Senkadagala Finance appoints N. Vasantha Kumar Chairman, makes two additions to Board

Senkadagala Finance PLC has appointed Independent Non-Executive Director N. Vasantha Kumar as Chairman of the Board with effect from 1 April 2026.

The company has also made the following Board appointments: Priyanka Jayatilake as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Sonal Balasuriya as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director.

Kumar holds a Master of Business Administration and a Diploma in Professional Treasury Management, and has over 37 years of experience in financial markets behaviour and treasury operations. In addition to his current role with the company, he serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Ceylinco Holdings PLC and DFCC Bank PLC. He is also an Executive Director of Asset Trust Management (Pvt) Ltd., a Director of Wealth Lanka Management (Pvt) Ltd., and Chairman of Safe Capital (Pvt) Ltd.

He previously served as Chief Executive Officer/General Manager of People’s Bank. He has also held positions as President of the Association of Primary Dealers and the Sri Lanka Forex Association, and as Head of Treasury at ANZ Grindlays Bank, Colombo.

Jayatilake has over 40 years of experience as a consulting and audit professional, with in-depth exposure to global leadership practices in digital transformation, business process re-engineering (BPR), technology and digital risk, cybersecurity and privacy, governance, risk and controls (GRC), ERP, business continuity (BCP), project management, and managed services.

Jayatilake has been with KPMG Sri Lanka for 39 years, including 33 years as a Partner and three years as Managing Partner. He is known for his leadership skills and ability to drive positive change within the firm. His contributions to the Advisory and Technology functions have been significant. He was instrumental in establishing the firm’s Technology practice, including Oracle and ERP consulting, accounting outsourcing, payroll and HR solutions, and executive search and recruitment.

He has led numerous technology advisory, management consultancy, and IT and financial audit engagements in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, including pioneering services such as ISO 27001, cybersecurity, software quality assurance (SQA), software process improvement (CMMI), and IT audits in Sri Lanka.

He has also served as Chief Information Officer, National IT Security Officer, and Chief Knowledge Officer for KPMG Sri Lanka and the Maldives. As Head of Advisory, he led the function for more than 10 years, during which it recorded significant growth and several milestone achievements. Jayatilake also served as a Board Member in KPMG’s MESAC (Middle East, South Asia and Caspian) and CASA (Caspian, Arab States and South Asia) sub-regions, and as Chairman of the Regional Technology Committee.

In addition, as an Audit Partner for 17 years, he led audit engagements for many listed companies and spearheaded plantation sector audits. His experience spans sectors including banking and finance, insurance, telecommunications, and healthcare.

Jayatilake holds a BSc (Hons) Degree with First Class in Mathematics and Computing from the University of Colombo and an MSc in Software Systems Technology from the University of Sheffield, UK. He is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCA), the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCMA), and the British Computer Society of the UK (FBCS), and is a Chartered IT Practitioner.

Balasuriya holds a First Class BSc (Hons) Degree from the University of Westminster and a Master of Architecture with Distinction from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. He is also a SLIA-qualified Chartered Architect in Sri Lanka since February 2016.

He gained experience in both the United Kingdom and Sri Lanka before establishing his own sole proprietorship practice in 2016. He is currently the Principal Architect at Studio SBA Ltd.

In addition to his architectural practice, Balasuriya is involved in the management of E.W. Balasuriya & Co. Ltd., where he has been engaged in the development, management, and leasing of commercial real estate assets. Through this role, he has gained practical experience in real estate finance, including project development, asset optimisation, and rental income management.

Balasuriya also serves as a Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director of Senfin Asset Management Ltd. (SFAM) since March 2020. In this capacity, he contributes to Board-level deliberations on investment strategy, governance, and risk oversight.