Bank of Ceylon’s General Manager D.P.K. Gunasekera better known as Sugath Gunasekera to his peers in the Banking industry is to retire from Bank of Ceylon upon reaching mandatory retirement age. The retirement brings the curtain down on a 41-year career with the nation’s premier bank. His term as GM saw the bank grapple with the challenges brought on by the COVID 19 pandemic and overcome them, registering a commendable performance. Prior to being appointed General Manager in 2020, he has held many key posts at Bank of Ceylon such as Senior Deputy General Manager ( International , Treasury and Investment), Deputy General Manager( Corporate and Offshore Banking) , Deputy General Manager( Retail Banking) and Assistant General Manager in charge of Chennai Branch( Country Manager).
Mr Gunasekera who joined the country’s no. 1 bank as a cashier/clerk at the age of 19 years gradually rose up the ranks to reach its top most position-the bank’s General Manager/CEO. His career is a clear example of the kind of opportunities that exist within the state-owned banking giant for career advancement. Bank of Ceylon offers many opportunities for its staff for develop professionally and gain wide exposure and experience across many areas of banking including exposure to foreign environments through its branches in the Maldives, India, Seychelles and the subsidiary in the UK.
He holds a Bachelor of Science Special Degree in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Business and Finance from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, a MBA from University of Southern Queensland and Membership of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.
His successor in the post of General Manager is to be another Bank of Ceylon veteran banker with many years of experience under his belt, K.E. Dhanapala Sumanasiri currently the Senior Deputy General Manager ( Human Resources)