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About Us
OUR HISTORY
Mackwoods was founded in 1841 by British Ship’s Captain William Mackwood, and has the distinction of being the second oldest Mercantile Firm in Sri Lanka, and has a 180 year heritage in Sri Lanka. The name Mackwoods is synonymous with the finest Ceylon Tea, as Mackwoods has been associated with tea since its inception. Mackwoods is also one of the oldest members of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, since 1847.
NSO Mendis a lawyer and businessman, was also a hotelier, owning the colonial Queens Hotel, and a portfolio of 10 hotels, and also creating the first 5 star hotel outside the Capital, managed
by Sir Charles Forte. He also inspired Adrian Zecha of Aman resorts to commence boutique resorts in Sri Lanka. He subsequently divested his leisure portfolio, but expanded in shipping, plantations, healthcare, and trading.
He was a pioneer in the tea Industry, and together with his British business consortium , comprising Rt Hon Lord Sempill; Rt Hon Lord Brabazon of Tara, Minister of Transport during Sir Winston Churchill’s Government; Rt Hon the Earl of Inchcape, Chairman Inchcape Group and P&O, Mendis pioneered acquisitions of several British Companies. Mackwoods which he acquired in the 1950’s was the jewel in the Crown, and still remains within his descendants, his grandson Dr Chris Nonis.
The family tradition at Mackwoods continued with his daughter Mrs. Sriyani Nonis, Chairperson of the Mackwoods Group, who was the only Sri Lankan female to head a plantation company.
Mrs. Sriyani Nonis was the first Sri Lankan to acquire a British Company with plantation interests. She steered the company’s investments in human capital and the community, process engineering and modernisation, sustainable development and diversification initiatives.
Her son, Dr Chris Nonis, a Doctor of Medicine by profession in London, took up the mantle as Chairman of the Mackwoods Group in 2005. He was Deputy Chairman of the Royal Commonwealth Society and served on several Commonwealth Boards, Chaired the Board of Governors of the Commonwealth Secretariat, and served on Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II Trust. He also served as the Sri Lanka High Commissioner to the United Kingdom,
MR. N S O MENDIS
Even in those parlous times, a few clever and daring entrepreneurs still met with success. One such was Noel Servulus Oswald Mendis, who in 1955 abandoned his successful legal practice for a more adventurous career in business.
N.S.O. Mendis (like D. S. Senanayake, he was generally referred to by his initials) was among the first to identify the opportunities created by the withdrawal of European capital following the upheavals in 1956. That same year, he made history by becoming the first Ceylonese magnate to purchase a formerly British-owned company, the old-established business house of Mackwoods
MRS. SRIYANI NONIS Barrister-at-law (Gray’s Inn), Attorney-at-law (Sri Lanka)
The reputation for quality, which Mackwoods has grown to enjoy, is built upon the foundation of sincere effort, resilience, intelligent direction and skillful execution facets of the vision of the late Mrs. Sriyani Nonis, Chairperson of Mackwoods Group of Companies, who successfully let Mackwoods over a period of 40 years, having been actively involved in the business for many years prior to that. A Barrister-at-Law by profession, she brought with her, a wealth of management experience.
DR. CHRIS NONIS B.Sc. (Hons), MBBS (London), MRCP (UK)
- Former High Commissioner for Sri Lanka to the United Kingdom
- Former Chairman, Board of Governors, Commonwealth Secretariat, London
- Chairman, Advisory Council for Sri Lanka of the British Asian Trust, a charity of HRH The Prince of Wales
- Chairman, Mackwoods Group of Companies
Dr. Chris Nonis has lived and worked in both Sri Lanka and the UK, and has diverse experience in Commonwealth and International Affairs, the Public Sector, the Private Sector, and the Diplomatic Sector. His main interests have been Commonwealth development Imperatives, with a particular focus on Healthcare, Peace Building, ICT Education, Rural Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with the aim of bridging the gap between developing and developed countries.