Meet Our Board of Directors | Leaders Driving LOLC's Growth and Success

Mr. Ishara Nanayakkara is a prominent entrepreneur serving on the Boards of many corporates and conglomerates internationally. Coming from a strong business background, involved in their family enterprises, he ventured into the arena of financial services with a strategic investment in LOLC Holdings PLC and was appointed to the Board in 2002. In less than two decades, Nanayakkara has navigated LOLC to become not only a financial conglomerate but the most profitable conglomerate in the country making a significant impact in the global financial arena as the first Sri Lankan company with a dynamic MSME platform across the globe.

Over the years, reputed financial institutions in Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Zambia, Nigeria, Egypt, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have reaped benefits from his extensive knowledge in the Micro Finance business and MSME markets. He was also instrumental in setting up Life and General Insurance businesses in the Group and pioneered the concept of Micro Insurance in Sri Lanka and Cambodia. His business acumen extends to the growth sectors of developing economies with notable investments in Leisure, holding one of the largest hotel portfolios in Sri Lanka, Maldives and Mauritius in addition to other key investments in construction, plantation, trading, manufacturing and more recently in uniquely innovative scientific initiatives.

Ishara continues to spearhead all strategic decisions of the LOLC group, both in financial and non-financial sector investments, with his vision for LOLC, being well executed with precision and commitment to create long term value for all stakeholders.

He held many prestigious positions including the Chairmanship of the Sri Lanka Institute of Nano-Technology, the national arm for advanced technological solutions based on Nano Technology. Known for his innovative spirit, the Group has ventured into many bio-tech businesses, including conversion of pure graphite to graphene, incorporating technological advancements, creating value to the Group’s plantation portfolio of cinnamon, tea, sugarcane, rubber, and bi-products. Investments in renewable energy in both, Sri Lanka and in Sierra Leone, with the largest sugar-based bio ethanol and power plant in Africa, has added multi-dimensional know how to his versatile business portfolio.

Ishara is a featured businessman in the international community, recognised for his invaluable contribution to Micro Finance in particular, by independent international platforms such as INSEAD business school including winning the prestigious ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ Award at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Awards (APEA) back in 2012.

He is the Executive Deputy Chairman of LOLC Holdings PLC, Executive Chairman of Browns Investments PLC and Brown & Company PLC. He also sits on several other boards of Group companies both locally and overseas.

Considering his wealth of experience in local and international fields of Banking and Investment Banking, Mr. Kapila Jayawardena has earned a solid reputation as a captain of industry and a dynamic leader who relishes challenges. He joined LOLC Holdings PLC in the year 2007 as the Group Managing Director/CEO and has since steered the Group from strength to strength, while implementing its ambitious expansion in 25 countries in Asia and Africa.

He is also the Chairman/Director of Group Companies including Eden Hotel Lanka PLC, Serendib Hotels PLC, Dolphin Hotels PLC, Hotel Sigiriya PLC, LOLC Securities Limited and Palm Garden Hotels PLC. He also functions as Director of Brown & Company PLC, Browns Investments PLC, LOLC International (Private) Limited, LOLC Advanced Technologies (Private) Limited, LOLC Asia (Private) Limited (formerly LOLC Private Limited), LOLC Global (Private) Limited (Formerly LOLC Asia (Pvt) Ltd), Ceylon Graphene Technologies (Private) Limited, LOLC Africa Holdings (Private) Limited and Leapstitch Technologies (Private) Limited. He is also on many Boards of the subsidiaries of LOLC Group.

Prior to coming on-board the LOLC Group, Mr. Kapila Jayawardena served as Country Head and CEO (Sri Lanka and Maldives) of Citibank NA from 1998 to 2007, along with being tasked with short assignments for Citibank in New York and Manila (Philippines). He has also served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) in 2003/04; President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka in 2006/07; Member of the Financial Sector Reforms Committee (FSRC); Member of the National Council of Economic Development (NCED) and as Board Member of the United States - Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission.

He holds an MBA in Financial Management and is a fellow member of the Institute of Bankers and an Associate Member of the Institute of Cost and Executive Accountants, London, UK.

Mrs. Kalsha Amarasinghe holds an Honours Degree in Economics and has an outstanding vision for investments.

Mrs Amarasinghe serves on the Boards and subsidiaries of LOLC Holdings PLC and Brown & Company PLC including LOLC Life Assurance Limited, Palm Garden Hotels PLC, Eden Hotel Lanka PLC, Browns Investments PLC, Serendib Hotels PLC, Hotel Sigiriya PLC, Dolphin Hotels PLC, Riverina Resorts (Pvt) Ltd, Green Paradise (Pvt) Ltd, P L Resorts Ltd, Browns Holdings Ltd, Sanctuary Resorts Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and Serendib Leisure Management Ltd.

