Mr. Y A Jayathilaka
General Manager / Chief Executive Officer
Mr. Y. A. Jayathilaka assumed duties as the Acting General Manager/Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Bank of Ceylon on 6th August 2025 and was confirmed as General Manager/Chief Executive Officer on 27th February 2026.
With over 29 years of distinguished experience in banking and financial services, he brings a deep understanding of both the operational and strategic dimensions of banking. His leadership is defined by a strong focus on resilience, innovation, and sustainable growth, positioning the Bank of Ceylon to play a transformative role in Sri Lanka’s economic progress.
Since his appointment to Corporate Management in February 2020, Mr. Jayathilaka has held several critical leadership roles, including Deputy General Manager - Support Services, Recovery, Development Banking & Branch Credit Operations, and Products & Banking Development. Across these roles, he has consistently driven performance, strengthened risk management frameworks, and enhanced customer-centric banking solutions.
Prior to this, as a member of Executive Management from April 2015, he led key portfolios spanning product development, product innovation, business process re-engineering, and retail & regional banking - laying a strong foundation for operational excellence and market expansion.
Mr. Jayathilaka possesses broad-based expertise across core banking, treasury and international operations, project management, product development & innovations. His treasury experience spans foreign exchange, money markets, capital markets, and investment management. His international exposure at Bank of Ceylon (UK) Limited has further strengthened his global perspective on banking and financial markets.
A strong advocate of project management, digital transformation, and innovation, he has spearheaded several of the Bank’s flagship initiatives that have reshaped its operational and digital landscape. These include the implementation of core banking system and the trade finance platform at Bank of Ceylon (UK) Ltd, core banking and teller system upgrade, and process automation of the Bank. He has also led the introduction of transformative digital and customer-centric solutions such as BOC Flex mobile banking platform, Digital Banking Branches, Mobile Banking Units, BOC Connect agent banking, and TV BOC. In parallel, he has championed internal capability building through platforms such as Bankpedia and BOC eLearning.
Under his leadership, the Bank continues to accelerate its digital transformation agenda, strengthen operational agility, and expand access to inclusive, technology-driven financial services, reinforcing its position as the nation’s leading financial institution.
Mr. Jayathilaka holds a Bachelor of Science (Special) degree in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a Master of Business (Finance) from the University of Kelaniya. He is an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka and a holder of a Diploma in Banking and Finance. He has also completed the Advanced Course in Strategic Management at the Postgraduate Institute of Management and the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at INSEAD, France.
In addition to his role as General Manager/Chief Executive Officer, he serves on the Boards of Property Development Limited, Hotels Colombo (1963) Limited, BOC Property Development and Management (Pvt) Limited, Ceybank Holiday Homes (Pvt) Limited, BOC IT Solutions (Pvt) Limited, Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka, Credit Information Bureau of Sri Lanka, contributing to broader institutional governance and value creation.
