Seylan Bank Appoints Two New Directors

Seylan Bank PLC has further strengthened its Board of Directors with the appointment of two veteran professionals, W.D. Batagoda as a Non-Executive Director with effect from 26 December 2025, and Ramani Samarasundera as an Independent Non-Executive Director with effect from 26 January 2026.  

W.D. Batagoda is an Attorney-at-Law with nearly two decades of experience in criminal law, public law, and fundamental rights, having practiced in both appellate and original courts. He holds an LL.B. and LLM from the University of Colombo and is currently reading for his Ph.D. in Law at the same university.

Batagoda, since joining the LOLC Group in 2014, has held senior leadership positions at LOLC Holdings PLC. He is Chief Legal Officer of LOLC Holdings PLC and holds directorships in several LOLC Group companies including Non-Executive Chairman of Browns Development Limited, and Non-Executive Director of Gal Oya Plantation Limited, Fortigrains Private Limited (Singapore), Fortigrains Lanka Private Limited, Ceylon Nano - Diagnostic (Pvt) Ltd., LOLC Asset Holdings Limited, Leapstitch Apparel (Pvt) Ltd., LOLC Geo Technologies (Pvt) Ltd., Browns Agri Solutions (Private) Limited, Browns Properties (Private) Limited, and LOLC (Philippines) Corporation.

He functioned as Chairperson of the Corporate Lawyers' Committee of the Bar Association of Sri Lanka from 2021 to 2022 and as Non-Executive, Non-Independent Director of DFCC Bank from September 2022 to December 2024.

Ramani Samarasundera possesses over 30 years of experience in marketing, brand building, and consumer insight-driven growth across leading FMCG organizations. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree with First Class Honours from the University of Colombo, where she topped her batch.

She is currently the Group Chief Marketing Officer of CIC Holdings PLC. She spent two decades at Unilever Sri Lanka, from 1995-2014, including eight years on the board as Marketing Director. She subsequently held senior leadership roles as Marketing Director at Atlas Axillia, from 2015 to 2019, contributing to the company’s eventual ranking as Sri Lanka's most loved brand. She also served as Director of Marketing Excellence and Skill Development at Hemas Consumer Brands from 2019 to 2023.

Widely recognized for her ability to leverage consumer insights and market dynamics in building some of Sri Lanka's most loved brands, Samarasundera has been featured among global Unilever Women role models and listed as one of the most influential marketing leaders by the World Marketing Congress. She also received the Women Leadership Achievement Award at the 2015 World Women Leadership Congress and Awards  (WWLCA) in Mumbai.

She has contributed significantly to industry capability building through her involvement with the International Advertising Association (IAA), serving as a jury member for Effie's and SLIM awards, in addition to delivering customized training. 

The addition of Batagoda and Samarasundera strengthens the Board with diverse expertise in legal strategy and consumer insight. Their leadership and experience will be invaluable in guiding Seylan Bank's continued growth and commitment to excellence.