Dr. Ravi Fernando is an alumni of the University of Cambridge having completed a Post Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business in 2008 and a Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership in 2014. He holds a Doctor of Business Administration Degree from the European Business School in Switzerland 2016. At the INSEAD Business School (France) he completed both a Diploma in International Management and the Advanced Management Programme. He is an Executive in Residence at the INSEAD Business School from 2010 to date. He has an MBA from the University of Colombo and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK). In 2017, he created the ‘ILA Future Directors’ programme for the Institute of Directors of Luxembourg, which set the foundation for the ‘21st Century Board Leadership Model-MasterClass’. In 2010 he received a US Copyright for his work at Cambridge University for the concept of ‘Strategic Corporate Sustainability’. In November 2015, he published ‘Strategic Corporate Sustainability – 7 Imperatives for Sustainable Business’ (Partridge), based on his work at Cambridge University. In June 2020, he obtained a US Copyright for the ‘21st Century Board Leadership Model’. He also created the ‘21st Century Board Leadership Model – MasterClass’ with Raymond Schadeck of Luxembourg.

He is the Chairman/CEO of Global Strategic Corporate Sustainability Pvt Ltd., which operates in Luxembourg and Sri Lanka. His career with multi-nationals spanned 1981-2007 with Unilever, Reckitt Benckiser, Smithkline Beecham International covering Africa, Middle East and Asia in CEO/Business Development positions. He was the first CEO of the Sri Lanka Institute of Nano Technology 2008-2011 and Operations Director of the Malaysia Blue Ocean Strategy Institute 2011- 2016. He was the UN Global Compact Focal point 2007-2011 and set up the UNGC Sri Lanka Network. He serves on the Sri Lanka Sustainable Development Council since February 2021.

He also serves on the Boards of MNC’s LOLC Holdings PLC, Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC, Ceylon Graphene Technologies Ltd, Aitken Spence Plantations Ltd, Ceylon Asset Management and Global Strategic Corporate Sustainability Pvt Ltd.

In September 2007 he won the ‘Global Strategy Leadership Award’, presented to him by Professor Renee Mauborgne of INSEAD at the World Strategy summit in Mumbai. In February 2020, he won the ‘World CSR Leadership Award’. In February 2023 he published ‘21st Century Leadership to fight the code red for business’ ArchwayPublishing USA.

Mr. Conrad Dias was appointed to the Board on 4th September 2019 and he is also the Chairman of LOLC Finance PLC. He holds a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) from University of Leicester UK, Fellow Member of Chartered Management Accountants UK (FCMA) & Chartered Global Management Accountants (CGMA-USA). He is also a Fellow of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCMA), and British Computer Society (FBCS).

His experience spans close to three decades and as a visionary thought leader in business technology and his C-Level experience spans over 20+ years.

He is a fintech enthusiast who innovated many financial technology products, solutions and he is the founder of iPay, a revolutionary platform beyond payments and founder of OYES, another fintech platform that makes everyday a payday.

His thought leadership on technology and contribution in the field of ICT to the industry, society and in LOLC Group has been recognised by many local and international awards including the prestigious Computer Society of Sri Lanka CIO of the year 2016. He was also awarded the Professional Excellence Award 2017 at the event organised by the Institute of Certified Management of Accountants Sri Lanka. Further he was selected as one of the 11 inductees of the Global CIO Hall of Fame 2020 and CIO 100 honoree for year 2020, the only Sri Lankan to get this accolade and also the CIMA top 50 ICONS in the year 2021.

Mr. Kandiah Sundararaj counts over 27 years experience in Accounting, Auditing and Tax consulting.

Mr. Kandiah Sundararaj started his career as a Chartered Accountant in 1998 and is currently serving as the Tax Partner in M/s Amarasekera and Company, Chartered Accountants. He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and holds a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Colombo.

Mr. Sivanesan is a lecturer for the subject of taxation for final level students of CA Sri Lanka. His lecturing experience in the relevant field counts more than twenty years.

Mr. K. Sivanesan is the Partner – Head of Tax of Amerasekera & Co. Chartered Accountants, a well-known professional in tax advisory services. He bears a track record of more than twenty years in the field of taxation. Mr. Sivanesan is a specialist in research and technical studies in the subject of taxation. He is a Fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. Mr. Sivanesan holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.