Editing Kandiah Balendra (section)

==Career==
Balendra began his career in 1963 as a planter at Finlays, an independent tea and horticultural product trader. He joined John Keells Holdings in 1969 (then known as John Keell Thompson White Ltd) and following a successful stint as a tea broker, he was appointed a company director in 1974.[8] From 1990 until his retirement from the company in 2000 he served as its chairman, the first Sri Lankan to hold the position, overseeing a period of rapid growth and diversification.[9] It was during Ken's tenure that witnessed a massive turnaround as far as John Keells Holdings was concerned when it transformed into Sri Lanka's biggest conglomerate from being a colonial-era tea broking house.[10][5]

He served as chairman of the Bank of Ceylon (2000–2002),[4] the Ceylon Tobacco Company (2003–2008),[11] the Securities and Exchange Commission (2000–2002),[12] the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (1998–2000).[2][3][13] In April 200, Balendra was appointed the first president of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors.[14] He was a director at Chevron Lubricants Lanka until his resignation in 2011, having served over 10 years.[15]

In 2011 The Sunday Leader named Balendra as one of "The 20 Billionaires of Sri Lanka's Stock Market". He was featured in 11th place, with holdings said to be worth nearly 2.5 billion Rupees.[16]