Editing Lalith Kotalawela

{{Infobox person2
| name       = Lalith Kotalawela
| image      = Lalith_Kotalawela.png
| occupation = Businessman
}}

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshamanya Deshmanya] Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Ceylinco Consolidated] and also was the founding chairman of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceylinco_Consolidated Seylan Bank].<ref>admin (25 May 2015). "Milestones". www.seylan.lk. Retrieved 9 September 2017.</ref> He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.<ref>News Image 32095 - Richest People in Sri Lanka - 2008</ref> He was [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre-trial_detention remanded] for the [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misappropriation misappropriation] of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Key_Credit_Card_Company Golden Key Credit Card Company].<ref>"Swindlers list". Archived from the original on 17 August 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2009.</ref>

==Early life and education==
Lalith Kotelawala was born to Senator Justin Kotelawala, a Ceylonese politician and businessman, and Millicent Kotelawala nee de Silva, daughter of Sir Arthur Marcelles de Silva, a leading surgeon. He was educated at Royal College, Colombo and studied chartered accountancy in the UK.[6] He was the nephew of Sir John Kotelawala, the third prime minister of Ceylon.[7]

==Career==
Taking over Ceylinco Consolidated from his father in the 1960s, Kotelawala expanded the group into new fields including banking, non-banking finance, investment banking, housing and property development, travel and leisure, communication and information technology, education and healthcare and microfinance.[8] He also founded a peace initiative in Sri Lanka, three years after being wounded in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attack in 1996.[9][10]

==Personal life and death==
Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.[6]

Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]

==Awards and honours==
Kotelawala was awarded an honorary Doctor of Philosophy degree by the University of Sri Jayewardenepura
The title Deshmanya by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1994
The title Deshabandu by the Government of Sri Lanka in 1991
Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute
Honorary fellow of the Institute of Bankers

==References==
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