Board of Directors

Prof. Ajantha Samarakoon

Prof. Samarakoon currently serves as a professor at the Department of Commerce and Financial Management within the Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Special) Degree and a Master’s Degree from the same institution. In addition, he earned a PhD in Management and Economics from Tomas Bata University in the Czech Republic, supported by the prestigious Internationalisation Development Scholarship from the Czech Ministry of Education, Youth, and Sports.

Prof. Samarakoon is an experienced academic leader, with a track record of mentoring PhD students and actively contributing to international conferences. He has served as the Co-chair of the International Conference on Business and Industry (ICBI 2017). His academic credentials are further complemented by his membership in professional bodies such as CMA-Australia and the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) in Sri Lanka..

Beyond his academic achievements, Prof. Samarakoon has significant experience in the finance and auditing sectors. He has worked as an Audit Supervisor for three years, gaining valuable expertise in financial governance and operational oversight. He has also played a key role in the development of curricula for both government and private universities in Sri Lanka, contributing to the country's education system.

In his capacity as Chief Examiner for the G.C.E. A/L examination since 2006, Prof. Samarakoon has demonstrated leadership in shaping educational standards at the national level. He has further contributed to the improvement of higher education quality through his involvement with the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council of the University Grants Commission of Sri Lanka.

As the newly appointed Chairman of People’s Leasing & Finance PLC, Prof. Samarakoon brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to guide the company toward a future focused on innovation, sustainability, and excellence. His leadership will ensure that People’s Leasing & Finance PLC remains a trusted leader in Sri Lanka’s non-bank financial services sector.

Mr.Y. Kanagasabai

Mr. Yudhishtran Kanagasabai has been appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Company with effect from 11th August 2023.

He has also been designated as the Senior Independent Director of the Board. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant, Mr. Yudhishtran Kanagasabai commenced his career at PricewaterhouseCoopers and retired as its Chief Executive Officer in March 2017. A passion for excellence elevated the profile of the Sri Lankan and the Maldives Practice of the Firm (PricewaterhouseCoopers) to consistently provide quality solutions to clients within appropriate standards and applicable best practices.

Mr. Kanagasabai currently serves as the Chairman of Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC and Taprobane Capital Plus Limited. He is also the Chairman of the Board Audit Committees of Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC, Eswaran Brothers Exports (Private) Limited, Millennium IT ESP (Pvt) Limited and Ambeon Capital PLC, and an Independent Non-Executive Director of Cargills Bank Limited and MainGate (Private) Limited. He is also a Non - Executive Director of Colombo City Holdings PLC.

He was also the Chairman of South Asia Textiles Limited from January 2021 to 31st May 2021, Chairman of the Audit Committee of Union Bank PLC from August 2016 to 31 December 2018, and a Commissioner of the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka from May 2018 to November 2018 and from December 2018 to November 2019. He was also a Non-Executive Director of Hunter and Company PLC and Lanka Canneries Limited from 2017 up to 31st March 2022.

He was an Independent Non-Executive Director of Cargills Ceylon PLC and a Non Executive Director of Cargills Food Company Limited until 31st July 2023.

Mr. Hemathkumar Gunawardana

Makalandage Sanath Hemathkumar Gunawardana has been appointed as a Non Executive Non Independent Director of the Company with effect from 28th November 2022.

Mr. Gunawardana was appointed to the Board of Directors of People’s Bank on 26 December 2019 as a Non-Executive Director. He commands over 40 years of experience in diverse areas of banking. Having started his career with Commercial Bank PLC in 1979, he has moved on to Amsterdam Rotterdam Bank (Amro Bank), ABN Amro Bank and finally to National Development Bank PLC (NDB). He has served in Senior Management positions for over 20 years having first appointed as an Assistant Vice President of ABN AMRO Bank in the year 2000. His areas of expertise is wide and varied and include branch network management, institutional banking, trade finance, operations, administration and services.

He has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors of Development Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. which is an entity jointly owned by National Development Bank PLC (NDB) and Export Development Board (EDB) and Treasurer of Sri Lanka Tennis Association.

Mr. Chanura J. Wijetillake

Mr. Chanura J. Wijetillake has over 35 years experience in the Banking Sector, out of which a total of 14 years in the Senior Management & the Corporate Management at the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, covering the areas of Lending , Compliance & Branch Administration.

He has been instrumental in implementing a Risk-based Compliance Frame Work and Risk based Compliance Audit System at the Bank. He has also successfully developed & executed strategies to maximize the sales & profit growth in 02 large Regions of the Bank for over 5 years.

He has been a member of the Bank's Internal Resource faculty for its training programmes conducted for Branch Managers & the Credit Officers on Lending.

Mr. Wijetillake is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Bankers – Sri Lanka & also an Associate Member of the International Professional Managers Association (UK). He has also obtained his Diploma in Management from ICFAI University, India.

