Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday Oct 28, 2025
Tuesday, 28 October 2025 00:12 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Top professional Dr. Gishan Illangakoon has been appointed to the Board of SMB Finance PLC as an Independent Non-Executive Director.
Dr. Illangakoon is a multifaceted banking and finance professional with over 32 years of progressive experience across retail, MSME, corporate banking, project finance, trade, risk management, and sustainable finance.
He has held senior leadership positions in both international and local financial institutions, including Hatton National Bank (Sri Lanka), Barclays Bank (UAE), United Arab Bank (UAE), and MCB Bank (Pakistan–Sri Lanka Operations). He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Pan Oceanic Bank, Solomon Islands, where he successfully led strategic initiatives in business development, credit risk governance, sustainability integration, and institutional capacity building, and strengthening financial resilience.
As the former Vice President of the Association of Banking Sector Risk Professionals (Bankers’ CRO Forum – Sri Lanka), he contributed significantly to enhancing risk management frameworks and governance standards within the banking sector, and collaborated closely with regulators on consultation papers and policy recommendations to advance prudential supervision.
Dr. Illangakoon holds a PhD in Management from the Management and Science University (MSU), Malaysia, and an MBA from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers (FIB) and a Fellow of the Chartered Professional Managers (FCPM), holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Business and Financial Administration from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, and is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) as well as the Association of Professional Bankers (Sri Lanka).
A passionate researcher, writer, and trainer, Dr. Illangakoon has published numerous technical papers, research articles, and thought pieces in international journals, universities, and national publications. He is a regular contributor to daily national papers, covering topics such as socio-economic development, risk management, sustainable finance, and climate change, and has submitted several policy proposals to government bodies focused on economic development and financial sector reforms.
He is also the creator of the “ABCDE Framework – Basics for Success”, an original concept for personal and professional development built on Attitude, Behaviour, Commitment, Discipline, and Execution, promoting a values-driven approach to leadership and sustainable success.
Dr. Illangakoon’s strategic foresight, regulatory insight, and cross-regional leadership experience make him a value-adding independent voice in advancing strong governance, risk culture, and sustainability-driven growth within corporate and financial institutions.
