Prof. Lakshman R Watawala,
CMA Sri Lanka
Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Fellow Member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, and Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of UK, Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA ) and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka.
He is a past President of Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA ), Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA ) and Founder President of Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT ), Founder President Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka and Founder President Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka.
Professor Lakshman R Watawala received National Honours “Sri Lanka Sikhamani” conferred for distinguished services of a general nature by the President of Sri Lanka on 19th August 2019.
As the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka from 1948 to 1987 he was the signatory to the formation of SAFA in New Delhi on 22nd November 1982 and was elected as the first Vice President of SAFA. He was installed to the Hall of Fame of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka in 2013. In 2018 he was Awarded the Life Time Achievement Award by CMA Sri Lanka.
He has served as Chairman and Director General of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka, on two occasions, Chairman of People’s Bank, Peoples Merchant Bank and Chairman and Managing Director of State Mining and Mineral Development corporation, Ceylon Leather Products Corporation and National Insurance Trust fund. With a total of over 20 years dedicated service to the public sector.
He has held many International posts and was the Past President South Asian Federation of Accountants, Past President Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia. (AMDISA) Currently he is a Board Member of South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA ) and Chairman of the International Relations Committee.
Currently he is Deputy Chairman Gestetner (Ceylon ) PLC, Director Lake House Printers & Publishers PLC and Lanka IOC PLC.He was also instrumental in pioneering the setting up of two Professional Accounting bodies in Sri Lanka and designated Founder President of Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT ) set up to meet the need for middle level accountants. and Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka ( CMA – Sri Lanka) a National Professional Managements Accounting body which was not there in Sri Lanka and also to get it incorporated by an Act of Parliament and both bodies obtained Global recognition from the International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) and the Regional Recognition from Confederation of Asian and Pacific Accountants ( CAPA ), while CMA obtained membership of SAFA in 2009.
