Business

Dilmah Night of Plantation Veterans

Published

3 years ago

2023/12/24

Thilina Walpola

Jayantha, Anura and Vernon

By Anura Gunasekera

The elegant Dutch Burgher Union premises was the venue for the annual Planters’ Christmas Dinner, hosted by Dilmah, following a tradition set in place in 2017 by its patriarch, the late Merrill J Fernando. A man with a life-long passion for Pure Ceylon Tea, which contributed much to the success of Dilmah, the hosting of this gathering was his way of honouring the contribution to the industry made by the men, often conveniently forgotten in the celebration of balance sheets of companies brightened by attractive tea production statistics.

Malik, the late Merrill’s eldest, graciously welcomed the guests. Whilst thanking all planters, past and present, for their contribution to the industry, he also spoke of the enduring association between Ceylon Tea, its plantations, and the hospitality industry, emphasizing that the Dilmah, Tea Trails concept owed its success, in a very large measure, to that cherished link.

Whilst Merrill’s influence on the event was palpable, despite his absence, what was heart-warming was the active participation of Amrith and Tasha, the grand-children, ensuring that the tradition was safe in the hands of the new generation; their presence suggested a comforting sense of continuity and respect for a legacy left behind by grandfather, Merrill Fernando.

Malik & Himendra

Events of this nature, especially at this time of the year, generally conjure images of festive over-consumption but the Dilmah, annual planters’ Christmas Dinner has a meaning which goes beyond. It is another aspect of the Dilmah acknowledgement of the debt it owes to plantations and the planters who manage them, and to a great industry in general, also signified by the Dilmah sponsorship of the History of Ceylon Tea (HOCT) website. As Malik mentioned in his brief address to the gathering, the Dilmah, HOCT, is the largest, and the most comprehensive, single- industry website of its kind, in the world.

Worthy of mention is also the publication, ” Wisdom In The Leaf”, sponsored entirely by Dilmah – referred to by plantation specialist Dyan Seneviratne in his vote-of-thanks later- an all-inclusive and wide-ranging collation of practical planting knowledge, set out by some of the most competent practitioners of the profession. The consensus of opinion amongst the many industry specialists who took time and trouble to read the publication was that, whilst research findings on the subjects covered were available in many scholarly scientific journals, no single publication in recent decades addressed the practical application of scientific theory, at tea-field level, in such precise and useful detail.

The gathering itself was a thought-provoking blend of tradition, recognition and the sharing of experiences across the ages, the meeting of men from different generations, but united by an enduring commonality and an interconnectedness- the service of one great industry. There were nonagenarians like Saliya Atapattu and Vernon Tissera, octogenarians Bathiya Jayaratne, Jayantissa Ratwatte and Chula de Silva, men who entered the industry when the “Raj” ruled the enclave, being felicitated alongside later entrants, now in their seventies and sixties. Amongst men nurtured in a protocol driven professional milieu, the respect accorded to seniority was still a given, though. Space constraints do not permit the enumeration of all present by name, but the invitees were, without exception, men of calibre, who had rightfully earned the respect of both peers and successors in the industry.

Amrith & Tasha Fernando

Dyan Seneviratne, in his very fitting concluding address, paid tribute to the late Merrill Fernando, expressing regret at his demise and calling for remembrance, whilst rightly referring to him as the iconic man of the century. He also thanked Malik and Dilhan, the two sons, for loyalty to a tradition set in place by the father. Dyan echoed the sentiments of all those present and that of the plantation fraternity in general, in publicly acknowledging the continuing engagement of Dilmah with the producer segment of the industry, not simply by playing lip-service but actively demonstrating it in various meaningful ways.

Not forgotten by Dyan were team from Dilmah, for the excellent arrangements, and David Colin-Thome, curator of the Dilmah HOCT project. The night’s fare was a firm endorsement of the traditions and the high standards planters have been reputed for.

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Business

HNB Finance strengthens Board with four independent directors

Published

16 hours ago

2026/09/13

Thilina Walpola

Newly appointed HNB FINANCE PLC Independent Non- Executive Directors (from left): Renuke Wijayawardhane, Shanti Gnanapragasam, Nabiha Mohamed and Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi

HNB FINANCE PLC has strengthened its Board with the appointment of four Independent Non-Executive Directors, effective September 8, 2026.

