Dinesh Weerakkody

Background

Dinesh Weerakkody was an Independent Director of the Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC) from July 2014 to July 2018.

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

Dinesh Stephen Weerakkody was educated at the St. Anne’s College, Kurunegala. According to his LinkedIn profile, he has obtained a Master of Business Administration from University of Leicester, United Kingdom and a Doctorate of Business Administration from American National Business University, The United States of America. He is the son-in-law of John Amaratunga, a long term politician of the United National Party of Sri Lanka. John Amaratunga was the Minister of Tourism, Development, and Christian Religious Affairs and Minister of Lands in the Cabinet of the President Maithripala Sirisena (2015 – 2019). It was during that time period Dinesh Weerakkody was a Director of the CTC.

Weerakkody was 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. His book, “The Great November Revolution” reportedly documents his insights on the events that occurred in November 2014, the initiation of the process to form the joint government in 2015.

Weerakkody was referred to as "a close aide to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe" in the media in 2018.

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.

Tobacco Industry Employment History

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

• 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.

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)
• Chairman, National Human Resource Development Council of Sri Lanka (2015: Minister - Ranil Wickramasinghe)
• Advisor to the Minister of Tourism (2018: Minister - John Amaratunga)
• Chairman of the Committee to review the Banking Sector and Non-bank financial institutions (NBFI) consolidation
• Chairman of the Committee to review the Budgetary Allocation for Education

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.

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, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka(21 December 2022 – October 2024)
• Chairman, Colombo Port City Economic Commission (4 August 2022 – December 2024)
• Chairman/CEO, Employees’ Trust Fund Board of Sri Lanka (2001-2004)
• Advisor to the Prime Minister (2002-2004: Prime Minister - Ranil Wickramasinghe)

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). The complete list is mentioned below.

• Independent Non-Executive Director, Lanka Ashok Leyland PLC (1 February 2025 to present)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC (January 2025 to present)
• Chairman, The Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (28 June 2024 to present)
• Chairman, Union Bank of Colombo (30 September 2024 to present)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, Union Bank of Colombo (1 April 2024 to 29 September 2024)
• Independent Director, Life Insurance Corporation (Lanka) Limited (15 June 2023 to present)
• Vice Chairman, Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (11 August 2021 to present)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, Abans Group (December 2019 - present)
• Member, Financial Advisory Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket (2019 to present)
• Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka (2017 - 2021)
• Chairman, Hatton National Bank PLC (26 May 2018 – 30 March 2021)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, Hatton National Bank PLC (June 2017 - 25 May 2018)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, CIC Holdings Ltd (12 February 2015 - 30 November 2017)
• Independent Director, Hemas Holdings PLC (1 October 2013 - 26 June 2019)
• Chairman, HR Cornucopia Lanka Private Limited (December 2011 – November 2021)
• Vice Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka (2016/2017)
• Independent Non-Executive Director, Access Engineering (1 January 2015 – 31 December 2024)
• Director, Lanka Rating Agency Limited (August 2014)
• Chairman, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC (2011 – 2014)
• Non-Executive Director, DFCC Bank (2003 – 2010)
• HR & Admin Director, GlaxoSmithKline Sri Lanka (1998 – 2005)
• Chairman, Zamlank Developers
• Director/Advisor of Cornucopia Bangalore, India
• Director, Gall Face Hotel Management Company

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.

TobaccoUnmasked Resources

Other relevant TobaccoUnmasked entries:

• Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC (CTC)
• Ceylon Tobacco Director Appointed to NFTH Governing Board

Relevant Link

• Ceylon Tobacco Company

The local language translations