Suriyapperuma appointed Chairman of Development Lotteries Board

S.A.P. Suriyapperuma, who has held several senior positions in the public and the private sector in the past, was appointed Chairman of the Development Lotteries Board by Minister of Finance and Media Mangala Samaraweera on the recommendation of President Maithripala Sirisena.

Suriyapperuma had his primary education at Kandapola Mahinda College and later entered Poramadulla Central College and Minuwangoda Central College for his secondary education. He holds an Honours Degree in Business Administration (Special) from Sri Jayawardenepura University.

He began his career as a Management Trainee at the Bank of Ceylon and later went on to be a Senior Manager at Seylan Bank and subsequently Chief Manager of the Seylan Bank Skylab.

Thereafter, he was appointed Chairman of Lanka Cement Company under the Ministry of Industries. He also served as a Director of the Samurdhi Authority and an advisor to the Samurdhi Ministry. He was also appointed as a Director of the Coconut Development Authority and is a member of the Ayurveda Medical Council.

In 2004, after leaving the government sector, he functioned as the first General Manager and a board member of Pyramid Lanka Ltd, a company affiliated to Wilmar International (Singapore), a leading palm oil producer in the world. He was instrumental in introducing the process of refining palm oil and the manufacturing of fats to the Sri Lankan market for the first time.

In 2006, when disagreements relating to the export of Sri Lankan palm oil and fats cropped up         under the Indo-Lanka free trade agreement, Suriyapperuma represented the private sector in   discussions between the two governments and contributed immensely towards formulating a quota system for the export of fats to India under the agreement.

He was also instrumental in assisting the international hotel chain Shangri-La which is affiliated to Wilmar International to enter the Sri Lankan market. In 2012, he joined the parent company Wilmar International as the Director General Manager overlooking Wilmar Africa Business in Ghana. He also served as an Audit Committee member of Benso Oil Palm Plantation in Africa. He served in this capacity for four years while being based in Ghana. Thereafter, he served as the Head of Business for Wilmar Olivine Industries in Harare, Zimbabwe for one year till his return to Sri Lanka.

Suriyapperuma is also an economic and financial analyst who has appeared on numerous TV programs and radio talk shows. He has contributed articles relating to economics and finance to several national newspapers and was the creator and scriptwriter of the weekly economic discussion program aired on national television for a considerable period of time.