People’s Leasing announces three new appointments to Board

Bradley Emerson and Anura Perera join as Non-Independent Non-Executive Directors; S. Sudarshan as an Independent Non-Executive Director

People’s Leasing and Finance PLC has announced the appointment of two Non-Independent Non-Executive Directors Bradley Emerson and Anura Perera as well as S. Sudarshan as an Independent Non-Executive Director.

They will fill the vacancies created following the resignations of M. A. A. Ahamat, H. M. U. K.  Samararatne and U. L. A. W. Bandara.

Emerson, who is also a Member of the People’s Bank Board, is a seasoned professional with over four decades of expertise in banking, education, and strategic leadership. He holds an MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, is a Fellow of the Institute of Bankers (SL), and has an Advanced Diploma in Management Accounting from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK). He is currently pursuing a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

Emerson’s banking career includes pivotal roles at Commercial Bank, Nations Trust Bank, and Pan Asia Bank, where he served as Deputy CEO. Notably, he played a transformative role in Pan Asia Bank’s turnaround and rebranding. He also held a senior position at Bank of Oman, Bahrain, and Kuwait, overseeing central and branch operations.

In 2007, Emerson joined CIMA-UK as Regional Director for South Asia and the Middle East, driving exponential growth in the CIMA brand across Sri Lanka and beyond. His leadership extended to the education sector as Executive Director of the Imperial Institute of Higher Education, where he introduced innovative MBA and DBA programs.

An accomplished educator, Emerson lectures in Strategic Management and International Business and is a visiting faculty member at renowned institutions across South Asia. He is also a certified systemic team coach and founder of Business Athletes Ltd. Emerson has received numerous accolades, including the Lifetime Achievement Award (2020) and Executive Coach of the Year (2023).

Anura Perera currently serves as the Deputy General Manager (DGM) – Risk Management of the People’s Bank. His professional career started in 1991 and has gained extensive exposure and experience in Branch Banking, Regional Administration, Treasury Operations, Risk Management, and Credit Control.

Perera holds a Bachelor of Business Management degree from the University of Kelaniya and a Master of Business Studies from the University of Colombo. Professionally, he possesses an ACI-Operations Certificate with a distinction pass and ACI on-line FX Global Code Certificate from the Financial Markets Association – Paris, and he is an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.

Perera serves as the Chairman of the People’s Leasing Fleet Management Ltd. and possesses memberships with the Association of Banking Sector Risk Professionals, the Sri Lanka Forex Association and the Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka.

Sathananthan Sudarshan is a Chartered Secretary by profession and is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators (UK), presently known as the Chartered Governance Institute UK and Ireland. He is also an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Corporate Secretaries in Sri Lanka. He has been awarded a MBA from the University of Lincoln, Hull, United Kingdom.

He successfully completed the ‘Company Directors Course’ conducted by the Commonwealth Association for Corporate Governance on behalf of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Co- operation.After completing his education at Ananda College, Colombo 10, he started on his corporate career at Hulugalle Associates Ltd. Later he joined the Corporate Secretarial division of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) where he gained wide experience by handling Board meetings of companies in many industries. A few years later he joined Pugoda Textiles Lanka Ltd., a listed subsidiary of an Indian multinational (LMW group) and was appointed as its Company Secretary.He later joined Sampath Bank PLC as its Company Secretary and was subsequently appointed Group Company Secretary. He served the longest tenure as a Company Secretary of a listed bank.

 He is well versed in Board room activities, Board dynamics in advising Board’s with special emphasis on Corporate Governance. He is well acquainted with Stock Exchange activities. After his departure from Sampath Bank, he joined Siyapatha Finance PLC where he served for over five years.He is a past President of the Institute of Chartered Corporate Secretaries of Sri Lanka and the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators in Sri Lanka. As President of the Institute was involved with the SEC in the discussions formulating the new governance regulations which have now been incorporated to the CSE’s governance regulations.

Presently he is a member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors and serves as the Chairman of its Board Secretaries Forum. Sudarshan is the Chairman of Governance Consultants, a governance consultancy and advisory firm. He also serves as the Treasurer of the Sri Lanka Tennis Association.