Unleashing the Power of Data and AI to Accelerate Sri Lanka’s Digital Future

As enterprises worldwide race to harness the power of data, AI, and intelligent automation, John Keells Holdings PLC (JKH) — Sri Lanka’s largest and most diversified conglomerate — is emerging as a standout example of how organisations in emerging markets can leapfrog legacy constraints and adopt world-class digital operating models at scale.

With leadership across retail, leisure, logistics, financial services, property, and manufacturing, JKH has long been a pillar of Sri Lanka’s economic growth. Today, it is equally becoming a benchmark for enterprise-grade data and AI transformation in South Asia. One of the Group’s most advanced transformations is within Jaykay Marketing Services, operator of Keells Supermarkets, a high-volume retail chain with one of the most dynamic data footprints in the region. To replace fragmented systems and delayed insights, John Keells partnered with dinesQL to transition from Azure Synapse to Microsoft Fabric, adopting a unified Lakehouse Architecture that consolidates ERP, POS, finance, supply chain, and operational data.

This next-generation foundation empowers John Keells with near-real-time analytics and visibility, allowing teams to access up-to-date insights as events unfold. Advanced business intelligence and AI-driven capabilities further enhance decision-making, delivering deeper, actionable insights across the organization. Business teams benefit from self-service reporting, enabling them to generate and customize reports independently, while AI operated workflows—always under human oversight—streamline operations and ensure both efficiency and accountability.

Through Bronze, Silver, and Gold data layers, a comprehensive data warehouse, and a governed semantic model, the Group now operates with global-standard transparency, accuracy, and consistency.

The impact of John Keells’ transformation has been profound, reflecting the kind of performance improvements seen in leading digital enterprises. Report generation times have been dramatically reduced from 30 minutes to just 15–20 seconds, while data latency has been cut from 24 hours to only 30 minutes. Insights that were previously unattainable across different functions can now be generated within minutes, and the organization has embraced self-service business intelligence on a wide scale.

With over four years of high-quality historical data fueling predictive and generative analytics, John Keells has advanced from periodic analysis to continuous intelligence.

John Keells’ journey shows that digital excellence is no longer defined by geography but by ambition, architectural rigor, and leadership clarity. Its success offers a powerful blueprint for enterprises across emerging markets — proving that with the right strategy and ecosystem partnerships, organisations can adopt advanced AI-driven capabilities on par with global leaders.