Eran Wickramaratne, (Sinhala: ඉරාන් වික්රමරත්න) (Tamil: இரான் விக்கிரமரத்ன) MP is a Sri Lankan banker and politician. He is the former State Minister of Finance and member of Parliament of Sri Lanka.[1] He was the Deputy Minister of Investment Promotions and Highways under 100 days program. He was the CEO of NDB Bank from 2001 to 2010 and a former chairman of the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA). He is a member of Samagi Jana Balawegaya. [2]
Eran Wickramaratne ඉරාන් වික්රමරත්න இரான் விக்கிரமரத்ன | |
|---|---|
 | |
| State Minister of Finance | |
| In office 31 May 2017 – 21 November 2019 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Deputy Minister of State Enterprise Development | |
| In office 4 September 2015 – 31 May 2017 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Deputy Minister of Investment Promotions and Highways | |
| In office 12 January 2015 – 17 August 2015 | |
| President | Maithripala Sirisena |
| Prime Minister | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Member of Parliament for National List | |
| In office 2020–2024 | |
| In office 2010–2015 | |
| Member of Parliament for Colombo District | |
| In office 2015–2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 October 1957 |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Political party | Samagi Jana Balawegaya (2020 - Present) United National Party (2010 - 2020) |
| Spouse | Kushlani Wickramaratne |
| Children | Dhishan Wickramaratne Jr Sohanya Wickrmaratne |
| Parent | Colton Wickramaratne Susanne Wickramaratne |
| Alma mater | Royal College, Colombo |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Banker |
Education
editEducated at Royal College Colombo, where he served as Head Prefect and played at the Royal–Thomian.[3][4] He gained a BSc in Economics and Politics and an MSc in Economics from the University of London. He is also an Eisenhower Fellow.[5]
Banking career
editHaving joined Citibank in 1982, he went on to become a vice president in 1996. In 2000, he was involved in founding NDB Bank, where he became CEO in 2001. In 2005, he served as a Director and advisor for Board of Investment (BoI) and later became an adviser to the Ministry of Science & Economic Reform. During this time he was instrumental in the formation of the first Information Communication Act and became the founder chairman of the Information Communication Technology Agency (ICTA). He resigned from his post of CEO of NDB to take up his seat in Parliament in 2010.[2]
Political career
editHe joined the right of centre United National Party, serving as its treasurer and entered parliament from the National List at the 2010 General Elections. After the election of Maithripala Sirisena, Wickramaratne was appointed as the Deputy Minister of Investment Promotions and Highways in the "good governance" government under the premiership of Ranil Wickremasinghe.[6] He was appointed as the United National Party chief organiser of the Colombo-East electorate before being shifted to the Moratuwa electorate in 2015. In the general election that followed he was elected to parliament from the Colombo district gaining 82,737 votes.[7] In 2015, he was appointed Deputy Minister of Investment Promotions and Highways and in 2017 he was appointed State Minister of Finance, holding office until the appointment in 2019 of a new caretaker cabinet headed by Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Family
editHe is the son of prominent evangelical pastor, Rev. Dr. Colton Wickramaratne (1931-2018), and the brother of Rev. Dishan Wickramaratne. He is married to Kushlani Wickramaratne and father to two children, Sohanya and Dhishan.[8]
References
edit- ^ "New State and Deputy Ministers sworn in". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ a b "The Island-News". www.island.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Fairclough, Gordon (16 March 2015). "For Sri Lanka's Elite, High-School Cricket Match Is More Than a Game". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 20 April 2018 – via www.wsj.com.
- ^ "Eran Wickremaratne was a fine opening batsman for Royal | Daily News Online : Sri Lanka's National News". Archived from the original on 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
- ^ Religion to kill or die forThe Sunday Leader Archived 2015-07-23 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "CeylonToday". ceylontoday.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ "Preferential votes- General Election 2015". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
- ^ Weerasooriya, Nayomini. "What Born-Again Politicians Means for South Asia". charismanews.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.