Nakandala joins Pathfinder Foundation as Centre for Indo-Lanka Initiatives Director

Sumith Nakandala

Sumith Nakandala, a former career diplomat and a member of the Sri Lanka Foreign Service, has joined the Pathfinder Foundation as Director of the Centre for Indo-Lanka Initiatives. This position was

previously held by Adm. Prof. Jayanath Colombage, the current Foreign Secretary.

Nakandala recently retired from the Sri Lanka Foreign Service after an illustrious career spanning over three decades. His career highlights include accreditation as Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. 

While serving as Ambassador based in The Hague, he also functioned as Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and Executive Director to the Common Fund for Commodities.

Previously, Nakandala functioned as Secretary General of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) and Ambassador to Iraq and Nepal. He also served as Deputy High Commissioner in London the United Kingdom and Deputy High Commissioner in Chennai, India, both holding Ambassadorial rank. He earlier served the Sri Lanka High Commission in New Delhi from 1995-2000, where he held the rank of Counsellor.