Board of Directors

Mr. Chapman holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. Additionally, he possesses a Diploma in Life Insurance Sales and Marketing from the Life Underwriters Training Council, USA, and a Diploma in Business Management from the National Institute of Business Management, Sri Lanka. 

His distinguished affiliations include being a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, and the Institute of Management, UK, as well as a Member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia. With over 40 years of managerial expertise in sales, marketing, and general management functions, Mr. Chapman has made significant contributions across diverse industries such as Healthcare, FMCG, Consumer Durables, Insurance, Banking, and Telecommunications. 

His leadership extends beyond our organization, as he serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Hemas Pharmaceuticals (Pvt) Limited and United Motors Lanka PLC. Mr. Chapman's illustrious career includes a tenure as the former Managing Director of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals, where he also sat on the Boards of Glaxo Wellcome Ceylon Limited and SmithKline Beecham Pvt. Ltd. Prior roles encompassed leadership positions such as Managing Director of the Hemas Healthcare Sector, Marketing Director at Reckitt Benckiser, and Senior Brand Manager at Unilever. 

He has also held the positions of Managing Director/CEO at Lanka Orix Leasing Company and Director Life at Ceylinco Insurance. Notably, Mr. Chapman served as a former Director/CEO of Janashakthi Insurance PLC. His contributions extend beyond corporate roles, as evidenced by his involvement in industry associations. Mr. Chapman has served as the Honorary President and a Founder Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka. 

He has held the position of President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of the Pharmaceutical Industry, the apex body for the pharmaceutical sector in Sri Lanka. Furthermore, he has served as Co- Chairman of the Pharmaceutical & Cosmetics Steering Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Fernando is a Fellow member of Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of United Kingdom. He has been awarded a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura in 1992. He holds Directorship in Addison (Pvt) Ltd and HealthCey (Pvt) Ltd also serving as a non-executive Director of Hatton National Bank PLC and Consultant - Strategy of Melstacorp PLC. He served as the Executive Director of Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Limited from 2003 to 2009 and held Board positions in companies in sectors of Food & beverage, Manufacturing, Healthcare, Telecommunications, Finance, Asset Management, and in Unit Trusts.

Mr. Ashoka has more than 36 years of experience in the Banking industry covering financial reporting, financial management, taxation, financial operations and risk management. He is a Master of Business Administration of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (PIM) and a fellow member of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. Ashok has been in the corporate management of Hatton National Bank PLC as the Chief Financial Officer and in the DFCC Bank PLC as the Senior Vice President/Chief Financial Officer and the Senior Vice President Integrated Risk Management/Chief Risk Officer. He had served in the Boards of Acuity Partners (Pvt) Ltd, Acuity Stock Brokers (Pvt) Ltd, Acuity Securities Ltd and of Sithma Development Ltd. Ashok also served as a Board member of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board and in addition had chaired and served in several Board sub committees.

Started the professional career with the Department of Inland Revenue of Sri Lanka and joined the DFCC Banking Group in 1987. 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. Held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer/Director of DFCC Bank PLC from October 2015 and appointed as the Chief Executive Officer/Director in August 2017. Until retirement in December 2021, held the position of Chairman of DFCC Consulting (Pvt) Limited, Lanka Industrial Estates 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. Also held the position of Chairman of Acuity Partners (Pvt) Limited, the joint venture company of DFCC Bank PLC. In addition, was Chairman / Director of Lanka Ventures Limited, LVL Energy Fund PLC and Director LankaClear (Pvt) Ltd. 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 act as an Independent Director at Seylan Bank PLC, Independent Director of Finetech Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd, whilst serving as Chairman & Director of Panasian Power PLC & it’s Subsidiary Companies . Also serves as. Member of the Stake Holder Engagement Committee of Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Mr. Silva is a Past President of Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka. Holds a BCom (Sp.) from the University of Kelaniya and an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura. Associate Member of the Association of Development Financial Institutions of Asia & Pacific.( ADFIAP).

Dr. Sankalpa Gamwarige holds a PhD and a BSc in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka and he is also a passed Finalist of CIMA, UK. With over two decades of expertise in Digital and Electronics Product Engineering, Dr. Gamwarige currently holds the position of Managing Director at Nagarro in Sri Lanka. As a key member of the Global Leadership Team, he contributes to steering Nagarro SE, a renowned Digital Product Engineering Services company listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, with a global workforce of over 19,000 Digital Engineering Professionals spanning 35 countries. Prior to his role at Nagarro, Dr. Gamwarige served as the General Manager and Vice President of Engineering at Zone24x7, a California-based Digital Product Engineering Company and served in various capacities at Symbol Technologies, Interblocks, and Millennium IT. He has served as a board/council member for Technologically Re-Awakening the Culture of Excellence (TRACE), National Innovation Agency (NIA), SLASSCOM, Sri Lanka Institute of Biotechnology (SLIBTECH), and the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Moratuwa. Dr. Gamwarige has also been an advisory member of Export Development Board (EDB), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Chamber of Commerce. He has a number of US Patents and Peer-reviewed Publications in Digital and Electronics Engineering to his credit.

