ENG. PIYAL HENNAYAKE
Independent Non-Executive Director – LB Finance PLC
National Finance Expert, Accelerating Industries’ Climate Response in Sri Lanka Project – UNIDO
Country Coordinator – Private Financing Network (PFAN)
Rating committee member – Lanka Rating Agency
Visiting Lecturer/Consultant
Qualifications: BSc (Eng)., PG Diploma (Const. Mgt)., MBA (AIT), CEng., MIE (SL)., GSLID
Skills and Experience:
Eng. Piyal Hennayake was appointed the National Financing Expert for the UNIDO project “Accelerating Industries’ Climate Response in Sri Lanka” in July 2024. Since January 2022 he has been the Country Coordinator of the Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN), a global network of climate and clean energy financing experts from January 2022. PFAN offers free business coaching and investment facilitation to entrepreneurs developing climate mitigation and clean energy projects in emerging markets.
Piyal Hennayake joined Seylan Bank PLC as the Deputy General Manager of Project Finance on 1 April 2016 to establish the project finance division. He then headed both the Project Finance and Premises Maintenance Divisions of the bank until the completion of his contract in September 2018. He was a Director of Seylan Developments PLC from January 2016 to January 2025.
Eng. Piyal retired on 31 December 2015 from a distinguished career spanning 21 years at Hatton National Bank PLC. He was the Deputy General Manager of services and the CEO/Director of its real estate subsidiary, Sithma Development Pvt Limited.
He headed the HNB Project Finance Division since 1995 and developed it to be a major player in the banking industry. As the Assistant General Manager, of Zone III he led one-third of the Branch Network in 2004 & 2005. He was the Portfolio Manager of Lanka Ventures PLC from 1992 to 1995 until he joined HNB. After passing out from the University of Moratuwa he joined CECB as a Civil Engineer in February 1983 and worked on Hydropower projects such as Randenigala, Canyon, and other infrastructure projects. He is an accomplished professional with 41 years of professional experience.
As a civil engineering graduate of the University of Moratuwa, he later obtained a postgraduate diploma in construction management from the same university. In 1992, he received an MBA in Management of Technology from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand.
A Chartered Engineer and a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka he served as the President of the Association of Professional Bankers Sri Lanka in 2014/2015. He is also a Graduate Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. He was a Vice President of the Organization of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) in 2015/16 and serves as an Executive Council Member.
Eng. Piyal Hennayake is a visiting lecturer at the University of Moratuwa, the University of Peradeniya, and the Open University. He teaches Project Finance, Corporate Finance, and Energy Policy at the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM), Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL), Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL), SLASSCOM, and Bandaranaike Academy for Leadership & Public Policy.
