16 Facts About Harry Jayawardena

Deshamanya Don Harold Stassen Jayawardena, known as Harry Jayawardena, was a Sri Lankan industrialist.

Harry Jayawardena was the chairman of Melstacorp PLC and was the Honorary Consul General for Denmark in Sri Lanka.

Harry Jayawardena moved to the government-owned State Trading Corporation, better known as Consolexpo Ltd, becoming the head of the Tea Department, which controlled the monopoly of tea exports of Sri Lanka under the administration of Prime Minister Sirima Bandaranaike in the 1970s.

In 1988 Harry Jayawardena's companies became a significant shareholder of the country's largest private commercial bank, Hatton National Bank.

In December 2006, an alleged attempt to remove the Chairman of the Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, Harry Jayawardena, then managing director of DCSL, was allegedly quoted as threatening to shoot the chairman.

Subsequently, Harry Jayawardena assumed duties as the Chairman of DCSL.

Harry Jayawardena announced his voluntary resignation from CPC on 12, January 2012, a post given by Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Harry Jayawardena was a major shareholder and Chairman of the board of directors of the following Colombo Stock Exchange companies:.

Harry Jayawardena died in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 3 February 2025, at the age of 82.

Harry Jayawardena was awarded the title of Deshamanya by the President of Sri Lanka for his services to the industry in 2005.

Harry Jayawardena received the award for his outstanding and exemplary contribution to Denmark and for fostering bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and Denmark.

Harry Jayawardena was the chairman of both Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence, these companies were the first Sri Lankan companies ever to be listed on the Forbes List of best managed companies outside the USA.

Harry Jayawardena held honorary positions including the Senior Adviser for International Trade and Foreign Investments to the then Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

Harry Jayawardena was a member of Colombo Stock Exchange for many years.

Harry Jayawardena was a member of the Apex Task Force to Rebuild the Nation established by the President of Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami.

Harry Jayawardena was appointed Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Sri Lanka's National carrier, becoming Executive chairman in January 2008.