Banks CIO Forum elects new council

The Banks CIO Forum (BCIOF) in Sri Lanka recently had its Annual General Meeting, where the new Executive Council for the year 2024 was chosen. 
Sampath Bank Chief Information Officer Ajith Salgado became Chairman and HSBC Sri Lanka Chief Information Officer Hereen Stembo became Secretary.

The other members of the Executive Council elected are Treasurer Indika Fernando – Cargills Bank Chief Information Officer, Deputy Chairman Dhammika Dasa – People’s Bank Chief Information Officer, Assistant Secretary Romesh Wijesinghe – Citi Bank Chief Information Officer, Assistant Treasurer Druvi Vaidyakularatne – Hatton National Bank Chief Information Officer.

The departing Chairman Prabath Samindra, who served as Chief Information Officer at Deutsche Bank, shared insights on the significant contributions and milestones of the BCIOF that have positively impacted the banking sector.

Salgado is a well-known IT expert in Sri Lanka and the current Chief Information Officer of Sampath Bank. He is a former President of the Computer Society of Sri Lanka. In addition, he was President of the South East Asia Regional Computer Confederation (SEARCC) in 2013.
Salgado has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering from the University of Moratuwa, Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from the University of Colombo and a Certified Management Accountants (CMA) of Australia.

The BCIOF was established under Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (SLBA) in 2012 and is the largest C-level forum in the banking and financial industry. It includes all major commercial banks, state banks and foreign banks as its members. The forum has a lot of experienced ICT professionals who help in transforming business.
The main objective of this forum is to collaborate and share knowledge, discuss challenges, network with close stakeholders like the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Sri Lanka Banks Association (SLBA), Lanka Pay, FinCSIRT, etc. 

One of the key events the BCIOF organises annually is the CIO Confluence, bringing together large parts of IT and banking professionals. This year’s confluence was held at Shangri-La Colombo, under the theme ‘Banking in the Digital Age – Navigating Transformation’.  It also does knowledge-sharing sessions, partner programs and seminars.

Banks CIO Forum Executive Council 2024

Chairman: Ajith Salgado – Sampath Bank Chief Information Officer
Secretary: Hereen Stembo – HSBC Sri Lanka Chief Information Officer
Treasurer: Indika Fernando – Cargills Bank Chief Information Officer
Deputy Chairman: Dhammika Dasa – People’s Bank Chief Information Officer
Assistant Secretary: Romesh Wijesinghe – Citi Bank Chief Information Officer
Assistant Treasurer: Druvi Vaidyakularatne – Hatton National Bank Chief Information Officer