Professor Ananda Jayawardane is currently a Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, a Commission Member of the University Grants Commission, and a member of governing boards of several other public and private sector organisations. He recently completed his term as the Chairman of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC after serving nine years in its Director Board. He is also a past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, a past Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and a past Director General of the National Science Foundation. 

He has extensive experience and expertise in corporate governance in public institutions & private corporates, banking, finance, strategy, education leadership, institution building, policy making in education, science & technology and teaching in subject areas of planning, project management, technology management, technology transfer and negotiation. 

He is a Chartered Engineer, an International Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the Institute of Project Managers, Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, a Life Member of Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science, a Graduate Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors and a Member of the Society of Structural Engineers Sri Lanka. 

He is also the past NDB Bank Endowed Professor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Moratuwa and a Past President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka. He has also served as a member of the governing Councils/Boards of National Science Foundation, Institute for Construction Training and Development, State Engineering Corporation, Post-graduate Institute of Management, Miloda Academy of Financial Studies, the Open University of Sri Lanka, Construction Industry Development Authority, Engineering Council of Sri Lanka and Green Building Council of Sri Lanka.

He has co-authored several textbooks and has published and presented over 85 research papers both locally and internationally and delivered convocation addresses and keynotes in many occasions.  He has received several awards for his research publications. He is also the recipient of the National Achiever’s Award  - 2013 under the category of Engineering by Lions Clubs International – District 306A1, the IESL President’s Award – 2012 and the Asia’s Education Excellence Award – 2016 for outstanding contribution to education, Sri Lanka Education Leadership Award – 2017 for education leadership, Sri Lanka Education Leadership Award – 2018 for outstanding contribution to education presented by World Education Congress and CMO Asia and “Eminence in Engineering” award – the highest, most prestigious life time award given by the IESL for eminence in practice of engineering – 2018.

Lasitha has over 24 years of experience with 21 years of experience in Life Insurance Operations and Sales inclusive of 07 years at AIA Insurance Sri Lanka and 03 years of Marketing and Sales exposure in London. Prior to joining HNB Life PLC in 2019 he functioned as the General Manager - Life Operations and Specified Officer at Softlogic Life Insurance PLC.  Lasitha Joined HNB Life PLC in 2019 and served in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer and Principal Officer prior to being appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of HNB Life PLC.

Lasitha holds a Master of Business Administration Degree (MBA) from the University of Wales, UK and a B. A. (Hons) Degree in Business Studies from the University of Sunderland, UK. He is a Chartered Insurer and a Fellow Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute (FCII). Lasitha is also a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (ACIM). Lasitha is the current Vice President of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) and is an Honorary Past President of the Sri Lanka Insurance Institute (SLII) and has been serving as a Council Member from 2011. He was also the Founder Secretary General of the Association of Chartered Insurance Professionals (ACIP) and was a Council Member until March 2021. Lasitha, also serves as a Director at Bio Diversity Sri Lanka.

Poornima Ranawaka is a distinguished Attorney-at-Law with nearly 19 years of legal practice and more than 22 years of experience across the banking, Insurance, finance, and education sectors. She holds extensive expertise in litigation, risk management, regulatory compliance, human resources, and recoveries. Over the years, she has held several senior leadership positions, including Deputy General Manager – Compliance and Legal at Axis Bank Sri Lanka, Head of Compliance at Pan Asia Banking Corporation and Allianz Insurance Lanka Limited, and Consumer Litigation Manager at Nations Trust Bank PLC.

She has been a trailblazer in her field, serving as Vice President and General Secretary of the Association of Compliance Officers of Banks, an Executive Member of the Risk Professionals Association, and a member of Sri Lanka's FATCA advisory committee. She also represented the country during the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) evaluation in 2013. She is currently the General Secretary of the Alumni Association of Sri Lanka Law College.

She holds prestigious academic and professional qualifications, including First Class Honours from Sri Lanka Law College and an LL.M. in International Trade Law from the University of Wales. She has also completed a postgraduate diploma in International Compliance from the University of Manchester. Additionally, she is an Associate Member of the International Compliance Association (UK). Her contributions to the field have earned her honorary professorships in Law Teaching from IEMS, India (ACTD, USA).

Mrs. Ranawaka has fulfilled the requirements for her PhD in Management at Management and Science University (MSU), Malaysia, and is currently awaiting her convocation. She is deeply committed to education, served as a Commercial Law lecturer and the Chief Examiner at Sri Lanka Law College. In addition, she served as the Chairperson of the Curriculum Development Committee at Sri Lanka Law College from 2022 to 2024, playing a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing the institution's academic framework. Her outstanding contributions to legal education were internationally recognized when she was awarded the prestigious International Achievers Award 2024 in India for her "Most Iconic Role in Law Teaching.

Janseni is a licensed Company Secretary with over a decade of experience in corporate governance, boardroom practice, and regulatory compliance across public and private sector organisations. She holds an LLB (Hons) from Buckinghamshire New University (UK) and is an Associate of the Institute of Corporate Governance (UK). Her expertise includes company listings, mergers and acquisitions, capital market transactions, and the management of board and shareholder processes. Janseni has served as Company Secretary at Hela Apparel Holdings PLC, Browns Group, and RIL Property PLC, and as Board Secretary to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Tourism Board. Prior to joining HNB Life, she was with PW Corporate Secretarial (Pvt) Ltd.