Colombo, Sri Lanka, August 2025 – Sysco LABS Sri Lanka has announced the appointment of Thushera Kawdawatta as Managing Director. With nearly three decades of global technology leadership experience, Thushera will guide Sysco LABS Sri Lanka into its next era of growth and innovation. His vision of harnessing Sri Lankan ingenuity and investing in people will further strengthen Sysco LABS’ role as Sysco’s largest Global Innovation Center, powering the global foodservice industry.
Thushera most recently served as CEO of Axiata Digital Labs, a subsidiary of Axiata Group Bhd, where he successfully scaled the company to over 1,200 employees across six countries. Under his leadership, the company earned global recognition for its digital transformation solutions, securing multiple accreditations and awards.
Alongside this, he has taken on strategic leadership roles in healthcare and banking technology, including serving as CEO & Chief AI Officer at COHEAD Therapeutics and AI & Data Strategist at Sampath Bank, where he applied AI-driven solutions to advance innovation. He also continues to serve as Chairman of VeroxLabs, which focuses on revolutionizing IVF lab success with advanced technology, and as a Non-Executive Director at Sampath IT Solutions.
Previously, he was with Virtusa for over 19 years, where he rose to the position of Vice President of Technology, Chief Software Architect & Practice ATC Lead. During his long tenure, he spearheaded enterprise architecture and technology transformation initiatives for global clients, cementing his reputation as a leader in digital strategy, operations management, and innovation.
His contributions also extend to industry bodies and academia, including serving on the Advisory Board of the SLASSCOM Technology Forum, as a Board Member of the Academic Committee at the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM), and on the Academic Committee for BIT at the University of Moratuwa. He has also been recognized globally as a member of the Forbes Technology Council since 2021.
About Sysco LABS Sri Lanka
Sysco LABS is the captive innovation arm of Sysco Corporation (NYSE: SYY), the world’s largest foodservice company and a Fortune 500 leader with over $76 billion in sales and operations in more than 340 distribution facilities worldwide. Serving over 725,000 customer locations, Sysco is the global leader in selling, marketing, and distributing food products and hospitality supplies.
Operating with the agility of a tech startup and backed by the scale of Sysco, Sysco LABS is at the forefront of transforming the global foodservice industry. With engineering teams in Colombo, Austin, and Houston, Sysco LABS drives innovation across the entire food journey—from sourcing and merchandising to logistics, order placement, and end-customer experiences.
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