Deshamanya N U Jayawardena (1953 – 1954)

Deshamanya N U Jayawardena was the second Governor, assuming duties in July 1953 and vacating his position in October 1954. He was the first Ceylonese (Sri Lankan) Governor of the Central Bank of Ceylon.

Deshamanya Jayawardena studied at St. Servatius College, Matara and completed his secondary education at St. Aloysius College, Galle. In 1931 he was awarded the London School of Economics External BSc Degree. He proceeded to study Business Administration at the London School of Economics in 1938. 

He started his career in government clerical positions and was the only clerk at that time in Sri Lankan government service with a degree in Economics. In 1934 he was Assistant Secretary to the Pochkhanawala Ceylon Banking Commission. In 1941 he was a part time lecturer at the Ceylon University College. Deshamanya Jayawardena became Assistant Director of General War Supplies in 1942. In 1947 he became the Acting Controller of Exchange and in 1949 he was appointed the Controller of Imports & Exports. 

Mr. John Exter consulted Mr. Jayawardena as Controller of Exchange when preparing the Exter Report for the establishment of a central bank. Upon the establishment of the Central Bank of Ceylon in 1950, Mr. Jayawardena was appointed as its Deputy Governor and therefore had the rare opportunity of working closely with Governor John Exter. This experience enabled him to gain the necessary knowledge and expertise to succeed Mr. John Exter as the Governor in 1953. 

Holding several important positions both in government and private sectors of the country after his position in the Central Bank, he also served in the Senate of Ceylon as well. He made several notable contributions to the country’s financial sector while serving in the private sector. He was the Founder of the Mercantile Group of Companies. Sampath Bank (1987), a well-known bank in the country was formed under this group. 

He was awarded the title of “Deshamanya” in 1991 by the Government of Sri Lanka.