| Lalith Kotelawala | |
| Birth Name: | Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala |
| Birth Date: | 29 October 1938 |
| Birth Place: | Colombo, British Ceylon |
| Death Place: | Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Alias: | Lalith Kotelawala |
| Alma Mater: | Royal College Colombo |
| Spouse: | Sicille Kotelawala |
| Parents: | Justin Kotelawala, Millicent Kotelawala |
| Relatives: | John Kotelawala Sam Peter Christopher Fernando |
Deshmanya Jeewaka Lalith Bhupendra Kotelawala (29 October 1938 – 21 October 2023) was a Sri Lankan businessman, who was the chairman of Ceylinco Consolidated and also was the founding chairman of Seylan Bank.[1] He was listed in the 2007 Sri Lanka Richest List.[2] He was remanded for the misappropriation of 26 billion rupees of investments from the failed Golden Key Credit Card Company.[3] [4] [5]
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]
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]
Lalith was married to Sicille Kotelawala (née Fernando), the daughter of Sam Peter Christopher Fernando.
Lalith Kotelawala died in Colombo on 21 October 2023, at the age of 84.[11]