Academics on SDBL Board

Prof. Sampath Amaratunge and Jayantha Newunhella have been appointed as Independent Directors to the Board of Sanasa Development Bank Ltd. (SDBL) recently. These appointments were subsequent to the retirements of D.P. Kumarage and T. Karunasena. 

Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, presently the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, obtained his B.A. (Hons.) in Economics from the same university and his M.A. in Economics from the University of Colombo.

As the former Dean of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce (FMSC), during his tenure from 2009 to 2014, he strategically spearheaded the FMSC towards great developments in academic quality as well as in several important infrastructure projects that include establishment of new building complexes for the FMSC and PhD unit. Being a leader with a vision, he maintained a strong relationship with the students as well as the academic members and was able to take the FMSC to great heights of success.

With a M.Sc. in Economics of Rural Development from the Saga National University and a Ph.D. from Kogoshima National University in Japan, Prof. Amaratunge counts over 25 years of service as an academic at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He has published more than 50 articles in international and national refereed journals and proceedings.

Jayantha Newunhella, presently a Management Consultant and a faculty member of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, has introduced and coordinates specialised MBA programs such as MBA in Taxation (first time in Asia), MBA in Customs and many other overseas postgraduate programs.

Newunhella is a B.Sc (Mgt) and MBA holder from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (FIB) and a Corporate Member of the Institute of Supply and Material Management (MISMM).

Newunhella possesses over 39 years of experience in the field of banking. He joined Peoples’ Bank as a staff assistant and rose up to the position of DGM – International Banking. He later became the president of the Trade Finance Association of Bankers (TFAB). He had also undergone many professional training on banking and international business in several countries.