Profile: Dhammika Perera

Colombo (News 1st) - MP Dhammika Perera announced today (9th) that he is prepared to contest the next Presidential Election if political parties confirm that they will support him to obtain 51% of the vote.

Dhammika Perera is one of the wealthiest persons in Sri Lanka, and has served as the Chairman or on the Boards of a large number of listed and unlisted companies in a wide range of sectors. These include the Hayleys Group, Pan Asia Bank, Royal Ceramics, Horana Plantations, Amaya Leisure, The Kingsbury Hotel, Singer Sri Lanka, Lanka Walltiles, LB Finance and Vallibel FInance.

His charity, DP Education, provides support for students throught the education sector.

In June 2022 he was appointed a Member of Parliament on the National List of the SLPP, filling the vacancy created by MP Basil Rajapaksa. He was immediately sworn in as Minister of Investment Promotion, but resigned barely two weeks later.

He has served as Chairman of the Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA) and as a Committee Member of the Monetary Policy Consultative Committee of the Central Bank.

He is the author of the "Economic Growth Strategy and Action Plan to increase GDP per capita from USD 4,000 to 12,000".

Perera, now 55 years old, was born in Payagala in the Kalutara District in 1967. He was educated at Taxila Central College in Horana. He studied electronics for a short while at the University of Moratuwa, where he obtained his National Diploma in Technology in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.