Veteran banker Lakshman Silva appointed as LankaPay Chairman

LankaPay, Sri Lanka’s national payment network, recently announced the appointment of veteran banker

Lakshman Silva as its new Chairman, with effect from June 1, 2024.
He will serve for a period of three years, with former Chairman Dr. Kenneth De Zilwa stepping down from the position after a three-year tenure. 

The appointment has been made by Central Bank Governor Dr. P. Nandalal Weerasinghe.
Silva is an illustrious banker with over 35 years’ experience in the industry. Starting his professional career with the Inland Revenue Department of Sri Lanka, Silva joined the DFCC banking group in 1987, before he was seconded to DFCC Vardhana Bank in 2003 as Chief Operating Officer, where he progressed to become Chief Executive Officer/Executive Director in January 2010. 

He also held the position of Deputy Chief Executive Officer/Director of DFCC Bank PLC from October 2015 and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer/Director in August 2017, in which position he served until retirement in 2021.
During his career, Silva held the position of Chairman of DFCC Consulting (Pvt.) Limited, Lanka Industrial Estates Limited and Synapsys Limited, the subsidiary companies of DFCC Bank PLC and Chairman of Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited as well as Sri Lanka Banks’ Association (Guarantee) Limited. 

He also held the position of Chairman/Director of Acuity Partners (Pvt.) Limited, the joint venture company of DFCC Bank PLC, Lanka Ventures Limited and LVL Energy Fund PLC and also served on the board of LankaClear (Pvt.) Ltd (former name of LankaPay) until December 31, 2021. Silva was a member of the board of directors of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP) and board of management of the Sri Lanka Sustainable Energy Authority. 

At present, he also acts as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Seylan Bank PLC, Finetech Consultancy (Pvt.) Ltd and HNB Assurance PLC, whilst serving as Chairman and Director of Panasian Power PLC and its subsidiary companies. Silva is also a Member of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee of Central Bank of Sri Lanka.