Kapila Ariyaratne, new CEO at Seylan Bank

Seylan Bank PLC today announced the appointment of veteran banker, Kapila Ariyaratne as its new General Manager / Chief Executive Officer. Ariyaratne is a versatile banker and brings with him more than 25 years of wide ranging experience in the banking industry.

Making his entry into banking in 1984 as a Management Trainee at Grindlays Bank PLC, Ariyaratne spent the next 27 years with several local and international banks, including ABN Amro Bank NV, Mashreq Bank PSC, Arab National Bank (Riyadh), People’s Bank and Nations Trust Bank PLC thus giving him the benefit of having worked with international, state sector as well as private sector banks, both locally and abroad.

While a substantial part of his experience is in Corporate Banking, he has hands-on experience in International Trade Finance Operations, Customer Service Operations, Credit Risk Management, Institutional and Correspondent Banking as well as SME and Microfinance. Being a key member of the team that undertook the restructuring of a key State sector bank in 2001, Ariyaratne is also familiar with the mechanisms of bringing about key changes in large organisations in order to meet the present day challenges and to optimise the opportunities.

An old boy of Royal College, Colombo, Ariyaratne is a First Class Honours Graduate of the University of Colombo. A very keen sportsman, he holds Royal College colours in Rugby Football and University Colours in Rugby Football and Hockey. He has also represented CR & FC in A-Division Rugby.

Said Chairman Eastman Narangoda, “The Seylan Bank Team is happy to welcome a senior banker of the calibre of Kapila Ariyaratne. As we all know, the Bank is currently in a buoyant and very positive phase of change and growth. In this context, the Board of Directors and I are confident that in his demanding and challenging role as CEO, Kapila Ariyaratne will contribute in no small measure to the Seylan Bank’s continued resurgence in Sri Lanka’s financial industry”.