Kandiah Balendra is a Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

n corporate leader and executive, who holds and has held many corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He is the former chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd.

John Keells Holdings

John Keells Holdings PLC is Sri Lanka’s largest listed company in terms of market capitalization. It accounts for more than 14% of the Sri Lankan Stock market and has diversified its operations into various sectors ranging from Consumer Goods,Financial Services,Information...

 which is the largest conglomerate in the island and of the oldest bank, Bank of Ceylon

Bank of Ceylon

Bank of Ceylon is a government-owned, major commercial bank in Sri Lanka. Its head office is located in iconic cylindrical building in the capital Colombo, the political and commercial capital of the islandThe bank has a network of 308 branches and 200+ extension centers covering all parts of the...

, and the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is the oldest and one of leading business chambers in Sri Lanka.-History:The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was established on March 25, 1839, when Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon under British rule.Rt. Hon...

. Currently he is the chairman of Brandix Lanka Ltd. and the Ceylon Tobacco Company.

Early life and education

Born into a well-to-do, Tamil

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 family in Colombo

Colombo

Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

, his father was a revenue inspector. Educated at the prestigious Royal College Colombo

Royal College Colombo

The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...

 where he excelled in sports, playing in the Bradby Shield Encounter

Bradby Shield Encounter

The Bradby Shield Encounter - commonly known as "The Bradby" - is the blue ribbon of Sri Lanka's school rugby union season. It is played annually between traditional rivals Royal College, Colombo, and Trinity College, Kandy. The encounter consists of two legs, one being played in the Royal College...

.

Family

He is married to Swyrie, who is a doctor. They have a son named Krishan, who is has MBA from INSEAD

INSEAD

INSEAD is an international graduate business school and research institution. It has campuses in Europe , Asia , and the Middle East , as well as a research center in Israel...

 in France.

Career

In October 2003 he was voted the Most Effective Business Leader in Sri Lanka since independence in a poll conducted by the LMD magazine.

Honors

• He was bestowed the Sri Lankan national honour Deshamanya
  Deshamanya
  Deshamanya is the second highest Sri Lankan national honour awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a civil honour.It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name....
  
   by the government.

External links

• Ken Balendra's Profile at PIPL