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| Sunday, 9 May 2004 |
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APB felicitates HNB Chairman The Council of Management and the Past President of the Association of Professional Bankers (APB) felicitated its founder member and first president, Mr. Rienzie T. Wijetilleke, on his elevation to the prestigious position of Chairman, Hatton National Bank (HNB), a leading private sector commercial bank in Sri Lanka, at a dinner hosted in his honour in Trans Asia Hotel last month. Mr. K. Nimal Dias, APB President said that the APB was proud of the achievement of Mr. Wijetilleke, one of its members and the inaugural President, who commenced his carrier in a modest capacity, but rose to attain the highest position in a private bank. Mr. Wijetilleke having joined Bank of Ceylon (BoC) in 1960, served it for a period of 10 years, including a spell of 4 1/2 years at its London branch. In 1970, Mr. Wijetilleke joined HNB and, after holding several important positions, rose to the position of Managing Director/CEO in 1988 by sheer hard work and dedication. With the demise of Mr. Chrishantha Cooray, he was appointed Chairman of HNB, on 19 March 2004. Mr. Wijetilleke is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers, London and has held many positions in the banking and financial industry making great contributions to all of them. He also had other diverse interests and for a time was the President of the Interim Committee of the Board of Control for Cricket during which time, vast improvements were seen in the field, and Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange and also a Board member of the Asian Bankers' Association. A very eminent product of Wesley College, he had also been the President of its OBA. Mr. A. Kathiravelupillai, also a founder member and past president, paid a glorious tribute to Mr. Wijetilleke's achievements and leadership qualities and professionalism, having associated with him very closely from the days that Mr. Wijetilleke and he worked at the Bank of Ceylon in the late '60s. Mr. Wijetilleke's achievements as MD in making HNB one of the leading banks in Sri Lanka bears ample testimony for his leadership qualities. When he took over as MD/CEO 15 years ago, the bank's profit was around Rs. 70 mn and, in the year 2003, the profit was over a billion rupees. Similarly, deposits, loans and shareholder funds, showed phenomenal growth under his stewardship. Not only bankers, even the private sector looked to him for leadership and guidance in times of need. Though Mr. Wijetilleke reached the pinnacle of success, he did not lose the common touch. He remained humble and helpful to everybody. His immense contribution to the Association of Professional Bankers as a founder member, first president and benefactor helped the Association in many ways to reach its present position. He wished him every success in his present position. |
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