Dinesh Weerakkody

From TobaccoUnmasked

Background

Image 1: The launch of the book The Great November Revolution authored by Weerakkody in November 2015. Prime Minister, Health Minister and the Deputy Minister of Finance of Sri Lanka overlooks while the book is being presented to the President[1]

Dinesh Weerakkody was an Independent Director of the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) from July 2014 to July 2018.[2][3][4] He is the son-in-law of John Amaratunga, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs and Minister of Lands of the Cabinet of the President Maithripala Sirisena (2015 – to date).[5][6] He is identified as a “key strategist” in the United National Party (UNP), one of the two prominent political parties in Sri Lanka, constituting the majority of the joint government formed in 2015.[6][7] His book, “The Great November Revolution” reportedly documents his insights on the events occurred in November 2014, the initiation of the process to form the joint government in 2015.[1][8][9]

He was referred to as "a close aide to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe" in the media in 2018.[10]

Image 2: President Maithripala Sirisena distributing school material to children sponsored by Dinesh Weerakkody. Minister John Amaratunga, father-in-law of Weerakkody and Bishop Emmanuel Fernando are also in the picture.[11]

Tobacco Industry Employment History

Weerakkody joined the Board of Directors of the CTC in July 2014.[4] He was a member of the following committees in the Board;[2]

  • Audit Committee
  • Related Party Transaction Review Committee
  • Corporate Social Investment Committee

Weerakkody resigned from the Board of Directors of the CTC with effect from 15th July 2018. The reason for his resignation was not revealed to the media.[12]

Positions in Government Institutions held Simultaneously

Weerakkody held the following positions in government or affiliated institutions while he is holding the post in the CTC (the year appointed and the Minister is mentioned within brackets);

  • Advisor/Committee Chair, Ministry of National Policy and Economic Affairs (2015: Minister - Ranil Wickramasinghe)[2][4] [13][14]
  • Chairman, National Human Resource Development Council of Sri Lanka (2015: Minister - Ranil Wickramasinghe)[4][13]
  • Advisor to the Minister of Tourism (2018: Minister - John Amaratunga)[10][15]
  • Chairman of the Committee to review the Banking Sector and Non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) consolidation[16]
  • Chairman of the Committee to review the Budgetary Allocation for Education[16]

Local media reported that Weerakkody was considered for the position of the governor of the Central Bank, Sri Lanka in two occasions; at the beginning of the tenure of the Joint government era in January 2015 as an interim governor, and in June 2016 as the governor.[6][17][18]

In 2017 July, Weerakkody was appointed to the Governing Board of Dr. Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital (NFTH), the private hospital taken over by the Government of Sri Lanka. Please refer to the page Ceylon Tobacco Director Appointed to NFTH Governing Board for further details.

Positions in Government Institutions held Prior to or after Tobacco Industry Employment

Weerakkody held the following positions in government or affiliated institutions prior to his employment in the CTC. (The timelines and the Ministers relevant are mentioned within brackets;

  • Chairman/CEO, Employees’ Trust Fund Board of Sri Lanka (2001-2004)[4][3][13]
  • Advisor to the Prime Minister (2002-2004: Prime Minister - Ranil Wickramasinghe)[4][3][13][19]

Positions held in other Organisations and Associations

Weerakkody held high rank positions in several private corporations including companies belonging to pharmaceutical (GlaxoSmithKline Sri Lanka & Hemas Holdings PLC) and agricultural industries (CIC Holdings Ltd).[13] The complete list is mentioned below.

He also served in the Directors’ Board of the RAM Ratings (Lanka) Ltd, also known as Lanka Rating Agency Ltd, which was suspended in 2015 by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, declaring it is not an acceptable credit rating agency.[27][28][29][30]

TobaccoUnmasked Resources

Other relevant TobaccoUnmasked entries:

Relevant Link

The local language translations

TobaccoUnmasked_Sinhala
TobaccoUnmasked_Tamil



Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mirror Business. The Great November Revolution, 2015, accessed February 2017
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Ceylon Tobacco Company, Annual Report 2016, 2017, accessed March 2017
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Ceylon Tobacco Company, Annual Report 2015, 2016, accessed February 2017
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Ceylon Tobacco Company. Annual Report 2014, 2015, accessed February 2017
  5. ↑ Sri Lanka Parliament Website, John Amarathunga, 2017, accessed February 2017
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Daily Financial Times. Dinesh Weerakkody to be CB Governor?, 2015, accessed February 2017
  7. ↑ The Sunday Leader. New Cabinet Prominently Green, 2015, accessed February 2017
  8. ↑ Daily Financial Times. The Great November Revolution: The inside story according to Dinesh Weerakkody, 2015, accessed February 2017
  9. ↑ Mirror Business. Dinesh launches “The Great November Revolution”, 2015, accessed February 2017
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Times Online. Dinesh Weerakkody, new chairman of HNB; first to head two private banks, 01 May 2018, accessed May 2018
  11. ↑ Sunday Observer. Education is key for sustainable development, 24 September 2017, accessed September 2017
  12. ↑ Daily Mirror. Dinesh quits CTC board, Mirror Business, 17 July 2018, accessed August 2018
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 13.5 13.6 13.7 13.8 Weerakkody D. LinkedIn Profile, 2017, accessed February 2017
  14. ↑ Ministry of National Policy and Economic Affairs. Ministry of National Policy and Economic Affairs Website, 2017, accessed February 2017
  15. ↑ Daily News. Dinesh Weerakkody, new chairman of HNB, 02 May 2018, accessed May 2018
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Hatton National Bank PLC. Board of Directors, 2018, accessed August 2018
  17. ↑ Lanka News Web. Govt. in crisis: Dinesh Weerakkody as CB governor?, 2016, accessed February 2017
  18. ↑ Asian Mirror Dinesh Weerakkody to Become "Interim" Central Bank Governor?, 2015, accessed February 2017
  19. ↑ Sri Lanka Parliament Website, Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka, 2017, accessed February 2017
  20. ↑ International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka. Executive Committee, 2016, accessed August 2018
  21. ↑ economynext Dinesh Weerakkody New Chairman of Sri Lanka's Hatton National Bank, 01 May 2018, accessed May 2018
  22. ↑ CIC Holdings. Leading Professionals join CIC group, 2017, accessed February 2017
  23. ↑ Hemas Holdings PLC. Board of Directors, 2017, accessed February, 2017
  24. ↑ International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka. Executive Committee, 2017, accessed, February, 2017
  25. ↑ Access Engineering. Board of Directors, 2017, accessed February, 2017
  26. ↑ Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC. Board of Directors, 2017, accessed February 2017
  27. ↑ Central Bank of Sri Lanka. Circular: Bank Supervision Department Ref: 02/17/500/0063/001, 03 August 2015, accessed February 2017
  28. ↑ Business Times. RAM Ratings (Lanka) Ltd now known as “Lanka Rating Agency (LRA) Ltd”, 04 May 2014, accessed February 2017
  29. ↑ Daily Financial Times. Lanka Rating Agency appoints Dinesh Weerakkody to Board, 04 August 2014, accessed February 2017
  30. ↑ The Island. Dinesh Weerakkody on LRA Board, 01 August 2014, accessed February 2017
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