A. S. Jayawardena
Amarananda Somasiri Jayawardena (born 1936) is a Sri Lankan economist and civil servant. He was the former Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance & Treasury and an Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Education
He received his primary education at St. Agnes Convent, Matale, thereafter at St Thomas' College, Matale he completed his secondary education at the Royal College, Colombo where he won the Henry De Mel Prize for Sinhala. Thereafter he read economics at the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya winning Colours of Athletics and graduating with a B.A. special degree in economics. Later he gained a Master’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics in 1964 and a Master of Public Administration Degree from Harvard University in 1975.
Career
In 1958 he joined the Central Bank of Ceylon as a Junior Executive and was promoted as Senior Economist Grade 2 in 1963. He served on secondment for two years in the Ministry of Plantation Industries as the Ministry Dr Colvin R. de Silva's Economic Advisor and Director Planning. After returning to the Central Bank as Deputy Director Economic Research, he was appointed as the General Manager of the Bank of Ceylon. Thereafter he served in the Land Reforms Commission and as Director Settlements.
He returned to the Central Bank as Director Economic Research and was appointed as the International Monetary Fund Executive Director for Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh based in Washington, from 1981 to 1986. In 1986 he return to the Central Bank as its Deputy Governor and was later appointed as he Secretary to the Ministry of Industries, Scientific Affairs. In 1994 he was appointed as Chairman of the Bank of Ceylon and shortly took over as Secretary of the Treasury, a post he would hold until 1995. In 1998 he was appointed as Governor of the Central Bank which he held till retirement in 2004.