CCC appoints Mangala Yapa as Secretary General/CEO

Saturday, 6 September 2014 00:19 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the country’s premier business Chamber, announced the appointment of Mangala P.B. Yapa as its CEO/Secretary General with effect from 1 October. Yapa’s appointment to the 175-year-old institution comes following the retirement of Harin Malwatte, who served as the Secretary General/CEO of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce for a period of five-and-a-half years.

A respected business leader, Yapa was previously the Managing Director and CEO of Colombo Dockyard PLC, a post he held for almost a decade since 2004. Yapa is the present President of the National Chamber of Exporters, a member of the Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and was previously a Council Member of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka. A Chartered Engineer by profession, Yapa holds a Master of Science degree in Engineering (Hons.) from the Astrakhan Technical University of Russia and a MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), Sri Lanka. Apart from his vast experience in the private sector, he also serves in several national/international committees in the maritime sector and business chambers. Yapa is engaged in the public sector in various capacities: Co-Chairman of the National Council on Advanced Design and Manufacturing at the Coordinating Secratariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (COSTI), Member of the Standing Committee for Postgraduate Studies and Research of the University Grants Commission, Member of the Board of Governors and Governing Ciunciks of the UNIVOTEC and the Ocean University, Member of the National Steering Committee of the Skills Sector Development Plan 2014-2020 and Member of the Advisory Committee for the Directorate of Merchant Shipping of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Highways. Hailing from a deep rural area in the Badulla District, Mangala P.B. Yapa had his initial education at Muttewegama Vidyalaya and Kandegedara Maha Vidyalaya, before completing his secondary education at Nalanda Vidyalaya, Colombo. With his vast experience in both the private and public sectors and his deep understanding of the Sri Lankan ethos, Yapa is expected to bring in a fresh approach to an institution that has served the nation and its business community for 175 years.