Harry Jayawardena

Deshamanya Don Harold Stassen Jayawardena (born 17 August 1942 in Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka), widely known as Harry Jayawardena, is a Sri Lankan industrialist. He is currently chairman of Melstacorp PLC.[2] and Jayawardena is the Honorary Consul General for Denmark in Sri Lanka. He was listed as the one of the richest persons in Sri Lanka in 2008 by business magazines.

Harry Jayawardena
Born (1942-08-17) 17 August 1942
Ja-Ela, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
Other namesD.H.S. Jayawardena
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1977–present
Net worthRs 35-50billion ($175 - $250million) (2013)[1]
Spouse(s)Priya Jayawardena
Websitestassengroup.com

He controls major companies today in the country by controlling interest and he also was the chairman of many state run companies and state corporations.

Early life

Bron 17 August 1942 in Ja-Ela to a middle-class family, Jayawardena received his education at De Mazenod College, Kandana.

Early career

Jayawardena first joined a British-owned tea export firm in Colombo as a tea boy, and quickly progressed to become a tea clerk. He then moved to government-owned State Trading Corporation (Consolidated Exports), better known as Consolexpo Ltd becoming the Head (Manager) of the Tea Department which controlled the monopoly of tea exports of Sri Lanka under the socialist-styled administration of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike in the 1970s.[3][4]

Private sector

After resigning from Consolidated Exports, he pioneered the Stassen Exports Limited on 7 September 1977 as a company to export Ceylon Tea. This happened when Sri Lanka ventured to the free market economy with the induction of the then Sri Lankan President Junius Richard Jayewardene. By 1988, Jayawardena's companies became a significant shareholder of the country's largest private commercial bank, Hatton National Bank.[5] The companies significantly owned by Harry Jayawardena ventured into many other areas such as food and beverage with the acquisition of majority shares of then state owned Lanka Milk Foods(CWE) Limited in 1991 and later the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC (DCSL) in 1992 in the then-largest transaction in the Colombo Stock Exchange. In 2007 DCSL under Jayawardena's Chairmanship became the No. 1 listed company as per the "Business Today" Top 10 rankings.[6] In July 2016.[7][8]

Business interests

Currently, Jayawardena has interests in the following listed companies (in the Colombo Stock Exchange), where he is also acting as the Chairman of the board of directors.[9]

Jayawardena's investments also extend to the following listed companies:

Jayawardena also has significant investments in the following private companies:[9]

  • Stassen Group
  • Milford Exports
  • Lanka Dairies
  • Ambewela Livestock Company
  • Pattipola Livestock Company
  • Lanka Bell
  • Continental Insurance Lanka

The group of companies, where Jayawardena has significant investments, operate in:

  • financial sector (commercial and development banking, insurance,fund management and unit trusts),
  • telecommunications sector
  • food and beverage sector (including dairy products, liquor, tea and produce)
  • hospitality & destination management (hotels, tour operations)
  • transportation & logistics
  • power generation and infrastructure

Awards and recognition

Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence, both in which Jayawardena is the chairman, were the first Sri Lankan companies ever to be listed in the Forbes List of best managed companies outside the USA.[10] In 2007 Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC is the sole Sri Lankan company to be listed once again in the Forbes List of Asia's best 200 under a US$ Billion.[11]

World-renowned First Asian Green Globe award winner Heritance Kandalama Hotel[12] and award-winning Heritance Tea Factory hotel[13] both located in Sri Lanka are owned by the companies in the group.

Controversy

During a December 2006 alleged attempt to remove the Chairman of the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, Jayawardena, then managing director of DCSL, was allegedly quoted as threatening to shoot the chairman.[14] Subsequently, Harry Jayawardena assumed duties as the Chairman of DCSL. The same news paper alleged that Jayawardena threatened a customs officer, many years back.[15]

Harry Jayawardene announced his voluntary resignation from CPC (Ceylon Petroleum Corporation) on 12, January 2012, a post given by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa. As reason for his resignation from CPC he stated due to his personal issues he has announced his resignation.[16]

Honorary positions

Jayawardena also held several honorary positions including the Senior Adviser for International Trade and Foreign Investments to the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.[17] He was a member of Colombo Stock Exchange for many years. He was a member of the Apex Task Force to Rebuild the Nation (TAFREN)[18] established by the President of Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami that affected most parts of Sri Lanka. He was also appointed Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's National carrier,[19] becoming Executive chairman in January 2008.[20]

Honors

Jayawardena was awarded the title of Deshamanya by the President of Sri Lanka for his services to industry in 2005. In 2010, he was appointed Knight of the Order of Dannebrog by Queen Margrethe II for his services to Denmark as its Honorary Consul General in Sri Lanka.[21]

gollark: Or skynet.
gollark: Use that.
gollark: Modem is built in, yes.
gollark: Rednet is a protocol running on top of modem.
gollark: No they're not.

References
  1. Ratnaweera, Jay (8 December 2013). "Dhammika Perera, Richest Man in Sri Lanka". The Sunday Leader. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  2. "Lanka Bell targets over 100,000 CDMA lines by mid August". Daily News Online. 9 August 2005. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  3. Cassim, Nisthar. "Tea boy to tycoon". The Daily FT. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  4. Hulugalle, Arjuna. "My memories of Stassens' beginning". Island. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
  5. "Stassens still holds HNB reins". Daily News Online. 26 December 2007. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  6. "Top 10". Daily News. 10 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  7. http://www.dailymirror.lk/113107/Thailand-s-Siam-City-Cement-bags-Holcim-Lanka-for-US-mn
  8. http://www.dailynews.lk/?q=2016/07/11/local/87125
  9. "D. H. S. Jayawardena Chairman / Managing Director". DCSL Group. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  10. "Aitken Spence Group posts record results". Daily News Online. 14 November 2003. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  11. "Sri Lankan Distilleries in Forbes's 'Best Under a Billion'". Lanka Business Online. 9 October 2007. Archived from the original on 19 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  12. "Heritance Kandalama Acclaim". Aitken Spence Hotels. Archived from the original on 1 September 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  13. "Tea Factory Hotel Acclaim". Aitken Spence Hotels. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  14. ""Harry J threatened to shoot me" – Vittachi". The Sunday Times. 3 December 2006. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
  15. ‘Dirty Harry’ threatens Business Times journalist
  16. Harry J to resign ?
  17. "Cover Supplement: Aitken Spence". LMD Cyber Edition. September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 December 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  18. "Background". recoverlanka.net. Archived from the original on 31 October 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  19. "Looking back at 2006: Harry J, peace talks dominate business focus this year". The Sunday Times Online. 24 December 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  20. "Harry J. flies higher and higher on SriLankan Airlines". The Sunday Times Online. 13 January 2008. Retrieved 22 September 2009.
  21. "HARRY JAYAWARDENA Honoured". Business Today. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
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