Board Of Directors

Mr. Rajive Dissanayake | Chairman

Mr Rajive Dissanayake was appointed as the Chairman of HNB Finance PLC on the 08^th of January 2024. Prior to that he has been a member of the Board of Directors of HNB Finance PLC since 2017. He has chaired the Board Audit Committee and the Board Integrated Risk Management Committee of HNB Finance PLC in the past and currently acts as the Chairman of the Board Strategic and Investment Review Committee of the Company. Mr Dissanayake also serves as the Deputy General Manager SME & Micro Finance at Hatton National Bank PLC. He counts over two decades of experience in banking and capital markets and has previously held the positions of Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer of Hatton National Bank PLC, being part of the bank’s corporate management team for over 8 years. In addition to being on the Board of HNB Finance PLC, he also serves as a director of Acuity Partners (Pvt) Ltd, Lanka Venture PLC and Lanka Energy Fund PLC. Mr Dissanayake is a CFA Charterholder, Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Chartered Global Management Accountant. He holds a Bachelors’ Degree in Business Administration from the University of Colombo.

Mr. Chaminda Prabhath | Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Prabhath is a financier by profession and an internationally certified Micro Finance expert from the Frankfurt School in Germany. He has over 25 years of experience in the private sector. He holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration (Sp. in Finance) from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA, UK & CGMA), a Fellow member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Credit Management FICM(SL), and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM). He is also a Certified Management Accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Australia (CMA, AUS). He has a Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Administration from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. He is the winner of the prestigious award “Game Changer of the year 2014” from World Consulting Research Corporation (WCRC), India, awarded in recognition of his contribution to the Micro Finance Industry in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Hasitha Wijesundara | Senior Independent Non-Executive Director

Mr. Hasitha Wijesundara is an Advisor to GIZ SME Sector Development Program. He is a development expert attached to German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and counts over a decade of experience in microfinance and SME finance, trade, regulatory issues, sector strategies, social performance management and inclusive finance. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics (MA) from the University of Colombo, Bachelor degree in Law (LL. B) and Bachelor degree in Science (B.Sc.). He also has fellowships with several local and international professional bodies. He is an Attorney-at-Law of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka since 2009 and is currently reading for the Master of Laws (LLM) degree at the University of Colombo. Mr. Wijesundara is an accredited trainer of microfinance and SME finance with reputed international bodies such as the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, Germany and CGAP. Further to that he serves as a visiting senior lecturer at several universities and higher educational institutions in Sri Lanka. In addition to his experience within Sri Lanka; he has hands on experience regionally. Being a team member of appraisal missions for the Sustainable Regional Economic Growth and Investment Program (SREGIP) in Indonesia and the Promotion of Green Economic Development (ProGED) Program in the Philippines, he contributed to the project design and shaping up. He is conversant with the financial systems in countries including India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Cambodia, Malaysia and Pakistan and involved in numerous assignments.

Mr.Ruwan Manatunga | Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director

Mr Ruwan Manatunga was appointed as a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of HNB Finance PLC with effect from 15 February 2021. Mr Manatunga is the Chief Risk Officer/Deputy General Manager of Hatton National Bank PLC. He has a wealth of experience spanning over two decades in the banking and finance services sector. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Chartered Institute ofManagement Accountants of the United Kingdom.

Mr. Lalith Withana | Independent, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Lalith Withana has held management positions in the corporate sector for over 25 years, during which he had held senior management positions in Banking, Manufacturing and Trading for more than 25 years. He has worked with many organizations such as Brandix Group, Ernst and Young, Amsterdam Rotterdam (Amro) Bank, IBM World Trade, Corporation and Carson Cumberbatch, Ceylon Tea Services Limited and Yamaha Corporation in (USA).

Mr. Withana served as the Group Chief Finance and Administrative Officer for SriLankan Airline and later as the Chief Executive Officer in its subsidiary SriLankan Catering till very recently. He is currently serving as the Founder and Managing Director of Agility Consulting Services (Pvt.) Ltd and as a Board Director of Laugfs Gas PLC, Laugfs Maritime Services (Pvt.) Ltd and Softlogic Life Insurance PLC. He is also currently serving on the Board of Acuity Partners (Pvt.) Ltd, and as Vice President of the Project Management Institute, Colombo Chapter, and is also serving on the executive committee of the Sri Lanka National Olympic Committee.

He had previously served as an Independent Director on the Boards of Bank of Ceylon, Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC, Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka PLC, Ceylease Limited and Seylan Bank.

Mr. Withana had also been a Commissioner of the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka (TRCSL).
Mr. Withana holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) Degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Colombo and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hons. Degree from the University of Manchester Metropolitan, UK. He is a fellow member of the both Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA), UK, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCA). He is also a Project Management Professional at the Project Management Institute (PMI), USA.

Mr. Murali Srinivas Polamarasetty | Independent, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Polamarasetty was appointed to the HNBF BOD on 15th September 2022. He has held management positions in the corporate sector for over 15 years in diverse sectoral experiences such as Microfinance, Micro-Insurance, Micro-pensions, Affordable/Micro-housing, Housing Microfinance, Drinking Water, and Sanitation. He currently holds the position of Managing Director & CEO at S.M.I.L.E Microfinance Limited in India and serves as Director at Protimos Foundation of London, UK. Further. He is also an Investment Committee Member of Yunus Social Business Fund in Bengaluru, India. Mr. Murali previously has served as a director in many institutions specializing in Microfinance, IT, Bottled water, and Consultancy services in India and the United Kingdom such as Mimoza Enterprises Finance Company Limited- India, Signumtree Consultancy Private Limited, India, Hocare Limited, UK, Acer Engineers Private Limited, Hyderabad, India, and Tripod Impex Private Limited, India.

