Dinesh Weerakkody has been appointed the new Chairman of Union Bank of Colombo, succeeding Nirvana Chaudhary, who remains on the Board as a Director. The majority shareholder of Union Bank is Binod Choudhary, a Forbes-listed billionaire from Nepal, through Culture Financial Holdings Ltd., which holds a 70.84% stake.

Weerakkody, a seasoned professional in banking, has previously chaired Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC and Hatton National Bank PLC and served on the DFCC Bank PLC Board. He also led a Government-appointed committee in 2015 that reviewed the consolidation of banks and non-bank financial institutions. Weerakkody is the Chairman of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon and holds several directorships.

He has a strong academic background, including an Advanced Diploma in Business Administration from the UK and an MBA from the University of Leicester. He has undergone extensive training in leadership, economics, finance, and management in various countries.