Nimal Fernando joins Commercial Development Company Board

Saturday, 8 August 2026 01:26 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Nimal Fernando

Commercial Development Company PLC, a unit of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, has appointed Nimal Fernando to its Board as Chairman and Non-Executive Director.

Fernando is a professional banker, who retired from active service in the banking sector in August 2020. With a career spanning over 35 years at the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), he played many prominent roles in the Recoveries Department and the Product Development Banking Unit, where he had initiated a number of noteworthy, innovative liability and asset products.

He has vast experience in branch banking, customer service, and corporate/retail credit in rural and urban branches for over 14 years. He also has training/exposure in international and treasury operations, which he gained during his service at the BOC London Branch and as a Member of expatriate staff at the BOC Karachi Branch, which is now non-operational in Pakistan.

He has also managed 70 BOC branches for four years as the Assistant General Manager in charge of the Western Province South (the largest administrative region of BOC at the time), before taking up the assignment at Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd. as the Chief Executive Officer/Director in late 2012.

He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons) degree from the University of Colombo and served briefly on the academic staff of the (then) Batticaloa University College. He also worked under the Education Ministry as an Education Officer in the Sri Lanka Education Service before joining the BOC in 1986. He is also an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka since 1998.

At present, he is an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Board of Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, appointed in February 2023.

Fernando was a Director of Property Development and Management Ltd., BOC Travels Ltd., and Merchant Bank of Sri Lanka PLC. He was also an Independent Director of Cey Bank Holiday Homes Ltd. and the General Manager during two distinct periods. Additionally, he also served as the Director and Chairman of MBSL Insurance Ltd.

His past appointments included Chief Executive Officer of Grand Oriental Hotel, Chief Risk Officer (Deputy General Manager) of Bank of Ceylon, Sri Lanka, and Chief Executive Officer and Director of BOC (UK).