He has represented the bank & participated in several Training Programs in Singapore, Bangladesh, China & Germany during his long career at the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.

He has also functioned as the Assistant General Manager - Compliance at Softlogic Finance PLC for a while after his retirement from Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC.

Mr. U.L. Asoka Wickramasinghe Bandara

Mr. Asoka Bandara has over 30 years of expertise in demand generation function and business development in MNC's and leading local corporates. He has been a MANCOM member of Nestle Lanka PLC and Group Managing Director of Delmege Forsyth Group of companies and currently operates management consultancy services for leading local conglomerates. His core competencies include building of branded businesses and development of commercial teams. As a Trainer, he specializes on developing team leadership and personality development and imparts his knowledge via MBA teaching on topics i.e. leadership, strategic management and advanced marketing and sales management. He also acts as a key negotiator by leveraging his issue management skills for leading Industry bodies vs key stakeholders.

Mr. Clive Fonseka

Mr. Clive Fonseka is a fellow of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Postgraduate Institute of Management of University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He has received a Distinction for the ACI Dealing Certificate and counts more than 26 years experience in Treasury Management. He is also a Certified Member (CMA) of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia. He was appointed as the President of the Association of Primary Dealers in July 2018 and acts in this position at present. He is a member of National Payment Council and Financial System Stability Consultative Committees of Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Furthermore he has acted as a Chief Examiner for Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka’s IABF/DABF Examinations.

He joined People’s Bank in 2002, prior to which he served at American Express Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. He has been a member of People’s Bank’s senior corporate management team from November 2011.He joined People’s Bank in 2002, prior to which he served at American Express Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. He has been a member of People’s Bank’s senior corporate management team from November 2011.

Mr. Azzam A. Ahamat

Mr. Ahamat joined People’s Bank as Head of Finance on January 3, 2017.

He has close to 18 years’ experience both locally and internationally across strategic financial management, alternate investments and risk. His prior employers include some of the largest multi-national professional service firms and other tier I service providers across respective market spaces. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (United Kingdom), a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (United Kingdom) and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. He is a Technical Specialist of the Institute of Risk Management (United Kingdom), a Certified Practicing Accountant (AUST.) and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment (United Kingdom).

Mr. Rohan Pathirage

Mr. Rohan Pathirage was appointed as Director to the Board on 07th July 2020. An Attorney - at – Law, Mr.Pathirage holds a Law Degree from the University of Colombo and is a Master’s Degree Holder in Bank Management from the Massey University, New Zeala. He is also a holder of a Postgraduate Diploma in Banking.

He counts for over 24 years’ experience across Human Resources, Legal and Administration relating to People’s Bank. Previously as Deputy General Manager - Secretary to the Board of Directors of People’s Bank, a position held from August 2010 up until March 2019, Mr Pathirage provided administrative support to all matters relating to the Bank’s Board of Directors and its various sub committees. During his tenure as Secretary to the Board of Directors of People’s Bank, he has played a key role to facilitate best practices in governance.

Mr. Pathirage is currently the Senior Deputy General Manager (Human Resources and Legal) of People’s Bank.In his current role, he oversees the Bank’s 10,000 plus strong work force and manages its Senior Executive recruitments in line with its HR requirements. In addition, he also leads the Bank’s 70 member legal team. Chairman - People’s Leasing Havelock Properties Limited, Director - People’s Micro Commerce Limited, Director - Lankan Alliance Finance Limited, Bangladesh.

Mr. Ranjith Kodituwakku

Mr. Kodituwakku holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration specialised in Finance from the University of Colombo, Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of New Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom and is an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.

He is serving as the Chief Executive Officer/ General Manager of People’s Bank with effect from 19th June 2020. Commencing a career in 1982 in the bank, he has specialized in a wide spectrum of areas covering Branch Banking, Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, Corporate Banking, Off-shore Banking, International Banking, Project Financing, Recoveries, Digitalization etc. with extensive local and international training/exposure gained through working in different capacities at different geographical locations.

He is a key figure in driving the bank towards digitalization on mapping business requirements to a digital platform by adopting best practices in the industry and re-engineering business processes for which the bank was awarded many prestigious awards/recognitions both internationally and locally.

Additionally, he has played a key role in the efforts carried out by People's Bank to re-open bank’s branches in the Northern Province with the aim of rebuilding the lives of the people and strengthening the economy of the region soon after the end of humanitarian operation in 2009.

He also serves as a Director of People’s Insurance PLC, People’s Travels Ltd., Lankan Alliance Finance Ltd. Bangladesh, Financial Ombudsman Sri Lanka (Guarantee) Ltd, Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka, Lanka Clear (Pvt) Ltd., National Payments Council, Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Ltd, Lanka Financial Services Bureau and Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.