HNB FINANCE strengthens Board with four Independent Non-Executive Directors
One of Sri Lanka’s leading integrated financial services providers, HNB FINANCE PLC, has strengthened its Board with the appointment of four Independent Non-Executive Directors, Mr. Renuke Wijayawardhane, Mrs. Shanti Gnanapragasam, Mrs. Nabiha Mohamed, and Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi, effective 8 September 2026.
Collectively, they bring extensive experience across financial regulation, banking, risk management, corporate finance, investment strategy, development finance, and public policy.
Mr. Renuke Wijayawardhane is an Attorney-at-Law and capital market professional with more than three decades of experience in securities regulation, corporate governance, compliance and market infrastructure.
He retired in July 2025 as Chief Regulatory Officer of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), completing more than 31 years with the Exchange. During his tenure, he oversaw regulatory policy, listings, broker supervision, trading operations, market surveillance and listed entity compliance.
Mr. Wijayawardhane was closely involved in the development of new capital market products and listing frameworks, as well as key market infrastructure initiatives including Delivery versus Payment, Central Counterparty Clearing and digitalisation. He also previously headed the Central Depository System.
Following his retirement, he served as a consultant to the CSE and the Dhaka Stock Exchange in Bangladesh. He currently advises listed companies, investment banks and stockbroking firms on capital raising, restructuring, regulatory compliance, risk management and corporate governance.
He holds an LL.B. (Hons.) from the University of Colombo.
Mrs. Shanti Gnanapragasam brings more than 40 years of banking experience across treasury, risk management, credit, centralised operations and trade finance.
She currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Cargills Bank PLC, Wealth Trust PLC and Vision Fund Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.
Mrs. Gnanapragasam previously held senior positions at NDB Bank PLC, including Chief Group Risk Officer, Vice President – Shared Services and Chief Credit Officer. At Hatton National Bank PLC, she served as Chief Risk Officer and Head of Treasury and Markets.
Her career also includes roles as Group Treasurer of Hayleys PLC, Deputy Head of Treasury at People’s Bank and Director Treasury and Country Head of Global Markets at American Express Bank Ltd. Sri Lanka.
She is a Fellow of CIMA UK, a Chartered Global Management Accountant and holds dealer certification from the ACI Financial Markets Association.
Mrs. Nabiha Mohamed is a corporate finance, investment and strategy professional with more than 12 years of experience across Sri Lanka, the United States and Canada.
She currently serves as Head of Strategy and Growth at Lynear Wealth Management.
Previously, Mrs. Nabiha was Lead Transaction Advisor at the State-Owned Enterprise Restructuring Unit under the Ministry of Finance, where she led five priority divestiture transactions valued at over USD 600 million across hospitality, insurance and oil and gas.
She has also held strategy and corporate finance roles at CHEC Port City Colombo and John Keells Holdings.
Mrs. Nabiha is a CFA Charterholder and holds an Honours Bachelor of Science from the University of Toronto, with a double major in Economics and Biochemistry. She also serves as Chairperson of the Candidate Council of CFA Society Sri Lanka.
Dr. Thisuri Wanniarachchi brings over a decade of experience in development finance, public investment operations, institutional reform and social protection.
She currently serves as National Program Coordinator for a major multilateral social protection policy and investment financing programme in Sri Lanka.
Her previous experience includes work with the World Bank across South Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, and East Asia and the Pacific, as well as with the Government of Sri Lanka, including the Ministry of Economic Reforms and the Presidential Secretariat.
Dr. Wanniarachchi has been closely involved in strengthening Sri Lanka’s social protection framework, including the design and implementation of the Aswesuma programme and its social registry during the 2022 economic crisis response.
She holds a PhD in Public Policy from the University of Colombo and a BA in Political Economy from Bennington College in the US and Kansai Gaidai University in Japan.
The appointments broaden the HNB FINANCE Board’s expertise across financial regulation, governance, risk, investment, and public policy.