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August 22, 2023
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In the evolving landscape of Sri Lanka’s financial services sector, two senior professionals at People’s Bank stand out not merely for their achievements but for the values they represent and the systems they’ve helped shape (Women Driving). Mrs. Aruni Liyanagunawardana, Deputy General Manager – Retail Banking and Overseas Customer Services, and Mrs. Samanthi Senanayake, Deputy General Manager – Compliance, embody the ideals of ethical leadership, gender-inclusive workplace culture, and long-term national impact.
Their nominations for the Satynmag Women Friendly Workplace Awards are testament not only to personal merit but to their unwavering commitment to creating a work environment where integrity, empathy, and empowerment are not just abstract principles—but everyday practice.
With a career spanning over 23 years at People’s Bank, Mrs. Aruni Liyanagunawardana has built a legacy that bridges commercial success with meaningful inclusion. She currently leads two of the Bank’s most operationally critical divisions: Retail Banking and Overseas Customer Services. Her responsibility covers an expansive range of customer-centric financial products, digital initiatives, and diaspora engagement mechanisms. As the force behind implementing more than 35 retail products—including foreign currency accounts, and diaspora-focused remittance services, Mrs. Liyanagunawardana has played a central role in democratizing access to banking for millions of Sri Lankans and foreign citizens, both locally and abroad.
She was instrumental in launching the People’s eRemittance platform and Bank’s state-of-the-art real-time/online Remittance platforms enabling faster, safer, and more accessible remittance services for facilitating the Workers’ Remittances from overseas to their families at home. Beyond product development, her leadership has actively supported strengthening the economic stability of the country. By strategically strengthening ties with remittance partners around the world, Sri Lankan Missions abroad and related local counter parties, she has amplified the flow of foreign income into the national economy—an area critical to post-crisis recovery. This global perspective, cultivated over years of hands-on experience, distinctly positions her as a banking professional who can seamlessly bridge local priorities with international best practices, making her contribution both unique and transformative.
In her professional trajectory—starting as a Management Trainee and advancing to Deputy General Manager- Retail Banking and Overseas Customer Services within People’s Bank, she has traversed multiple key disciplines, reflecting both depth and versatility in leadership. From strategic oversight of the Branch Network—where she was instrumental in driving business growth, achieving performance targets, and ensuring sustainable profitability to maintaining rigorous operational risk controls, her impact has been both broad and profound. She has been pivotal in launching talent development programs, including the Future Branch Managers Pool, and has personally mentored numerous female professionals navigating the challenges of balancing career growth with family responsibilities.
During her tenure at the Bank’s IT Department, she provided vital administrative leadership that enabled the successful implementation of scalable and forward-looking technology solutions. These initiatives were closely aligned with the Bank’s long-term strategic objectives, reinforcing its commitment to innovation, resilience, and digital transformation.
Mrs. Liyanagunawardana is distinguished by a strong foundation in both academic and professional education. She holds an MBA from the University of Northampton, UK, an M.Sc. from the University of Kelaniya, and a B.Sc. from Osmania University, India. Complementing her academic qualifications, she also earned a Diploma in Banking & Finance from the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL), where she was awarded Gold Medals for outstanding performance in multiple subjects. As an Associate Member of IBSL, she exemplifies both intellectual rigour and professional integrity.
Her commitment to the banking profession extends well beyond her organizational responsibilities. She plays an active role in industry advancement and governance as a Council Member of the Association of Professional Bankers (APB) and a Forum Member of the Organization of Professional Associations (OPA). Within People’s Bank, she contributes meaningfully to institutional leadership as a member of several key internal committees, reinforcing her role as a trusted and influential voice in strategic decision-making.
She has participated in global leadership and banking programs conducted by Harvard University, NUS-Singapore, NIBM, India, HIDA-Japan and many more.
Her well-rounded background has positioned her not only as a business strategist but as a cultural reformer, helping to embed gender-sensitive workplace where every woman feels empowered to speak up, grow confidently, and lead with purpose—where performance is driven by compassion, and success is celebrated collectively.
Despite the demands of her role, she has successfully maintained a healthy work-life balance as a mother of two, demonstrating that women can excel in leadership while staying true to both their professional ambitions and personal commitments.
In contrast to the more externally visible aspects of banking, Mrs. Samanthi Senanayake operates at the critical intersection of ethics, risk, and governance. A Lawyer by profession and a seasoned Compliance Professional by practice, she has joined People’s Bank as a Legal Officer in 2001 and has served as a Legal Officer of the Bank for Nine years before taking over the responsibility as the Compliance Officer of the Bank in 2009. During her tenure as a Legal Officer she had assisted the Bank on recovery aspects and had succeeded in recovering dues through legal procedures and discussions which had led to her recognition as a highly performed officer of the Bank.
She had been appointed as the Compliance Officer of the Bank in 2009, at a time when compliance function was gaining traction and carried out the tasks efficiently ensuring the compliance standards are maintained throughout the Bank effectively. She had been appointed as the Bank’s Deputy General Manager – Compliance since 2023, following a career that spans over three decades in the legal and regulatory space.
Under her leadership, the Compliance Division has grown from a reactive function to a proactive, deeply embedded institutional pillar. She has led initiatives to align the Bank’s operations with international standards in anti-money laundering, consumer protection, credit risk governance, and audit readiness.
Her work is guided by the belief that compliance is not merely regulatory it is reputational and, more importantly, cultural. “We are not only accountable to shareholders,” she notes. “We are accountable to the communities we serve.” This ethos has informed her department’s approach to staff training, procedural reform, and policy development, ensuring a high-integrity environment across all levels of operation.
Mrs. Senanayake serves as the Compliance Officer for the Credit Information Bureau (CRIB) and also as an Alternate Director CRIB. Additionally she has been appointed as an Alternate Director of Institute of Bankers, Sri Lanka (IBSL). She had served in the capacities of President, Secretary and Executive Member of Association of Compliance Officers of Banks (ACOB) and presently serves as an Executive Member of ACOB. Her influence extends beyond People’s Bank into the national compliance and governance landscape.
She holds a LL.M from the University of Delhi, India and is an Attorney-at-Law. Despite the intensity of her role, she has managed to maintain a strong work-life balance as a mother of three, proving that female leadership can thrive without compromising on either professionalism or personal values.
She has been awarded with International Diploma in Compliance by the International Compliance Association in collaboration with University of Manchester and has participated in global leadership and banking programs conducted by National University of Singapore, Fintelekt Advisory Services- India and many more.
What unites these two women is more than professional excellence—it is their shared commitment to building a culture of empowerment within one of Sri Lanka’s largest state-owned banks. Their approaches may differ—Mrs. Liyanagunawardana focuses on customer service innovation and talent nurturing, while Mrs. Senanayake fortifies ethical frameworks and institutional integrity—but both contribute to making People’s Bank a women-friendly workplace in the truest sense.
Together, they have supported the development of women at all levels of the Bank, whether through formal mentorship, HR policy reform, or setting visible examples of what is possible when women lead with clarity and compassion.
In recognising Mrs. Aruni Liyanagunawardana and Mrs. Samanthi Senanayake, the Satynmag Women Friendly Workplace Awards honour more than just individual careers they acknowledge leadership that transforms institutions from within.
At a time when Sri Lanka urgently needs visionary, values-driven leaders, these two women stand out for demonstrating that progress is not just measured in profits or promotions but in the people and systems one leaves better than they were found.
Their stories reaffirm a vital truth: workplaces that are truly friendly to women are not created overnight they are built through daily choices, quiet commitments, and courageous leadership.
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