DFCC Vardhana Bank CEO retires
L.G. Perera who served as the Managing Director / CEO of DFCC
Vardhana Bank almost from its inception retired from service at the end
of December 2009.
Lakshman Silva who was the Chief Operating Officer of the bank
assumed duties as the CEO from January 1, 2010.
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L.G. Perera |
Perera who is affectionately known in the banking and business
circles as Elgee, had completed 40 years of banking service at the time
of retiring from DFCC Vardhana Bank.
Elgee started his banking career at the tender age of 19 years at the
Central Bank of Sri Lanka whilst he was still a university undergraduate
following an honours degree in Economics.
On completion of his first degree he continued at the Central Bank
for some time and moved out to join the DFCC Bank in 1977.
Whilst working at DFCC, Elgee completed his post graduate studies in
accounting, statistics and business management. He climbed the ladder at
DFCC to progressively become its Deputy General Manager -Operations in
1997 and finally headed its lending division as Executive Vice President
before taking up the position as the Managing Director/ CEO of DFCC’s
commercial banking arm, DFCC Vardhana Bank in 2004.
The responsibility of transforming the then ailing Mercantile Bank
was entrusted to Elgee by the Board of Directors of DFCC Bank. With the
strong support of the parent bank by way of financial and management
resources, MERC Bank was totally restructured, recapitalized and
re-branded (as DFCC Vardhana Bank) on the basis of a carefully drawn up
strategic plan under the leadership of L.G. Perera. Within a few years
Elgee and his team succeeded in transforming the troubled bank in to a
vibrant and fast growing commercial bank in the country surpassing all
targets that were set at the outset.
The branch network which was limited to three at the time of
acquisition has now increased to 74 while the staff strength has
increased from 53 to 450 during this period. Rapid and phenomenal growth
was achieved in all performance indicators such as loans and advances,
deposit base, net interest income and profitability whilst vast
improvements in human resource capabilities, technology platform and
asset and liability product range too were recorded to unprecedented
levels within the last six-year period. |
