Ajith De Silva elected President of Mercantile Hockey Association

Ajith De Silva was elected President of the Mercantile Hockey Association (MHA) at its 70th Annual General Meeting held on 28 March 2026 at the Burgher Recreation Club.

Legendary and veteran sportsman Dennis de Rosayro (MHA Life Member) presided as pro term Chairman and, while sharing his visionary leadership thoughts with the attendees at the AGM, announced the election of De Silva (of Brown and Company PLC) as the President for the term 2026–2027.

De Silva is a dynamic Sri Lankan corporate professional with extensive experience in Sales, Finance, Product Management, and Marketing. He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer (Automotive and Hardware Cluster), overseeing a portfolio of leading brands in Sri Lanka.

An accomplished sports administrator, he is the President of the Browns Group Sports Club and has been actively involved with the Mercantile Hockey Association since 2018, serving as Vice President since 2020. He also serves as President of the Colombo MBA Alumni Association.

De Silva, expressed sincere appreciation to the outgoing President Vengadasalam Balagobi of Deloitte Sri Lanka, who concluded an outstanding tenure spanning three consecutive terms from September 2022 to March 2026.

Among other key appointments, Charitha Senanayake of Hatton National Bank PLC was nominated as Vice President. Yogendren Suganthan (Sampath Bank PLC) and Sameera Ushantha (Sampath Bank PLC) will continue their roles as Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer, respectively.

Vishwa Prabhath (Brown and Company PLC) and Deepika Kariyawasam (Hayleys Group) were re-elected as Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer for the upcoming term.

Established as one of the oldest sporting associations in Sri Lanka, the Mercantile Hockey Association has played a pivotal role in sustaining and promoting the game of hockey in the country for over seven decades. Celebrating its 70th year, the Association takes pride in its rich legacy of nurturing talent and producing numerous players who have gone on to represent the sport at national and international levels. Through consistent tournaments, development initiatives, and strong corporate participation, the MHA continues to be a cornerstone in keeping the spirit of hockey alive in Sri Lanka.

Office Bearers and Committee – 2026/2027

Patron

Rohitha Silva – IDAC 

Vice Patrons

Deva Ellepola – Bartleet Religare Securities 

Ramesh Schaffter – JXG Janashakthi Group

Tharaka Ranwala – Sampath Bank 

Manjula Wijemanne – Comvey 

Iqram Cuttilan – Aitken Spence Shipping 

Kumar De Silva – GlaxoSmithKline Sri Lanka

Juragen Majid – Expo Ceylon Pharmaceuticals

Vengadasalam Balagobi – Deloitte Sri Lanka

Trustee

Deva Ellepola – Bartleet Religare Securities 

President

Ajith De Silva – Brown and Company

Vice Presidents

Sumith Jayasena – Commercial Bank 

Chandana Weragama – Sampath Bank

Sadique M. Hanas – Singer (Sri Lanka) 

Charitha Senanayake – Hatton National Bank 

Honorary Secretary

Yogendren Suganthan – Sampath Bank 

Assistant Secretary

Vishwa Prabhath – Brown and Company 

Honorary Treasurer

Sameera Ushantha – Sampath Bank 

Assistant Treasurer

Deepika Kariyawasam – Hayleys Group

Executive Committee

M.J.M. Irshad – Seylan Bank

Thilina Perera – Hatton National Bank 

G. Jayaprakash – John Keells Group

Priyan Senevirathna – MAS Holdings

Laknath Guruge – Singer (Sri Lanka) 

Inthiqhab Majid – Brown and Company 

Roger Vijayakumar – Nations Trust Bank 

Janitha Jayawardana – DPMC Group

Gihan Peiris – Allianz Insurance

Marlon De Alwis – Commercial Bank