Women in Management (WIM) in partnership with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the Government of Australia, has chosen Keasila Jayawardena – Chairperson NSB , as the Top Professional in the Banking Sector at the “Top 50 Professional & Career Women Awards – Eleventh Edition” Sri Lanka and Maldives. The event was held at Shangri-La Colombo recently.
Jayawardena is a well-known personality in the Banking sector with experience expanding well over a decade as the Chairperson of two Development Banks in Sri Lanka.
She has commenced her career as an academic in the University of Peradeniya and published several academic articles on important topics in Political Science and Studies including Preferential Voting System, Women and Politics in the Third World Countries and the Presidential System in Sri Lanka, during her academic career. She has served as a Member of the Central Provincial Council during the period from 2009 – 2011.
Jayawardena was able to initiate several programs to improve the living standards of the rural masses by providing accessible and affordable credit facilities, which in turn will contribute to strengthen the rural economy towards eliminating poverty in the country.
She was appointed as the Chairperson of NSB in January 2020, and the Bank recorded its highest ever profits and mobilization of deposits during the same year.
Despite the heightened uncertainty due to the impact of the COVID-19 which has triggered a wide range of shocks in the societal and financial climates of the world, NSB’s continued focus on financial resilience enabled the entity to remain strong and achieve a solid performance under the leadership of Jayawardena.
In 2021, NSB became the 5th Most Valuable Brand in Sri Lanka and one of the Most Admired Companies as well as one of the Most Women Friendly Workplaces of the country.
Her focus lies in energizing and engaging with the communities that need economic support and upliftment. A key area for her is empowering women entrepreneurship – an area that she has worked previously with exceptional results.
