Board of Directors

Mr. W. M. R. S. Dias

Non-Executive Director/Chairman

FCIB (UK), LLB, Hubert H Humphrey Fellow

Mr W M R S Dias was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 29th May 2015 as a Non-Executive Director and was appointed as its Chairman on 9th May 2016.

He is a Senior Banker with years of banking experience and was lastly serving as the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC. Mr Dias has served on the Boards of Commercial Development Company PLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, Lanka Clear (Pvt) Limited, Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited and was a Council Member of the Employers' Federation of Ceylon.

Mr Dias presently serves on the boards of several corporates and is the co-chair of the National Agenda Committee on Finance and Capital of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He is also a Trustee of the Seylan Bank Employees’ Gratuity Trust Fund.

Mr Ramesh J Jayasekara

Director / Chief Executive Officer

BCom (First Class-Honours) [University of Colombo], ACA (Sri Lanka), ACIM (UK), ACCA (UK), ACMA (Sri Lanka)

Mr Ramesh Jayasekara was appointed as the Director/Chief Executive Officer of Seylan Bank PLC on 1st May 2023.  He was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the Bank prior to his appointment as the Director/Chief Executive Officer.  

Mr Jayasekara joined Seylan Bank in 2011 as the Chief Financial Officer and was appointed as the Chief Risk Officer in 2016. He was the Deputy General Manager – Corporate Banking of the Bank from 2018 to 2019. In January 2020, he was promoted to the grade of Senior Deputy General Manager.  In January 2021, he was made the Chief Operating Officer of the Bank and in terms of succession was appointed the Deputy Chief Executive Officer in September 2022.  Mr Ramesh Jayasekara is also the Chairman of Seylan Developments PLC. 

Prior to joining Seylan Bank PLC, he was the Deputy Regional Financial Controller of the French Banking giant BNP Paribas, Middle East Region – (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Dubai, Abu Dhabi & Cyprus) based in Bahrain. He has also worked at HSBC Sri Lanka as Resident Manager – Finance & Planning and at KPMG Sri Lanka as an Audit Manager. 

He has over 20 years of experience in Banking, Strategic Planning, Financial Management, Risk and Audit both locally and internationally. 
 

Mr S Viran Corea

Non-Executive Director

Bachelor-of-Laws (LL.B) and Master-of-Laws (LL.M) (University of Colombo), Attorney-at-Law

Mr Viran Corea was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 14th May 2015 as a Non-Executive Director.  He is a Counsel and Legal Consultant with over 25 years’ experience at the Bar. His experience in private practice has included the fields of constitutional and administrative law, human rights law, commercial law, industrial law, arbitration, contract law and land law. He has been involved as counsel in a number of landmark cases of national and public importance reported in the Sri Lanka Law Reports. 

Mr Corea is a legal advisor to Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL), a non-profit public interest law group committed to environmental protection in Sri Lanka through legal mechanisms and also to the Media Ownership Monitor in Sri Lanka which maps media ownership (and ownership concentration) in Sri Lanka to make it more publicly available and Colombo-based interdisciplinary think-tank, Verité Research (Pvt) Ltd.

Mr Corea has served as a State Counsel at the Attorney General’s Department of Sri Lanka for several years and has represented in court and advised Government Departments and state institutions in several important matters. He is also a Graduate Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), having successfully completed its Board Leadership Director Certification Programme. In 2012, he was picked as an ‘Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader’.

Mr Anushka S Wijesinha

Independent Director / Senior Director

MA Economics and Development [University of Leeds Business School, UK], BSc (Hons) Economics [University College London, UK]

Mr Anushka Wijesinha was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 1st December 2016 as an Independent Director. He was designated as the Senior Director with effect from 23rd September 2022.

He is an economist with a track record of research and advisory work across Asia. He has published many national and international publications, focusing on innovation, private sector development and international economics. He is currently heading Trade, Competitiveness and Innovation as Program Director in the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade.

Formerly, he was the Chief Economist and Head of the Economic Intelligence Unit of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Mr Wijesinha was an Asia Development Fellow of the Korea Development Institute; he headed the Industry, Competitiveness and Regulatory Policy Unit at the Institute of Policy Studies; was Research Officer to the Presidential Commission on Taxation; and was Assistant Director of Economic Affairs at the Government Peace Secretariat. Mr Wijesinha has previously undertaken consultancies for the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, GIZ and UNESCAP. Mr Wijesinha is a ‘New Champions’ awardee of the World Economic Forum and a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Colombo Hub.

Ms Sandya K Salgado

Independent Director

MBA (International) Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia BA(English, French, Linguistics) University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka , MCIM-UK

Mrs Sandya Salgado was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 1st December 2016 as an Independent Director.

