Ex–BOC Fernando appointed to Commercial Bank Board

Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC has announced the appointment of D. Nimal L. Fernando to its Board as an Independent/Non–Executive Director with effect from 7 February.

Fernando is a Professional Banker, who retired from active service in the banking sector in August 2020. In his career spanning over 33 years at the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), he has played many prominent roles in the Recoveries Department and the Product Development Banking Unit where he had initiated a number of noteworthy innovative liability and asset products.

His most immediate previous role was as the Chief Risk Officer (Deputy General Manager) of BOC, which he held for more than four and half years until his retirement in August 2020.

Under his guidance as the Chief Executive Officer/Director of Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd., London for three years, he had played a key role in successfully redirecting BOC (UK) for a strategic turnaround.

Fernando is currently the General Manager of Ceybank Holiday Homes Ltd., a subsidiary of BOC Travels Ltd. and Property Development and Management Ltd., a subsidiary of BOC.

He holds a Bachelor of Science (Hon.) degree from the University of Colombo and served briefly in the Academic Staff of the (then) Batticaloa University College and, under the Ministry of Education as an Education Officer in «Sri Lanka Education Service», before joining the Bank of Ceylon in 1986. 

In 1998, Fernando became an Associate Member of Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka. He has vast experience in branch banking, customer service and Corporate/Retail credit in rural and urban branches for over 14 years and training/exposure in international and treasury operations, which he gained during his service at the Bank of Ceylon London branch and as a member of expatriate staff at the Bank of Ceylon Karachi branch (now closed) in Pakistan.

He has also managed 70 BOC branches for four years as the Assistant General Manager in charge of the Western Province South (Largest Administrative Region of BOC then), before taking up the assignment at Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd., as the CEO/Director in late 2012.