Thilanga Sumathipala

Hon.
Thilanga Sumathipala
තිලංග සුමතිපාල
திலங்க சுமதிபால
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka
In office
1 September 2015 – 12 April 2018
PresidentMaithripala Sirisena
Prime MinisterRanil Wickremesinghe
Preceded byChandima Weerakkody
Succeeded byAnanda Kumarasiri
Member of Parliament
for National List
In office
2015–2020
Member of Parliament
for Colombo District
In office
2010–2015
Personal details
Born (1964-05-03) 3 May 1964
Colombo, Sri Lanka
PartySri Lanka Freedom Party
Alma materNalanda College Colombo
OccupationEntrepreneur/Politics
ProfessionEntrepreneur
Websitethilanga.lk

Uduwatuwage Janath Priya Thilanga Sumathipala (born 3 May 1964) (known as Thilanga Sumathipala) is a Sri Lankan businessman,[1] politician, media proprietor, author, and veteran sports administrator. He has served as a member of parliament, deputy speaker of parliament, and held multiple ministerial portfolios.[2] Throughout his career, he has spearheaded Sri Lanka's telecommunications, media, sports, and corporate sectors, while playing a pivotal role in infrastructure development, institutional reform, and corporate transformation.

Academic background and education

Sumathipala completed his schooling at Nalanda College, Colombo, where he served as vice-captain of the first XI cricket team and was also a senior prefect.

He holds a Diploma in Photolithography and Graphic Reproduction from the London College of Printing (1983)[3] and completed an Entrepreneurship Certificate through AOTS in Yokohama, Japan (1996).[4] He subsequently completed senior executive education programmes at Harvard Business School (2005) and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (2006).[3]

He also earned a Master of Public Administration and a Postgraduate Diploma in Public Management from the University of Colombo.[4]

Sumathipala holds a PhD in International Relations from Paris American University. His doctoral research formed the foundation of his 2026 publication, An Island of Balance. He is currently pursuing a second PhD at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Colombo.[5]

Career

Corporate Leadership and Conglomerate Operations

Sumathipala transformed his family's business into one of Sri Lanka's diversified conglomerates. He serves as Chairman of Sumathi Universal, the group's holding company, and chairs several specialised subsidiaries, including Sumathi Ventures, Napco, Sumathi Printers, Octagon Force, Octagon Engineering, Rabbit Solutions, Sumathi Universal Trading, SUKO, Thi, Sumathi Hospitality, and Sumi Shakthi.[6]

He also served as the first chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom following its listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In addition, he served as chairman of Mobitel and Asia Capital PLC.

National telecommunications transformation

As executive chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and Mobitel from 2002 to 2004, Sumathipala led one of the most significant transformations in Sri Lanka's telecommunications sector.[7]

Under his leadership, Sri Lanka Telecom was successfully listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, marking a historic milestone in the company's evolution into a publicly listed enterprise. During this period, SLT also completed the full acquisition of Mobitel, making it a wholly owned subsidiary, while modernising its infrastructure from a TDMA network to a state-of-the-art GSM system.[8]

He also led the successful issuance of a USD 100 million international listing, the first international listed instrument by a Sri Lankan company. The offering was oversubscribed and comprised approximately 1.9 billion shares.[9]

Cricket Governance and International Representation

Sumathipala is one of Sri Lanka's most influential cricket administrators, having served multiple terms as President and Vice President of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC).[10]

He was first elected Vice President of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) in 1995 at the age of 30. At just 33 years old, he was elected President, becoming the youngest President in the organisation's history.[11]

During his presidency in 2000, he conceptualized and oversaw the development of the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, which was completed in a record timeframe.[12]

When re-elected in 2003, he initiated the transformation of the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka into Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), introducing a modern corporate identity, including the organisation's new name and logo, officially launched in 2004.[11]

Following his election as President again in 2016, he introduced the slogan 'One Team, One Nation' and established the Cricket Brain Centre to strengthen the strategic development of Sri Lankan cricket.[13] During this period, he also played an instrumental role in relocating the headquarters of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to Colombo.[14]

Internationally, Sumathipala served on the International Cricket Council (ICC) Board of Directors during the 1998–2000 and 2016–2017 terms. He also served as President of the Asian Cricket Council in 1998, 2000, and 2016.[14]

Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium

One of the landmark achievements of Sumathipala's presidency of Sri Lanka Cricket was the conceptualisation and oversight of the development of the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium.[15]

Built in a record 167 days, the stadium was developed on a 24 ha (60 acres) site leased from the Rangiri Dambulla Temple. Overlooking the Dambulla Tank, the stadium has a seating capacity ranging from approximately 16,800 to 30,000 spectators. It hosted its inaugural One Day International between Sri Lanka and England in March 2001. Ownership of the stadium was permanently transferred to Sri Lanka Cricket in 2007.[16]

Relocation of the Asian Cricket Council Headquarters

As president of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), Sumathipala significantly reshaped regional cricket administration.[17]

Following negotiations with the Sri Lankan Government, he secured favourable tax and structural concessions that enabled Sri Lanka to win a competitive bid against Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, and Mauritius to permanently host the ACC headquarters.[13]

The headquarters officially relocated to Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7, in 2016 and remained there until its relocation to Dubai in 2019.[18]

Public service and political career

Sumathipala entered public office in 2009 following his election to the Western Provincial Council. In 2010, he was elected to Parliament as a Member of Parliament for the Colombo District under the UPFA, serving until 2020.

