Sri Lanka's foremost corporate governance body
Empowering directors, strengthening boards, and advancing business excellence across Sri Lanka since 2000.
Better Directors.
Better Boards.
Better Business.
The Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID) is the foremost authority on corporate governance in Sri Lanka. Founded in 2000, SLID serves as the premier forum for current and future directors across the private and public sectors, bringing together over 950 business leaders committed to governance excellence.
As an authoritative focal point on boardroom governance, SLID develops director competencies, facilitates peer learning, and advocates for best practices through events, publications, and structured programmes.
Mission, vision & values
To empower directors and boards with the knowledge, skills, and networks required to advance corporate governance excellence across Sri Lanka's private and public sectors.
To be the globally recognised authority on corporate governance in Sri Lanka, producing directors who lead with integrity, competence, and a commitment to sustainable value creation.
Integrity, excellence, and accountability guide everything we do. We champion transparency, inclusive leadership, and the highest standards of governance practice in every boardroom.
Governing Council
Mr. Dinesh Weerakkody is a senior corporate leader with extensive experience in banking, corporate governance and public policy. He currently serves as Chairman of Union Bank of Colombo PLC. He is also a Director of several prominent companies and institutions.
He is the former Chairman of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon, the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka, the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, the Colombo Port City Economic Commission, Hatton National Bank PLC, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC, the Employees’ Trust Fund Board and the National Human Resource Development Council of Sri Lanka.
Mr. Weerakkody has also served as Advisor on Treasury Affairs to the President of Sri Lanka (2022– 2024), Advisor to the Prime Minister, and Advisor to the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism Development. He holds an MBA from the University of Leicester, UK, and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (UK) and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka.
He is also a Professional Member of the Singapore Human Resource Institute and holds an Honorary Doctorate from the American National Business University, USA.
Mr. Rodrigo is a banking professional with an impressive track record with over two decades of Banking experience. He is currently the Chief Executive Officer Union Bank of Colombo PLC. He last served as the Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer at Hatton National Bank (HNB) and has held many senior positions in multiple industries ranging from banking, insurance, investment banking and apparel.
He presently functions as a Director of the Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka and has served as Chairman of HNB Finance PLC and Lanka Financial Services Bureau. He has held many Directorships at recognized corporates including HNB Assurance PLC and Guardian Acuity Management Ltd.
Mr. Rodrigo was the Chairman Policy Advocacy Committee of the Asian Bankers Association (Taiwan) during 2011/12 and 2019/20. He has also served on the ABA Board.
Ms. Rajakarier is the Founder Director, SheConsults (Pvt) Ltd., an ESG Consultancy that has supported corporates through their ESG Reporting journeys for almost a decade.
A Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and ACCA, she serves as an Independent Director of John Keells PLC and has served on the Boards of listed and non-listed corporates for over 15 years.
She is also a Council Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors where she chairs the Education and Technical Committee. Ms. Rajakarier counts over 15 years of experience in capacity building and promoting ESG in Sri Lanka. She has also been a consultant to the World Bank and GRI.
Aroshi is the Immediate Past Chairperson of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors and a dynamic leader in the fields of Strategy, HR and Risk Management having gathered extensive experience through her 20 plus years in multinationals as well as some of Sri Lanka’s prominent blue-chip companies.
She is the CEO of the Global Consulting Company and serves on the Boards of Sampath Bank PLC, Asian Hotels & Properties PLC, Tangerine Beach Hotels PLC, Royal Palms Beach Hotels PLC and Keells Food Products PLC as an Independent Non-Executive Director. She is a member of the Strategy Committee of the Global Network of Director Institutes (GNDI). Aroshi is an award recipient of the Global CEO Top Businesswomen Awards 2025, the APAC Insider Magazine for Corporate Strategy & Risk Management, the World Women Leadership Congress Awards and the Top 50 Professional & Career Women Awards.
She has been a keynote speaker at the London Convention of the Institute of Directors, India, the Vietnam IOD’s Women’s Congress and many other conferences and conventions. Aroshi holds a BSc. from the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA in addition to a MSc. from the London School of Economics (LSE), UK.
She also holds the professional qualifications of FCMA and CGMA from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK. Aroshi is an IFC certified trainer and a International Coach Federation certified coach.
Mr. Herath retired from Ernst & Young as a Senior Partner and Head of Consulting for Sri Lanka and Maldives. He served as a Board member of the Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board, as a Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, Chairman of The Data Protection Authority of Sri Lanka, Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka and as a member of the Company Law Advisory Commission.
At present, he is a Director of the Colombo Stock Exchange and several other public listed and private companies. Mr. Herath is a distinguished senior chartered accountant and is a past president of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka. He was actively involved in the international fora in the field of accounting and is a past president of the South Asian Federation of Accountants and was a Board Member of the Confederation of Asia Pacific Accountants.