She is a specialist in Strategic Communications and Sustainable Business Management with over thirty years of management experience in both corporate and development sectors. She was also trained at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore USA, in Strategic Communications. She was handpicked by Ogilvy Worldwide to introduce the concept of Brand Activation to Sri Lanka and as the CEO of Ogilvy Action, she launched, led and managed this company for twelve years. As a professional marketer, Mrs Salgado has helped, build and manage iconic brands and authored ground breaking marketing strategies during her tenure in the corporate sector. During this period, she worked extensively in the Financial and Banking sectors managing both local and international banking and financial brands. She was awarded the title “Marketer of the Year” in 2001 for her unique contribution to marketing through the concept of Brand Activation and was also awarded ‘Zonta Woman of Achievement” in 2006 in recognition of her contribution to socially responsible marketing communications in the country.

Moving into the development sector, Mrs Salgado has served as the Senior Communications Specialist at the World Bank, providing advice and guidance to manage the image and reputation of the World Bank and the World Bank funded projects in Sri Lanka and Maldives. She held this position until she resigned in 2015. Mrs Salgado is the Managing Partner of her consulting company Good Karma, through which she promotes the concept of sustainable business management. Fulfilling her social obligations, she serves as a member of the board of management of the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies, as a board member of Lebara Foundation, council member of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Secretary of the International Film Producers’ Association of Sri Lanka.

Mr D M D Krishan Thilakaratne

Non-Executive Director

AIB (Sri Lanka)

Mr Krishan Thilakaratne was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 1st October 2018 as a Non-Executive Director. Prior to this appointment, Mr Thilakaratne functioned as the Alternate Director to Non-Executive Director, Mr I C Nanayakkara until his resignation on 31st August 2018. 

Mr Thilakaratne is the Director/CEO of Commercial Leasing and Finance PLC and is a Member of the Senior Management Team of LOLC PLC.   

Mr Thilakaratne serves on the Boards of Prasac Micro Finance Cambodia and Commercial Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, which is the largest insurance brokering company in Sri Lanka. He also serves as a Director of the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB) and is the Chairman of the Finance Houses Association of Sri Lanka, the apex body for Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFIs) in Sri Lanka. 

Mr Thilakaratne holds an Associate membership of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (AIB). He has also followed a Strategic Leadership Training Programme in Micro Finance at the Harvard Business School, USA. Mr Thilakaratne counts over 25 years of experience in management, credit, channel management, marketing, factoring, portfolio management and Islamic finance. 

Mr D R Abeysuriya

Independent Director

FCMA, CGMA, MBA (Monash University, Australia), CFA

Mr D R Abeysuriya was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 17th October 2018 as an Independent Director. 

Mr Abeysuriya is a Group Director of Candor Group, Director of HNB Assurance PLC, and Bio Foods (Pvt) Limited. 

Previously, Mr Abeysuriya was responsible for private equity investments for Eagle Proprietary Investments Limited, a 200 million Dollar PE Fund. Formerly, he functioned as CEO, Candor Group of Companies owned by National Industries Group (NIG), one of the largest listed companies in Kuwait, as the Head of Strategic Business Development of Hayleys PLC, Managing Director of Amba Research (Pvt) Ltd, a pioneer global investment research outsourcing company and Managing Director of Fitch Ratings Lanka Ltd, the first credit rating agency in Sri Lanka. Prior to that, Mr Abeysuriya was the Head of Corporate Finance at JP Morgan, where he handled international equity placements and restructuring of companies. He has held senior roles in private equity investment and consulting for the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka. 

Mr Abeysuriya is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, Chartered Global Management Accountant, USA and a Chartered Financial Analyst, USA and has an MBA from Monash University, Australia. 

Mr Abeysuriya functioned as a permanent member of the Financial Sector Reforms Committee (FSRC), a Prime Ministerial Task Force appointment and was twice appointed as a Commission Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka. He was also a Director of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Ltd (SLIC) and was the Chairman of its Investment Committee. Mr Abeysuriya has also functioned as a member of Board Risk Oversight Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and President of several finance and IT associations.

Mr Abeysuriya was named as a “Lifetime Achievement” award laureate by the CFA Institute, USA in 2017 for his outstanding work and dedication to the investment management profession.
 

Mr D M Rupasinghe

Independent Director

BA (Hons) Economics [University of Kelaniya], MA Economics [Colorado State University-Fort Collins, USA]

Mr D M Rupasinghe was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on  1st October 2021 as an Independent Non-Executive Director.  

Mr Rupasinghe was the former Assistant Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (Central Bank) and Head/Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Sri Lanka ((FIU-Sri Lanka) of the Central Bank.  He has completed several post-graduate assignments/trainings at Harvard University, Western Australia University and National University of Singapore.

Mr Rupasinghe retired from Central Bank in September 2020 after many years of distinguished service having held many senior positions, which included the position of Additional Director of the FIU-Sri Lanka, Superintendent of the Public Debt Department, Controller of Exchange, as a Senior Economist in the Economic Research Department and as Director of many important divisions/departments of the Central Bank. Mr Rupasinghe also has exposure in the government sector as well as the private sector, having served at some of the government and private sector institutions.

Mr Rupasinghe is a recognized expert in finance/economics and in particular, in the areas of anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT).  
 

