Channa de Silva appointed as Sarvodaya Development Finance Chairman

28 October 2016 12:00 am

Sarvodaya Development Finance announces the appointment of Channa de Silva as its new Chairman on the retirement of Eastman Narangoda, who led the successful transformation process of Sarvodaya Development Finance, formerly known as Deshodaya Development Finance Company Limited (DDFC). 

The Sarvodaya Development Finance Limited evolved from deep-rooted commitment to nation building and development along the ‘grass roots’ model of its parent, the Sarvodaya Movement. 
de Silva was welcomed as the new Chairman on October 10, 2016 (subject to the approval from the Central Bank of Sri Lanka) at a simple but graceful occasion held at the company’s head office. The ceremony was graced by Sarvodaya Movement Founder/President Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne, corporate management and staff. 

de Silva was formerly Deputy Chairman and Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of Sarvodaya Development Finance. He is the current Managing Director of Summit Finance and a former Director of Pan Asia Bank PLC. He was formerly Group Managing Director of Delmege Limited. He also served as Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as well as Executive Director of the Board of Investments (BOI) Sri Lanka. 

He has represented many government boards and commissions such as the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL), Public Enterprise Reform Commission (PERC), Construction Guarantee Fund, National Payment Gateway of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and National Council for Economic Development. He has also been a member of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board (SLAASMB).

de Silva holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Colombo and a Master’s Degree each from Harvard University (USA) and Melbourne University (Australia). He is also an Edward Mason Fellow of Harvard University and served as a Teaching Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA – UK) and Fellow of the Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA – UK), de Silva has served on the Governance and Accounting Standards Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, along with being a Council Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) of Sri Lanka. 
Guided by the social philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi and the spiritual teachings of Buddhism, Sarvodaya is currently the oldest non-governmental organisation in Sri Lanka. De Silva too is committed to these principles and will ensure that these values remain at the core of the company’s future plans. The new vision articulated for the future growth of the company is steered by its commitment ‘To be a catalyst in creating an economically progressive society, living in dignity’.