Pallewatte, whose appointment is effective from 26th November 2021, will also serve as a Non-Independent and Non-Executive Director of the two companies, both of which are listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE).
Lanka Ventures PLC (LVL) is a venture capital company incorporated in 1992 having current majority shareholding with Acuity Partners (Private) Limited, a joint venture company equally held by Hatton National Bank PLC and DFCC Bank PLC.
In June 2006 LVL formed a fully owned subsidiary under the name LVL Energy Fund (Private) Limited (LEF) to channel its investments in the energy sector.
Pallewatte holds a MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayawardenapura as well as a wide array of globally-recognized professional qualifications.
At present, he serves as the Deputy General Manager (DGM) – Wholesale Banking Group of HNB PLC, overseeing several critical business verticals including Corporate Banking, Emerging Corporates, Trade Finance, Financial Institutions, Islamic Banking, Transaction Banking and Project Finance.
Pallewatte is a Certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) from the Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP) and is an ACI Operations Certificate Holder from Financial Markets Association – France.
An Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA) – UK and a Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA), Pallewatte read for his Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Management (Honours) degree at the prestigious London School of Economics (LSE), University of London.
A former Chief Risk Officer (CRO)/Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of HNB PLC, Pallewatte, has also held senior positions at other leading banks and currently serves as a Director of Acuity Partners (Pvt) Ltd (APL), a full-service investment bank promoted as an equally-owned joint venture between HNB and DFCC Bank.
The senior banker is also a Director of Acuity Securities (Pvt) Ltd a member of the APL Group and an appointed Primary Dealer.
As a top professional, Pallewatte has contributed at a regional level for several leading professional and industry bodies.
He was appointed to the MESANA Regional Advisory Panel of the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants (AICPA) for 2020/21 by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and elected Vice Chairman of CIMA Country Network Committee (CNC), Sri Lanka in 2021.
He is a Past President of the Association of Banking Sector Risk Professionals, also Known as the ‘CRO Forum’.
Pallewatte also chaired a Technical Committee appointed to recommend technological advancements for the CRIB by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) in addition to holding a position as an Alternate Director of the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka (CRIB).
Notably, he was also been appointed as a Banking Industry Representative by Sri Lanka Bankers’ Association (SLBA) and has contributed to the Committee established on the proposed Financial Assets Management Agency (FAMA).