He is a fellow member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colombo, MBA from the University of Strathclyde in the United Kingdom and a Master of Arts in Financial Economics from the University of Colombo.
Ms. Manohari Abeyesekera is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Sri Lanka and the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) UK, with over 25 years post qualifying experience in leadership roles across both private and state sectors. She holds a BSc. in Biological Sciences with First Class Honours from the University of Colombo and a MBA from the University of Colombo with Merit, winning three gold medals.
She is a Postgraduate Diploma holder in International Relations from the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute and is a Graduate Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. Ms. Abeyesekera currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Janashakthi Finance PLC, The Lighthouse Hotel PLC, HNB Stockbrokers (Pvt.) Ltd. and Metropolitan Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd. She has served as a Council Member of CIMA UK.
Previously, she served as an Independent Non- Executive Director/Chairperson of the Audit Committee of the National Savings Bank and Director Sri Lanka Accounting and Auditing Standards Monitoring Board. During an 18 year career stint with the Hayleys Group, she held senior leadership positions including Head of Strategic Business Development of Hayleys PLC, responsible for acquisitions exceeding US $ 200 Mn.
She was selected for the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP and Fortune Mentoring Program, and has undertaken executive education at the ISB India, ADB Philippines, BHF Germany, and an Alumnus AOTS Japan. She is an advocate for greater female representation on corporate boards and regularly contributes to discussions on leadership and governance.
Mr. Perera has a career spanning over 29 years in Automotive, Construction and Pharmaceutical industries out of which 24 years is in the automotive sector. He is currently the Group Chief Operating Officer of United Motors Lanka PLC. He also functions as an Executive Director at UML Heavy Equipment Ltd.,
Dutch Lanka Trailer Manufacturers Ltd and Dutch Lanka Engineering (Pvt) Ltd. Mr. Perera is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK, a Chartered Marketer and has an MBA in Finance, from the ICFAI University, India.
He holds a Diploma in Finance Management from the University of Wigan & Leigh U.K and has completed a Course on Macro Economics from the University of Oxford, UK. Mr. Perera is the Immediate Past Chairman of the Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association and is also a Board Director & a member of the Governing Council of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.
He is a past Committee member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was also a former Board Director of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region.
Mr. Cooray currently serves as the Deputy Chairperson/Group Finance Director of John Keells Group PLC and has overall responsibility of the Group's Finance and Accounting, Taxation Corporate Finance and Strategy, Treasury, Information Technology and Corporate Communications functions. He serves as a committee member of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and is a former Chairman of Nations Trust Bank PLC.
He holds an MBA from the Jesse H. Jones Graduate School of Management at Rice University, Houston, Texas. Mr. Cooray is also a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, a certified management accountant of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and has a Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK.
Mr. Blaser is an experienced leader in a variety of industries such as healthcare, retail, FMCG, cosmetics, electronics, etc. His accumulated work experience in Switzerland, Europe, and since 2008 in Asia, makes him an expert in cultural diversity and multicultural business. He has become a successful leader with proven success in sales, marketing, and strategy. After an extraordinary track record for 10 years in India, he joined A.Baur & Co. (Pvt.) Ltd. as Group Managing Director / CEO in 2017.
He serves on the Advisory Board of the Luxury Connect Business School India and the International Advisory Board of the Genesis Foundation India. In early 2021 he was elected to the Council of the Swiss Abroad (CSA), as one of 140 delegates of the Organization of the Swiss Abroad, the "Parliament" of the "Fifth Switzerland" and represents the Swiss in the OSA. Rolf is also a Board member of Rotary Colombo West for 2026/2027 to provide community service, promote integrity, and advance goodwill.
In March 2023 he became the President of Swiss Circle Sri Lanka, the only Swiss Government accredited Swiss Club in South Asia. In 2025, Rolf was appointed as a Council Member of the Employer’s Federation of Ceylon and as a Committee Member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, further strengthening his engagement with national business leadership and policy advocacy.
Mr. Blaser went through the traditional Swiss apprenticeship education system. He achieved an Economist SEBA from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and an Executive MBA from University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Recently he completed the High-Performance Boards program from IMD Lausanne that brings together best-in-class thought leadership and global best practices in a systematic way to help boards reach their full potential. Mr. Blaser is serving in the Agriculture Sector Committee of Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Munaweera is the Director / Chief Executive Officer /Principal Officer of AIA Insurance Lanka Limited (AIA Sri Lanka). Prior to her appointment as CEO, she was the Director Legal & Chief of Operations of AIA Sri Lanka responsible for Operations, Corporate Law, and External Relations.
She is a lawyer with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law and holds, ‘ICA International Diploma in Compliance (Graduate)’ from the International Compliance Association, Manchester Business School, United Kingdom and also a HR and Compliance professional.
