Sri Lanka has lost two of its most influential business leaders, Harry Jayawardena and Ken Balendra, who passed away at the ages of 82 and 84, respectively.
Harry Jayawardena
Don Harold Stassen Jayawardena, widely known as Harry Jayawardena, was the chairman of Melstacorp PLC and served as Sri Lanka’s ambassador to Denmark. A towering figure in the corporate world, Jayawardena was listed by Forbes as one of Sri Lanka’s wealthiest individuals.
He played a pivotal role in the success of Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence, making them the first Sri Lankan companies to be listed on Forbes‘ ranking of the best-managed companies outside the United States.
Ken Balendra
Deshamanya Kandiah Ken Balendra, the first Sri Lankan chairman of the John Keells Group, also passed away at the age of 84. A transformative leader, he played a key role in shaping Sri Lanka’s corporate landscape.
During his tenure, Balendra led John Keells Group to new heights, serving as chairman of all its subsidiaries. He also held leadership roles in companies such as Ceylon Tobacco, Union Assurance, and Brandix, and was the President of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Commerce from 1998 to 2000.
Born in Inuvil, Jaffna, Balendra was an alumnus of Royal College, Colombo, and also excelled as a rugby player during his school years.
The passing of these two business icons marks the end of an era in Sri Lanka’s corporate history. Their contributions to the nation’s economy and business sector will be remembered for generations to come.