The new directors are Renuke Wijayawardhane, Shanti Gnanapragasam, Nabiha Mohamed and Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi, who collectively bring extensive experience in financial regulation, banking, risk management, corporate finance, investment strategy, development finance and public policy.

Wijayawardhane, an Attorney-at-Law and capital market professional, retired in July 2025 as Chief Regulatory Officer of the Colombo Stock Exchange after more than 31 years with the Exchange. His experience covers securities regulation, corporate governance, market infrastructure and compliance.

Gnanapragasam has over four decades of banking experience spanning treasury, risk management, credit and trade finance. She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Cargills Bank, Wealth Trust and Vision Fund Lanka.

Mohamed is a corporate finance and investment professional who previously served as Lead Transaction Advisor at the State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit of the Ministry of Finance, where she led five divestiture transactions worth over US$600 million.

Dr. Wanniarachchi brings over a decade of experience in development finance, institutional reform and social protection, including work with the World Bank and the Government of Sri Lanka.

Business

Prime Residencies hands over The Palace Gampaha

Published

16 hours ago

2026/09/13

Thilina Walpola

Prime Group Chairman Premalal Brahmanage speaking at the event

Prime Lands Residencies PLC has completed and officially handed over The Palace Gampaha, described as the largest planned gated residential community in Gampaha, to its homeowners.

The development, which commenced construction in 2021, is located two kilometres from Gampaha town and 100 metres from the Colombo-Kandy main road.

Spread across 13.5 acres, The Palace Gampaha comprises 480 two- and three-bedroom apartments in a ground-plus-three-floor development, with prices starting from Rs. 27.5 million.

The project allocates about 80% of its land to landscaped areas and common facilities, while the remaining 20% is used for apartment development. Facilities include a swimming pool, gymnasium, clubhouse, library, community kitchen, laundry, mini-mart and a daycare centre managed by the Lyceum Group.

The fully gated community also incorporates solar power for common areas, underground electricity cabling and a sewage treatment plant with water recycling facilities.

Prime Residencies said all statutory approvals required for the handover had been secured, including certifications from the Condominium Management Authority and registration of the Condominium Plan and Deed of Declaration.

Prime Group Chairman Premalal Brahmanage said the project reflected the company’s vision of creating large-scale residential communities designed to enhance the quality of life of Sri Lankan families.

The project is the latest addition to Prime Group’s portfolio of more than 70 gated community and apartment developments.

Business

SLANA warns NVOCC business losing ground amid THC concerns

Published

16 hours ago

2026/09/13

Thilina Walpola

SLANA Chairperson Swabha Wickramasinghe presenting a memento to Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Anura Karunathilaka at the eventually

Sri Lanka’s Non-Vessel Operating Common Carrier (NVOCC) sector is losing ground despite the expansion of the industry in several regional markets, Sri Lanka Association of NVOCC Agents (SLANA) Chairperson Swabha Wickramasinghe said.

Wickramasinghe, re-elected for a third consecutive term at SLANA’s ninth Annual General Meeting last week said the continued difficulty in collecting Colombo Terminal Handling Charges (THC) as a separate land-based cost was among the key challenges facing the industry.

She said the practice placed Sri Lanka at a competitive disadvantage as principals consider the overall economics of operating through Colombo.

“When Sri Lanka becomes less commercially attractive compared with other regional destinations, the consequences eventually reach our members,” she said.

Wickramasinghe said a committee had been proposed at a recent meeting with the Minister and Deputy Minister to evaluate the THC issue, urging the authorities to expedite its appointment and review.

She also called for an early solution to the problem of uncleared salt containers at the Port of Colombo, which has resulted in delays in releasing empty containers.

With more than 75 NVOCC lines operating in Sri Lanka, she stressed the sector’s importance to regional trade, particularly links with India and China.

Ports Minister Anura Karunathilaka said Sri Lanka should expand regional business while exploring areas such as bunkering, freight forwarding and e-commerce logistics.