People’s Insurance PLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Chandana Shubhashana Guniyangoda—a distinguished finance professional with dual fellowships from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCA) and the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka (FCMA)—as its new Independent Chairman, effective 10 December 2025.
With over 27 years of experience, including 19 years in commercial banking, Mr. Guniyangoda has earned widespread recognition for his leadership excellence and deep expertise in financial management. He holds a Master of Business Administration in Banking & Finance from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura; a Master of Arts in Financial Economics (MAFE) from the University of Colombo; a B.Sc. in Business Administration (Special) from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura; and an Advanced Certificate in Banking & Finance (ACBF) from the Institute of Bankers & IFS (London). He is also a member of the Institute of Professional Managers and the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka.
Throughout his distinguished career, Mr. Guniyangoda has served in several strategic roles, such as Board Director, Key Management Personnel, Industry Expert, and ALCO Officer, and was part of a world champion team in Asset & Liability Management. His expertise spans Finance, Strategic Planning, Business Transformation, Process Reengineering, Cost Optimization, Human Resource Management, Asset & Liability Management, Risk Management, and Regulatory Reporting.
He has also held key leadership positions such as Assistant Vice President – Finance, Strategic Planning & Business Support at NDB Bank PLC, Director of Development Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd—a joint venture between NDB Bank and the Export Development Board. He was also an ALCO Officer & Senior Executive for Finance & Planning at Sampath Bank PLC. He began his career as a Trainee Graduate at Aitken Spence PLC.
Mr. Guniyangoda has also contributed to national development initiatives, serving as a Finance & Administration Specialist under the Agriculture Modernization Project of World Bank, where he played a pivotal role in restructuring institutional frameworks within Sri Lanka’s agriculture and plantation sectors.
He currently serves as the Group Chief Financial Officer of MG Group of Companies, Board Member of New Vithanakande Tea Factory (Pvt.) Ltd, Non-Executive Chairman of CCPI Management Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd, Honorary Board Member of Management at CA Sri Lanka SAB Campus, and an Independent Senior Director at People’s Bank.
People’s Insurance PLC is confident that Mr. Guniyangoda’s vision, industry expertise, and proven leadership capabilities will be instrumental in strengthening the company’s strategic direction and accelerating its growth within Sri Lanka’s insurance sector.