Chathuri was recently recognised by the Geneva Association Switzerland with the global “2024 Women in Insurance Award”. She was also among the International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) 16 trailblazers who are driving gender equality in Sri Lanka in 2020 and won the award for “Emerging Leaders of the Year” by Women Top 20 for 2023. Ms. Munaweera is the first Sri Lankan CEO appointed by AIA Group Hong Kong to lead its Sri Lankan operations and is also the Company’s first female CEO.
Ali Tariq is currently the Chairman and CEO of Unilever Sri Lanka and Regional Head for Unilever’s businesses in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Ali has been a part of the Unilever group for 22 years, in various country, regional and global leadership roles across the Far East, South Asia, Europe and North America.
Before assuming his role in Sri Lanka, Ali was based out of the Headquarters in London as the Global CFO for Unilever’s Supply Chain operations and Executive Vice President for large strategic transformations. Ali is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and trained with PwC London
The SLID Team
Anitra Perera is a renowned edupreneur and a visionary leader with over a decade of experience in education, school administration, and strategic consultancy. As the CEO of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors (SLID), she brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership that drives the organization’s mission to elevate corporate governance standards in Sri Lanka.
Before joining SLID, Ms. Perera was the Managing Director and Coordinating Principal of the Alethea Group of Schools, where she played a pivotal role in transforming the group into an innovative and diversified institution. She spearheaded the complete digitalization of Alethea, making it the first “Smart School” in Sri Lanka in 2018, setting new benchmarks for digital education in the country.
Her leadership and dedication have earned her numerous accolades, including the Education Leadership Award of the Year at the CEO Sri Lanka Awards in 2022. She was also recognized in Cosmopolitan’s 35 Under 35 list in 2020 for her remarkable achievements as a young leader. Additionally, Ms. Perera was awarded Edupreneur of the Year and Best Infrastructure of the Year at the 2019 International Schools Awards in India, where Alethea was also named Best Stand-alone School of the Year.
Ms. Perera holds a Bachelor’s (Hons) in Leadership & Management from Northumbria University, UK, a Post Graduate Diploma in Business, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education Policy & Analysis (SL), and is currently pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA). As the CEO of SLID, Ms. Perera is committed to enhancing the professionalism and effectiveness of directors in Sri Lanka, while driving strategic initiatives to promote excellence in corporate governance.
Leads the day-to-day management and operational execution of the SLID Secretariat, coordinating staff, membership services, events, administration, governance support and organisational priorities. Provides strategic coordination for the Education & Training Committee (ETC) and assists SLID’s director education and professional development portfolio.
Supports SLID’s digital content, creative work and publications while serving as Secretary to the Council and CEO. Also provides administrative support for SLID’s programmes, events, communications and day-to-day activities.
Coordinates SLID’s administration and event operations, including registrations, logistics, participant communications and office support.
Supports the CEO while leading business development, sponsorships, strategic partnerships, stakeholder engagement, communications and institutional relationships to strengthen SLID’s growth and visibility.
Coordinates the Board Placement Services, Innovation & Technology Committee (ITC), Public Sector Committee (PSC), Women Directors Forum (WDF) and Young Directors Forum (YDF), overseeing meetings, programmes, events, and follow-up of initiatives.
Coordinates the HR Committee (HRC), Audit Committee Forum (ACF), Board Secretaries Forum (BSF), Family Business Forum (FBF), Independent Non-Executive Directors Forum (INED) and CEO & Chairperson Forum (CCF), overseeing meetings, programmes, events, member engagement and follow-up of initiatives.
Coordinates SLID’s education and professional development programmes, including Board Leadership Training (BLT), while supporting the Education & Training Committee (ETC) and its related programmes and initiatives.
Supports membership onboarding, subscriptions, member communications, database management, engagement and member-focused programmes.
Provides cross-functional support across membership, training, events, administration, business development, committees and finance.
Supports budgeting, financial planning, management reporting, event P&Ls, cash-flow monitoring, financial controls and compliance.
Manages SLID’s day-to-day accounting, invoicing, collections, payments, reconciliations, petty cash and financial documentation.
Member of the Global Network of Director Institutes
SLID is Sri Lanka's representative in GNDI — one of 21 internationally recognised Institutes of Directors, each acknowledged as the leading governance body in their country.
GNDI membership provides SLID members with access to international governance standards, knowledge exchange, and cross-border networking with the world's leading directors.
Learn about GNDI →By-Laws & Governance
Eligibility criteria, application process and conditions for every membership category - Ordinary, Graduate, Fellow, Life and Retired Members, plus Affiliates, Associates and Patrons - and the voting rights attached to each.
View section →Composition, roles, responsibilities, election procedures and terms of office of the SLID Governing Council - including the requirement that at least 25% of the Council be represented by females.
View section →Conduct of the Annual Membership Meeting: the 30th September deadline, quorum requirements, notice periods, voting in person and the business to be transacted.
View section →Requirements for proper books of account, the annual audit, the Institute's financial year, and the restrictions governing how the Institute's funds may be applied.
View section →