Yasas Hewage assumed duties as Chairman of the Industrial Development Board on Monday, June 1, taking leadership of one of Sri Lanka’s longest-standing enterprise development institutions, the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development announced.
The IDB, with a legacy spanning 60 years, is the principal state institution charged with supporting industrial growth, SME competitiveness and entrepreneurship development.
According to the Ministry, Hewage brings nearly two decades of experience across banking and finance, business strategy, sales and marketing, entrepreneurship development, and sports tourism. He previously served as Private Secretary to the Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, and continues to contribute as a member of the SME Nexus Initiative, the National SME Strategy Framework Development Team, and the Institutional Transformation Leadership Team supporting the establishment of the proposed Entrepreneurship and Industry Transformation Authority (EITA).
His banking career at HSBC and NDB Bank included leadership roles in retail banking, SME business development, strategy and branch banking. At NDB, he was part of the institution’s transformation from a development bank to a commercial bank, contributing to group strategy and business transformation initiatives.
The appointment arrives as the IMF’s combined fifth and sixth review urges deep structural reforms — with FDI expansion, business environment reform and SME competitiveness flagged as priority areas — and as the Investment Protection Act unveiled in late May reshapes the institutional architecture around industrial policy.
Source: Newswire.
