Dimantha Seneviratne to retire from NDB; Kelum Edirisinghe to take helm

National Development Bank PLC (NDB) yesterday announced the retirement of its Director/Group CEO Dimantha Seneviratne and the appointment of Kelum Edirisinghe as his successor.
According to the stock market disclosures filed, NDB, following the expiration of his fixed-term contract on January 31, 2024, Seneviratne will step down from his roles as Group CEO/Executive Director, after having completed seven years with the bank.
The filing said Seneviratne intends “to pursue a different focus in his post-retiral phase”.
Seneviratne’s distinguished banking career spans over 34 years, with 10 years at CEO level (three years at PABC and seven years at NDB). He played a crucial role in transforming both of these banks into high-performing entities.

Seneviratne is leaving NDB on a high note, as under him, the bank become the fourth largest listed private bank in the country and won a number of global and local accolades, while becoming the most awarded corporate for two years in succession. 
He played a key role in ushering NDB into the digital era through initiatives like the Neos app and RPAs and championed women empowerment through the Vanithabimana initiative.
He also played a pivotal role in securing Norfund as a strategic investor for NDB and successfully negotiated with DFC and other similar funds to secure financing for lending to the country’s SME sector.
Meanwhile, Edirisinghe will be appointed as CEO Designate of NDB, with effect from January 22, 2024 and will take over duties as CEO/Executive Director, with effect from February 01, 2024, subject to the relevant regulatory approvals.
Edirisinghe will be joining NDB after having completed 30 years with HSBC Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where he held several key senior management positions, the last being as Chief Risk Officer of HSBC Sri Lanka and the Maldives, where he also served as Chair of the Risk Committee. 
His banking experience at HSBC covers a variety of leadership roles in enterprise-wide risk management, commercial banking, fund management, debt restructuring, financial analysis and branch banking. 

Edirisinghe holds a BSc from the University of Manchester in association with the Chartered Institute of Bankers and a Master of Business Administration from Edith Cowan University, Australia. 
He also holds a Diploma in Financial Management from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and a certification on Treasury and Foreign Exchange Operations from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.  Edirisinghe is a member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the Centre for Banking Studies of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.