Mr. Murali Holds M.A. in Political Science from the Sri Venkateswara University of India and a B.S.C in Physics from the Madras University of India. He has also completed an Executive learning program in leadership in Microfinance from Harvard Business school executive Education. Mr. Murali was a Visiting Faculty Member of Leeds University – School of Design in United Kingdom. Further to his corporate portfolio Mr. Murali also serves as a Member of The Board of Advisors in Needy Illiterate Children Education which is an NGO for orphans’ education and a Member of The Board of Advisors of Partners in Prosperity an NGO for water solutions for the poor in India.

Mr. Brahmanage Premalal | Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Brahmanage Premalal was reappointed to the company’s Board of Directors as a Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director effective from November 29, 2022.

Mr. Premalal previously served as Deputy Chairman/Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director of HNB FINANCE until June 29^th, 2020, before retiring in terms of Finance Companies (Corporate Governance) Direction of Central Bank of Sri Lanka, after completing 9 years on the Board.

He has served Sri Lanka’s real estate sector for three decades and is a prominent figure in the Sri Lankan business landscape, is the Founder and Group Chairman of Prime Lands (Private) Limited.

He was conferred with the prestigious UCD Entrepreneur of the Year in 2011, based on his vast experience in the real estate industry and exposure to many other industries as an entrepreneur. He was also honored as being one of the 2018 A-List of “Sri Lankan Businesspeople” by LMD, listing among the top 50 businessmen in Sri Lanka who have driven the nation’s engine of growth and are the country’s true assets.

He currently serves as the Chairman/Executive Director of Prime Lands (Private) Limited, Bhoomi Realty Holdings (Private) Limited, Co-Chairman/Director of Prime Lands Residencies PLC and a Director of Prime Lands Australia Pty Ltd. He is the President of the Condominium Developers Association – Sri Lanka (CDASL) for the year 2021/22.

Mr. P.A.W. Perera | Independent, Non-Executive Director

Mr. Pathirage Anura W.  Perera is a seasoned finance professional with over 21 years of experience in the private sector, including over 18 years in senior management positions both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Mr. Perera currently serves as the Director of Finance at Prime Lands (Pvt) Ltd, and Prime Lands Residencies PLC.

Mr. Anura Pathirage has previously held a senior position at Baker Tilly Sri Lanka-Chartered Accountants, where he provided management consultancy and tax advisory services. As a Director of Corporate Secretaries Practice (Pvt) Ltd, the secretarial unit of the accountancy firm, he played a crucial role in the management and advisory aspects of the organization. Further, he has gained extensive international exposure while serving as the Chief Accountant of Cyprea Group of Companies in the Maldives, where he contributed to areas such as international trade, airline operations, and the hospitality and tourism industry.

Mr. Anura Pathirage’s diverse professional journey also includes attaining significant experience by working in the apparel and insurance sectors in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Anura Pathirage  holds distinguished professional memberships, including as a Chartered Tax Advisor of the Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Sri Lanka, and a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians Sri Lanka. His educational background is marked by a BSc Management (Special) Degree with Second Class honors from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, and an MBA from Buckinghamshire New University, UK.

Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe | Non-Independent, Non-Executive Director

Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe, an IT Engineering professional, holds a Doctorate in Telecommunications bestowed upon by Australian National University of Canberra. He achieved Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Science in Electronics and Telecommunications with a First Class from University of Moratuwa.

In addition, Dr. Samarasinghe is a Licentiate of Part I and Part II of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the recipient of best achiever status from the Institute in Financial Accounting, Business Mathematics Statistics and Data Processing in the year 1991.

Dr. Samarasinghe who is the present Chairman and Director General of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation also serves in the Board of Directors of Hatton National Bank PLC since October 2022. Further, Dr. Samarasinghe serves as a Commission Member of the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, and he is the Managing Director/ Director of Lanka Bell (Pvt.) Ltd since July 2005.  Moreover, Dr. Prasad Samarasinghe is the Managing Director of Telecom Frontier (Pvt.) Ltd, Bell Solutions (Pvt.) Ltd and Bellvantage (Pvt.) Ltd. He is also a Director of Hayleys Fiber PLC, serving on its Board from September 2017.

Mr. Ravi Tissera- Independent, Non-Executive Director

Tissera is an inclusive finance, impact investing, green finance and MSME Sector specialist with over 15 years’ experience as a CEO both in Sri Lanka and Myanmar.

He was the founder CEO of LOLC Micro Credit Ltd in 2008, which later merged with LOLC Finance PLC (LOFC) in 2018.  He continued as Executive Deputy Chairman/CEO of the merged entity until February 2020. He moved to Myanmar in 2020 as CEO of Early Dawn Microfinance Ltd. Under his leadership, Early Dawn made vast improvements and is now among the top four microfinance institutions in Myanmar. Furthermore, during his tenure, Early Dawn was able to be the first MFI in Myanmar to complete long term debt restructuring.

He was also instrumental in the transformation of BRAC Sri Lanka, an NGO, to a Non-Bank Financial Institution and expanded microfinance entities outside Sri Lanka for the LOLC group, in Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan and Zambia.

Tissera has held board positions in many companies in Sri Lanka and overseas and has served as an Alternate Director of Seylan Bank PLC. He has strong competencies in Corporate Finance and lead the first USD syndicate debt finance to the NBFI sector in Sri Lanka

Additionally, during his term as CEO at LOLC Micro Credit, INSEAD Business School made a case study for social enterprise for its Masters Programme.

He is professionally qualified as a marketer and has received executive education training at HBS. He is also a panellist and resource person in the inclusive finance, impact investing and green finance space.