Seylan Bank appoints two new directors

Thursday, 1 December 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Seylan Bank has appointed Anushka Wijesinha and Sandya Salgado to its Director Board as Independent Directors with effect from 1 December.

Anushka Wijesinha is an economist with a track record of research and advisory work across Asia. He has published many national and international publications, focusing on innovation, private sector development, and international economics. He is currently the Chief Economist of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Head of the Economic Intelligence Unit.

Anushka holds a Masters in Economics and Development from the University of Leeds Business School, UK and BSc (Hons.) in Economics from the University College London, UK. He is a ‘New Champions’ awardee of the World Economic Forum and the Curator of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Colombo Hub. He also serves on the board of Union Assurance General and HNB Grameen Finance.

He was an Asia Development Fellow of the Korea Development Institute; he headed the Industry, Competitiveness and Regulatory Policy Unit at the Institute of Policy Studies; was Research Officer to the Presidential Commission on Taxation; and was Assistant Director of Economic Affairs at the Government Peace Secretariat. Anushka has previously undertaken consultancies for the World Bank, ADB, UNDP, GIZ, and UNESCAP.

Sandya Salgado specialises in Strategic Communications and Sustainable Business Management and brings thirty years of her management experience in both corporate and development sectors to the Board. Sandya has a degree in Languages, an MBA in International Business and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (MCIM – UK). She also trained at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA, in Strategic Communications.

Sandya was handpicked by Ogilvy Worldwide to introduce the concept of Brand Activation to Sri Lanka and as a professional marketer Sandya has helped build and manage iconic brands and authored ground breaking marketing strategies during her tenure in the corporate sector. During this period, she worked extensively in the Financial and Banking sectors managing both local and international banking and financial brands. She was also awarded the title ‘Marketer of the Year’ in 2001 and ‘Zonta Woman of Achievement’ in 2006.

Moving into the development sector, Sandya served as the Senior Communications Specialist at the World Bank, providing advice and guidance to manage the image and reputation of the Bank and the Bank funded projects in Sri Lanka and Maldives. She held this position until she resigned in 2015.

Having recently completed its 28th anniversary, Seylan Bank is on an aggressive growth drive, expanding branches and garnering a greater mindshare across the country. The ‘Bank with a heart’ has demonstrated true resilience despite various industry challenges over the years. Seylan Bank has ambitious plans for its future and the appointment of new directors comes at the right time, when the institution is in top gear to drive further growth and profitability.