He served as deputy minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training (2015), Deputy Speaker of Parliament (2015–2018), and state minister of Technology and Innovation (2019–2020). He also chaired the Parliamentary Select Committee on the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and represented Sri Lanka at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York in 2018. He later served as general secretary of the UPFA and vice president of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP).[19]

Global and academic engagement

In 2014, Sumathipala was appointed distinguished professor of Leadership for Transformation at Keimyung University, South Korea.[20] His international parliamentary engagements include serving on the Steering Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), acting as general secretary of the Sri Lankan Chapter, and serving as deputy convener for Gender Equality within Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA).[21]

Selected bibliography

  • An Island of Balance (2026, ISBN 978-624-210-321-1)[5]
  • Wave Maker – The Thilanga Sumathipala Story (2024, ISBN 978-624-210-322-8)[22]
  • තරණය (2024, ISBN 978-955-9308-06-5)[23]
  • Thilanga at Parliament (ISBN 978-955-31-0512-7)[24]
  • පාර්ලිමේන්තුවේ තිලංග (ISBN 978-955-9308-03-4)[2]
  • The Buddhist Cultural Trails of Sri Lanka (ISBN 978-955-9308-05-8)[25]

Other works

In 1995, Sumathipala founded the Sumathi Awards, Sri Lanka's premier annual awards ceremony recognising excellence in television.[26] He also serves as Founder and Chairman of the Thilanga Sumathipala Foundation and the Milina Matha charitable initiative.[27]

Personal life

Sumathipala married Samadara Wimalaratna in 1992, and they have three sons: Udhantha (1993), Dulantha (1997), and Sajantha (1999). His eldest son, Udhantha, married Yulie in 2022, and they welcomed their first child, Saurav, in 2025.Sumathipala is a practising Buddhist and resides in Colombo.[28]

References

  1. ↑ "Asia Capital appoints Thilanga Sumathipala as Chairman". Lanka Business News. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 Thilanga Sumathipala assumes duties as deputy minister
  3. 1 2 "PGA Executive Committee Member, Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka, will serve as new Convenor of the Gender Equality and Population Programme" (PDF). PGA.
  4. 1 2 "Sumathi Universal (Pvt) Ltd". www.sumathiuniversal.com. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  5. 1 2 "Dr. Thilanga Sumathipala launches "An Island of Balance" - News Features | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. ↑ "Dr Thilanga Sumathipala - Executive Chair at Sumathi Universal". THE ORG. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  7. ↑ Sirimane, Shirajiv. "SLT's goal - the hub of telecommunicationin SA region". Daily News LK.
  8. ↑ "Financial Times". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  9. ↑ "Asia Capital appoints Thilanga Sumathipala as Chairman". FT.
  10. ↑ "Thilanga Sumathipala - youngest president of the BCCSL (30 Mar 1998)". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  11. 1 2 "Thilanga Sumathipala - youngest president of the BCCSL (30 Mar 1998)". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 15 March 2025. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  12. ↑ "MP Thilanga Sumathipala to run for SLC presidency". ESPN CRICINFO.
  13. 1 2 "Thilanga & Co take guard at Sri Lanka Cricket HQ". Papare.
  14. 1 2 sportstamillive (17 August 2025). "SRILANKA CRICKET BOARD PRESIDENTS". Sports Tamil Live. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  15. ↑ "Dambulla looks forward to trouble free future after difficult year". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 21 December 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  16. ↑ PTI (15 September 2018). "Sumathipala: No stepping down as Sri Lanka cricket boss". Gulf News: Latest UAE news, Dubai news, Business, travel news, Dubai Gold rate, prayer time, cinema. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "Thilanga Sumathipala of Sri Lanka takes over as chief of Asian Cricket Council". Zee News. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  18. ↑ "Asian Cricket Council moves headquarters to Sri Lanka". ESPN.
  19. ↑ "Thilanga – Mahinda both resign as UPFA General Secretary". 1 February 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  20. ↑ "Korean Uni appoints Thilanga as Corresponding University Distinguished Professor | Daily FT". www.ft.lk. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  21. ↑ "PGA Executive Committee Member, Hon. Thilanga Sumathipala, Member of Parliament of Sri Lanka, will serve as new Convenor of the Gender Equality and Population Programme" (PDF). PG ACTION.
  22. ↑ Weerasooriya, Sahan (9 May 2024). "Thilanga launches book; 'Wave Maker'". Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  23. ↑ Weerakkody, Hiran (4 May 2024). "Photos - Book Launch of Tharanaya/Wave Maker | The Back Story to Sri Lanka's Cricketing Legacy". ThePapare. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  24. ↑ "VIDEO: Thilanga Sumathipala, Sri Lankan MP, on parliament's role in achieving the SDGs". Inter-Parliamentary Union. 6 July 2026. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  25. ↑ "Shammi Silva elected president of Sri Lanka Cricket". www.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  26. ↑ "ITN shines at 2023 Sumathi Awards ceremony". Sunday Observer. 11 February 2023. Archived from the original on 26 February 2024. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  27. ↑ "Sumathi Universal (Pvt) Ltd". www.sumathiuniversal.com. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
  28. ↑ sportstamillive (17 August 2025). "SRILANKA CRICKET BOARD PRESIDENTS". Sports Tamil Live. Retrieved 6 July 2026.
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