Arpico Insurance appoints veteran Kelum Senanayaka as CEO

• Makes history as the first Chief Executive in the Sri Lankan insurance industry to be an MDRT achiever

One of Sri Lanka’s most innovative and respected insurance companies, Arpico Insurance PLC, has appointed industry veteran Kelum Senanayake as its Chief Executive Officer from 1 March 2021. Senanayaka brings to the table a wealth of experience and exposure spanning almost 40 years, from both local as well as international insurance industries. 

Senanayake started his career in 1982 at Mercantile Credit, which was the principal agent for the National Insurance Corporation prior to privatisation. Thereafter he joined Union Assurance and rose to the rank of Assistant General Manager where he served until 2009, after which he joined Eagle Insurance as General Manager – Life Operations. In 2013 he was promoted to Director – Operations, where he was put in charge of an extensive repertoire of functions and responsibilities including Operations, Life Underwriting, Life Servicing, Claims, Product Development, Re-Insurance, Branch Operations, Corporate Solutions Distribution, Contact Centres and Logistics. 

A product of Ananda College Colombo, Senanayake holds a Diploma in Business Management from Worldview Institute and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He makes history becoming the first and only CEO in the Sri Lankan Insurance industry to hold the coveted Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) status earned in an impressive 133 days. 

Commenting on the new posting, Richard Peiris and Company PLC Group Chairman Dr. Sena Yaddehige added, “I am delighted to have Kelum coming on board as the CEO of Arpico Insurance. With a distinguished career spanning over several decades and his proven track record of ethics, excellence and innovation in the industry, I am confident that he will take the Company to the next level while remaining committed to our core values of trust and stability.”

In addition to being a management professional, Senanayaka is a respected trainer who has trained over 5,000 insurance professionals in his career and received training in the UK, Germany, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia and South Africa. 

Commenting on his new endeavour, Senanayaka said: “I consider it an honour to be part of the Arpico Group which has an impeccable reputation for being one of the foremost home-grown businesses. With my experience and expertise gained through the years, I hope to leverage the Group’s equity and strength to benefit the Company and to take it to a new elevation of excellence. I also plan to address the concerns and facilitate the goals of all stakeholders at large by adopting a customer-centric approach and also by empowering and looking after our most important asset – our people.”

Arpico Insurance PLC was incorporated in 2011 and is a regulated insurance company under the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. The renowned insurance provider presently offers a range of products such as Endowment, Health Insurance, Term Assurance, Education, Investment, Retirement, Group Assurance and Loan Protection amongst others and takes pride in being the only Life Insurance company that remains committed in providing insurance for the living.