Chandana Guniyangoda assumed duties as the new Chairman of People’s Bank on 25 August 2026 at a ceremony held at the Bank’s Head Office. The occasion was attended by former People’s Bank Chairman Prof. Narada Fernando, members of the Board of Directors, People’s Bank Chief Executive Officer/General Manager, and members of the Bank’s corporate management.
Guniyangoda’s appointment marks a significant milestone in Sri Lanka’s state-owned banking sector. He becomes the first Chairman of a state-owned licensed commercial bank to be appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director under the strengthened governance framework introduced following Sri Lanka’s IMF-supported reform programme.
The framework, developed through reforms undertaken in consultation with the IMF and World Bank and reinforced by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s Banking Act Directions No. 05 of 2024 on Corporate Governance for Licensed Banks, introduced more rigorous criteria for determining director independence and strengthened independent oversight at Board level.
The appointment represents an important step towards strengthening public confidence in the governance of People’s Bank and ensuring that it continues to be managed in the best interests of its customers, stakeholders, and the country.
A distinguished finance professional with more than 28 years of experience, including 19 years in commercial banking, Guniyangoda brings extensive expertise in finance, strategic planning, business transformation, process re-engineering, cost optimisation, human resource management, asset and liability management, risk management, and regulatory reporting.
Guniyangoda is a Fellow of both the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka. His academic qualifications include a Master of Business Administration in Banking and Finance from the Postgraduate Institute of Management at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, a Master of Arts in Financial Economics from the University of Colombo, and a BSc in Business Administration (Special) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He also holds an Advanced Certificate in Banking and Finance from the Institute of Bankers and IFS, London.
Throughout his career, Guniyangoda has held several senior strategic and managerial positions across the banking and corporate sectors. His professional experience includes serving as Assistant Vice President – Finance, Strategic Planning and Business Support at NDB Bank PLC and as a Director of Development Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd., a joint venture between NDB Bank and the Export Development Board. At NDB Bank, he was part of a world-champion team in asset and liability management.
Before that, he served at Sampath Bank PLC as an ALCO Officer and Senior Executive – Finance and Planning. He began his professional career as a trainee graduate at Aitken Spence PLC.
More recently, he provided specialist expertise in finance and administration for the restructuring of institutional frameworks within the agriculture and plantation sectors under the Agriculture Modernization Project implemented by the World Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture.
Guniyangoda currently serves as Independent Chairman of People’s Insurance PLC, Group Chief Financial Officer of MG Group of Companies, a Board Member of New Vithanakande Tea Factory (Pvt.) Ltd., and Non-Executive Chairman of CCPI Management Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. He is also an Honorary Member of the Board of Management of the CA Sri Lanka SAB Campus.
With extensive experience in banking, finance, corporate governance, and strategic management, Guniyangoda assumes the chairmanship with a wealth of knowledge and expertise as People’s Bank continues to support Sri Lanka’s economic development and serve millions of customers across the country.
