., have launched a joint venture company for providing strategic advisory and project management services to policymakers as well as prospective foreign and local investors, with a view to attracting foreign investment and establishing new business ventures in the island.
The Agreement was signed on December 22nd, 2020 on a virtual platform in the presence of signatories from both sides. The Board of Pathfinder-Centennial will comprise of Harinder Kohli, President & CEO of Centennial Group International and Director and Chief Executive of Emerging Markets Forum (a nonprofit arm), both based in Washington D.C., who held several senior positions at the World Bank; Dr. Rajat Nag, former Managing Director General of the Asian Development Bank and Distinguished Fellow of National Council of Applied Economic Research, Delhi and Emerging Markets Forum, Washington DC (2006-2013) and Mohamed V. Muhsin, Strategic Management Consultant, Corporate Director and former Vice President & CIO of the World Bank. Board members representing MMBL-Pathfinder Group will be former Ambassador and Chairman of the Pathfinder Foundation Bernard Goonetilleke; K. Balasundaram, CEO of MMBL-Pathfinder Group and senior corporate executive and Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy, former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.Bernard Goonetilleke will function as Chairman, while Mohamed V. Muhsin will be the Managing Director/ CEO of the joint venture company, Pathfinder-Centennial (Pvt.) Ltd.Centennial Group International. headquartered in Washington DC, is a strategic and policy advisory firm with branches and operations globally.
Centennial partners with local ‘Think Tanks’, Universities, executive training institutions and other counterparts. It provides advice across economic sectors in the public and private sectors, state owned enterprises and small and medium enterprises. Economic transformation is a major focus of Centennial, including reorganization and transformation of enterprises, implementation of program and projects, monitoring and evaluation, advising on mergers and acqusitions and leveraging digital opportunities. Centennial works with sovereign and non-sovereign clients as well as with a full range of multilateral and bilateral development institutions. The Group has the benefit of a unique blend of senior staff, having experience in high-level policy and strategy formulation and implementation by serving in senior most positions in multilateral institutions including UN agencies, the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, the IMF, IFAD, AfDB and the Islamic Development Bank.
It has released a number of major publications through its non-profit arm, the Emerging Markets Forum.MMBL-Pathfinder Group has been engaged in investing and promoting investments by local and foreign investors for a considerable period of time. The ‘Pathfinder Foundation’, which is a non-profit organization established by the Group, has been active since 2003 in multifaceted fields such as economic reform, security and strategic studies etc. by conducting public seminars, workshops, conferences etc. for the local and international audience.