Mr Rupasinghe has also held many important different positions at various important  committees and institutions in Sri Lanka during his career, including as a member of the Special Presidential Task Force on Recovery of State Assets of Government of Sri Lanka, a member of the Board and the Audit Committee of the Gem and Jewellery Authority of Sri Lanka, Working Group member on International Trade Facilitation at the WTO and Sri Lanka Customs, an advisor to the Working Group to assess and report on impact of LTTE international Affairs and their implications for National Security-Ministry of Defense, a member of the Steering Committee on Aging Study-Ministry of Health, a member of the Technical Evaluation Committee on study of Economic Significant of Coastal Region- Coast Conservation Department, a member of the Steering Committee on National Health Account-Ministry of Health, a member of the Committee on BIMSTEC Business Forum- Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka, a member of the Steering Committee of the Plantation Sector Reform Project- Ministry of Plantation Industries.

Mr Rupasinghe was the Country Researcher for Research Projects on “Socio-economic Impacts of Hydro-Metrological Disasters”, UN-ESCAP- Thailand and “The impact and Policy Response of Oil Price Shocks in Sri Lanka” SEACEN Centre, Malaysia. He also worked closely with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the regional FATF Secretariats in particular with Asia Pacific Group of Money Laundering (APG) for over a decade and served as a Co-chair of Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG) and its Governing Committee Member thereafter. He also served as Egmont Group (of Financial Intelligence Units) Governance Committee Member and Asia Pacific Regional Representative until his retirement from the Central Bank in 2020.
 

Mr L H A Lakshman Silva

Independent Director

BCom (Sp.) Degree [University of Kelaniya], MBA [Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura]

Mr L H A Lakshman Silva was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on  18th July 2022 as an Independent Non-Executive Director.  

Mr Lakshman Silva was the Director/Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank PLC from August 2017 to December 2021 until his retirement from the Bank. 

He started the professional career with the Department of Inland Revenue of Sri Lanka and joined the DFCC Banking Group in 1987. He was seconded to the service of DFCC Vardhana Bank in 2003 and functioned as the Chief Operating Officer until appointment as the Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director in January 2010. He held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer/Director of DFCC Bank PLC from October 2015 until August 2017.

Until his retirement from DFCC Bank PLC in December 2021, he held the position of Chairman of DFCC Consulting (Pvt) Limited and Synapsys Limited (subsidiary companies of DFCC Bank PLC) and the Chairman of Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited as well as Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Limited. He held the positions of Chairman of Acuity Partners (Pvt) Limited, the joint venture company of DFCC Bank PLC and Chairman of Lanka Ventures Limited and LVL Energy Fund PLC. He also served as a Director of Lanka Clear (Pvt) Ltd.

Mr Lakshman Silva was a member of the Board of Directors of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and Board of Management of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority.

At present he holds the positions of Chairman of Lanka Industrial Estates Limited and Chairman of Panasian Power PLC and its subsidiary companies. He also serves as a member of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. He is a member and a Past President of the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka.
 

Mrs V G S Sunjeevani Kotakadeniya

Non-Executive Director

FCMA(UK), CGMA(USA), MBA(Col.)

Mrs Sunjeevani Kotakadeniya was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 17th August 2022 as a Non-Executive Director. Prior to this appointment, Mrs Kotakadeniya functioned as the Alternate Director to Mr W D K Jayawardena from 26th June 2020 until his retirement on 31st July 2022. 

Mrs Sunjeevani Kotakadeniya is the Chief Financial Officer of the LOLC Group, overseeing the Group’s finance function locally and internationally. She holds directorships of the LOLC Group companies and plays a key role in the overall organizational management of Browns Investments PLC and its subsidiaries. 

Mrs Kotakadeniya possesses over thirty three years’ experience in the fields of finance and management, having held key positions in many leading organizations in insurance, finance, leasing, factoring, fund management, unit trusts administrations and stock broking. Her experience as a senior finance professional includes organizations engaged in trading, manufacturing, construction, agriculture and plantations, leisure and IT services industries representing the non-financial sector. Mrs Kotakadeniya has been a catalyst in corporate restructuring related matters and change management, mergers and acquisitions, and project management.
 
 

Mrs Averil A Ludowyke

Independent Director

FCA (CA Sri Lanka), FCMA (UK)

Mrs Averil Ludowyke was appointed to the Board of Seylan Bank PLC on 17th August 2022 as an Independent Director.

She counts over 26 years of experience at Ernst & Young and has served as a Partner from 2011 to 2022. 

Mrs Ludowyke was lead Audit Partner at Ernst & Young, of several groups of companies and she launched and led forensics and integrity services of the firm. Her clients included banks and finance companies, and companies engaged in retail, manufacturing, telecommunications, construction, real estate, shipping and logistics, leisure, plantations and development. 

She also counts 12 years of senior level experience in finance and accounting in the manufacturing sector, and in a relief and development organization. 

Mrs Ludowyke has been a resource person for the Director Certification Program of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors, and the Certificate Course on Forensic Auditing of CA Sri Lanka. She has also conducted several public seminars with the CIMA, the Ministry of Public Enterprise Development, National Chamber of Commerce, ACCA, AAT, CMA and has been a panelist/presenter at the ACAMS regional conference of the Indian subcontinent, the annual conference of the Institute of Internal Auditors and at programs conducted by the University of Kelaniya.