Ravi Dias appointed Seylan Bank Chairman

Former Commercial Bank PLC CEO/MD and veteran banker Ravi Dias has been appointed Seylan Bank PLC Chairman with effect from May 9, 2016, ending a board room tussle Mirror Business recently reported on.

Dias, who joined Seylan board in 2015 June, succeeds Nihal Jayamanne, who retires from his position as Chairman of the bank in compliance with Section 3(3)(i) of the Banking Act Directions No. 11 of 2007 on Corporate Governance (as amended)as he reaches the age of 70 years. 

Jayamanne joined the board of Seylan Bank in December 2008 as an Independent Director and later designated as Senior Independent Director before being appointed Chairman in January 2013. 
Dias is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, UK, holds a Degree in Law (LLB) and is a Hubert H Humphrey Fellow. 

He serves on the boards of Carsons Cumberbatch PLC, Tokyo Cement (Lanka) PLC, Ceylon Tea Marketing (Pvt) LTD, South Asia Textile Industries Lanka (Pvt) Ltd and is the Independent Chairman of Senkadagala Finance PLC. 

He is a committee member of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and chairs the banking, finance & capital markets steering committee, a sub-committee of the chamber. 

He had in the past served on the boards of Commercial Development PLC, Commercial Insurance Brokers(Pvt) Ltd, Lanka Clear (Pvt) Limited, Lanka Financial Services Bureau Limited and a was a council member of the Employers Federation of Ceylon. 

In a separate development, Coralie Pietersz has been designated Senior Director in compliance with Section 3(5)(ii) of the Banking Act Directions No. 11 of 2007 on Corporate Governance(as amended) with affect from 9th May 2016, pursuant to the appointment of incoming Chairman Ravi Dias. 

Pietersz has been a member of the Board since September 2013. She chairs the Board Audit Committee of the Bank and is also a member of several other Board Committees.