{"id":2917,"date":"2026-01-09T12:12:35","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T06:42:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/?post_type=news&#038;p=2917"},"modified":"2026-01-09T12:12:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T06:42:35","slug":"siyapatha-finance-announces-seamless-leadership-transition-mathisha-hewavitharana-appointed-chief-executive-officer-as-veteran-ananda-seneviratne-concludes-his-tenure-as-managing-director","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/news\/siyapatha-finance-announces-seamless-leadership-transition-mathisha-hewavitharana-appointed-chief-executive-officer-as-veteran-ananda-seneviratne-concludes-his-tenure-as-managing-director\/","title":{"rendered":"Siyapatha Finance Announces Seamless Leadership Transition: Mathisha  Hewavitharana appointed Chief Executive Officer as Veteran Ananda  Seneviratne concludes his tenure as Managing Director"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Siyapatha Finance PLC, a leading licensed finance company<br \/>\nand the largest fully-owned subsidiary of Sampath Bank PLC, today announced a<br \/>\nlandmark leadership transition. Mr. Mathisha Hewavitharana, the current Chief Executive<br \/>\nOfficer (Designate), has been appointed as the Chief Executive Officer, effective 1st<br \/>\nJanuary 2026. He succeeds industry veteran Mr. Ananda Seneviratne, who concludes a<br \/>\ndistinguished seven years tenure at the helm of the organization as its Managing<br \/>\nDirector.<br \/>\nThe appointment marks a milestone in Siyapatha\u2019s commitment to internal talent<br \/>\ndevelopment. Mr. Hewavitharana, a pioneering member of the team, joined the<br \/>\nCompany in 2005 as a Junior Marketing Executive. Over 20 years, he rose through the<br \/>\nranks, serving as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) from 2021 and the Chief Strategy<br \/>\nOfficer (CSO) from 2025.<br \/>\nA Legacy of Growth<br \/>\nUnder the outgoing leadership of Mr. Ananda Seneviratne, Siyapatha Finance<br \/>\ntransformed into a powerhouse in the Non-Bank Financial Institutions (NBFI) sector.<br \/>\nDuring his tenure, the Company:<br \/>\n\u2219Expanded its footprint to a 61-branch network island-wide.<br \/>\n\u2219Grew its asset base to exceed LKR 75 Billion.<br \/>\n\u2219Secured an A (lka) Stable rating from Fitch Ratings.<br \/>\n\u2219Consistently ranked among the top ten Finance Companies in Sri Lanka.<br \/>\nThe New Era of Leadership<br \/>\nMr. Hewavitharana brings a formidable blend of academic excellence and deep<br \/>\ninstitutional knowledge to the role. A graduate of the University of Colombo with both a<br \/>\nBachelor\u2019s and an MBA, his credentials include MCIM (UK), AIB, and ACMA\/CGMA (UK).<br \/>\nHe also received Executive Leadership training at the Stanford Graduate School of<br \/>\nBusiness, USA.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We are delighted to appoint Mathisha to the top job,&#8221; said Mr. Sumith<br \/>\nCumaranatunga, Chairman of Siyapatha Finance PLC. &#8220;Mathisha is indisputably<br \/>\none of the most brilliant minds of his generation. His appointment is a testament to our<br \/>\nrobust leadership development process; he has undergone three years of intensive<br \/>\nmentoring by the Board. We are confident that he will build upon the strong foundation<br \/>\nof transparency, governance, and profitability laid by his predecessor.&#8221;<br \/>\n\u201cToday Siyapatha is considered one of the well-managed, low risk, highly compliant and<br \/>\nmost profitable Non-Banking Finance Institutions. The Board and I are confident that<br \/>\nthe Company will grow on that strong foundation under the leadership of the new CEO<br \/>\nMathisha as well\u201d he further added.<br \/>\nOutgoing Managing Director, Mr. Ananda Seneviratne, expressed his confidence in<br \/>\nthe transition: &#8220;Mathisha was a key pillar of my Management Team. He demonstrated<br \/>\nexceptional resilience during national-level economic hardships and possesses the fine<br \/>\nbusiness acumen required to lead in a volatile market. I wish him every success.&#8221;<br \/>\nKnown for an empathetic and humble leadership style, Mr. Hewavitharana is recognized<br \/>\nacross the industry for fostering a culture of self-reliant leadership. His vision for<br \/>\nSiyapatha Finance involves leveraging the Company\u2019s strong financial health to drive<br \/>\nfurther innovation and community-centric growth.<br \/>\n\u0b9a\u0bbf\u0baf\u0baa\u0ba4 \u0baa\u0bbf\u0ba9\u0bbe\u0ba9\u0bcd\u0bb8\u0bcd \u0baa\u0bbf\u0b8e\u0bb2\u0bcd\u0b9a\u0bbf \u0baa\u0bb1\u0bcd\u0bb1\u0bbf<br \/>\nSiyapatha Finance PLC is a leading licensed Finance Company regulated by the Central<br \/>\nBank of Sri Lanka and it is the largest fully-owned subsidiary of the Sampath Bank<br \/>\nGroup. With a history spanning over two decades, the Company offers a wide range of<br \/>\nfinancial services including Leasing, Gold Loans, Factoring, Business Loans and Fixed<br \/>\nDeposits.<br \/>\nSiyapatha Finance PLC has secured the title of \u201cBest Employer<br \/>\nBrand\u201d for the third consecutive year at the recently<br \/>\nconcluded Employer Branding Awards 2025.<br \/>\nThe accolade recognizes the Company\u2019s outstanding practices and innovative strategies<br \/>\nin employer branding, reaffirming its strong commitment to employee engagement,<br \/>\nretention, and creating an inspiring workplace culture.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2918\" src=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319-201x134.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833319.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317-201x134.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833317.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-2920\" src=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315-201x134.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC0833315.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":2921,"template":"","class_list":["post-2917","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/2917","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.siyapatha.lk\/ta\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2917"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}