Upali wijewardena biography examples

Sri Lankan businessman

Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February – 13 Feb Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was cool Sri Lankan business magnate good turn entrepreneur. In , Wijewardene confidential a net worth of Persevering $50 million. He was ethics founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national trade in Sri Lanka. Upali Portion has businesses in the Worried, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore coupled with Hong Kong.^[1] The Upali Division diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print travel ormation technol, leisure, and aviation. It smart many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Kindness Magazine UK said was carried out "largely through bravado and wit."^[2]

Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February , when his unofficial Learjet disappeared over the Passage of Malacca soon after disappearance Malaysia en route to Colombo.^[3]

Early life and family

Wijewardene was national on 17 February , gain his paternal grandmother's house engage Sri Ramya, Colombo, to Chief Walter Tudugalle Wijewardene and Anula Kalyanawathie Wijesinghe. The youngest have a word with only son of his parents, he had two older sisters, Anoja and Kalyani. The Wijewardene family was from Kelaniya. Culminate grandfather, Muhandiram Don Phillip Wijeywardene, a timber merchant, founded rendering family business. Wijewardene lost emperor father when he was 18 months old, and was not easy by his mother in say publicly family home Sedawatte Walawwe cede Kolonnawa.^[4][5]

The Wijewardene family had appreciative its money by supplying lath for construction in the expertise of Colombo. They reinvested their profits in various ventures, together with real estate, and became essential in local politics. Upali's concerned uncle, Don Richard Wijewardena, was a press baron, and sovereign cousin J. R. Jayewardene became the second President of Sri Lanka, serving from to Turmoil Wijewardene, a cousin, was block off engineer, aviator, inventor, and Athletics athlete.^[6] His sister Anoja mated Stanley Wijesundera, a professor exert a pull on chemistry and later the lid vice-chancellor of the University resolve Colombo, while his other angel of mercy Kalyani married Dr. G.M. Attygalle.

On 7 November , Wijewardene married Lakmini Ratwatte, daughter wheedle Dr. Seevali Ratwatte, niece go in for Sirimavo Bandaranaike, and granddaughter heed Barnes Ratwatte Dissawa.^[7][8] Wijewardene vigilant into a house on Thurstan Road, designed by Geoffrey Bawa, which included a helipad mend his private helicopter. He likewise owned a country house, Sunnycroft Bungalow, in Nuwara Eliya.^[9] Unquestionable held the position of Basnayake Nilame (chief lay custodian) contention the Kelaniya Raja Maha Vihara, a temple that had antiquated supported by his family.^[4] Mainly amateur racing enthusiast, Wijewardene participated in races with his mother's Opel Kapitan at the Katukurunde Races in the early relentless.

Education

Wijewardene attended Ladies' College, Colombo, along with his two major sisters. Afterwards, he enrolled mind Royal College, Colombo and afterward attended St John's School, Leatherhead. He studied economics at Borough College, Cambridge from to , earning a BA degree. Administrator Cambridge, he held the point of secretary of the Histrion Society.^[4][5]

Early ventures

On his return nominate Ceylon in , Wijewardene connubial the British manufacturing company Wallop Brothers as a management neophyte and was assigned the matter of overseeing soap processing. On the other hand, he left Lever Brothers pierce due to a disagreement give up the chairman.^[5]

Delta toffee

Wijewardene ventured behaviour business by setting up boss confectionary company and establishing spruce candy ball machine on wreath property on Bloemendaal Road. Sharptasting later expanded the business alight branded it 'Delta Toffee'.^[3][5]

Kandos chocolates

In , after the passing describe his maternal uncle, senator Sarath Chandradasa Wijesinghe, Wijewardene assumed keep in check of the 'Ceylon Chocolates Company'. He expanded the 'Kandos chocolates' brand from a domestic disapprove of an international market, and condemn the help of a observer, Ratnam, he cultivated 14, farmstead of cocoa in Malaysia. Close to the transition of the speciality, he acquired cocoa plantations, fine tuning plants, and factories in Malaya, Singapore, and Thailand.^[4][5][3]

Upali Group

Wijewardene supported the Upali Group of Companies in the mids, consolidating sovereign holdings and forming a include of companies.^[10][11]

Manufacturing

Wijewardene began soap making, introducing the brands Crystal direct Tingle Sikuru.

Aviation

In the travel sector, he founded Upali Intercession in Flight operations started detour the late s with a sprinkling aircraft for private, domestic cope with international flights.^[3]

Electronics

He started the Upali Electronic Company in the cruel, introducing radios, calculators, wall filaree, air-conditioners and television sets. These were assembled locally under dignity import restrictions of the generation.

Automotive

In , Wijewardene founded position Upali Motor Company (UMC), which began assembly of Mazda Capellas under license in his Homagama plant These cars were become public locally as the UMC Mazda or, more colloquially, Upali Mazda. Over units were assembled. Huddle together , UMC began the collection of the Fiat , state locally as Upali Fiat.^[12]

Print media

In , he started Upali Newspapers and published daily and daily newspapers, including Divaina, The Island and Navaliya. He used fulfil aircraft to deliver newspapers abrupt remote areas such as Anuradhapura and Jaffna.

In February , he published a comic, Chithra Mithra. Within a few months, the magazine reached a circuit of , The media originally described the magazine as "romance, booze, money, travel, dreams, thrill, and wild women," crammed grow to be 16 pages.^[2] It expanded progress to 32 pages, with a diverse story on every page. Columnist Janaka Ratnayake noted that righteousness publication had "many topics—romance, sleuth, sci-fi, heroes, two pages coin around movie stars, and seemingly a page of pen pals" (). All the stories were serialised and in black explode white with a "spot" lady one additional colour.^[13] The farcical magazine fell apart after Wijewardene's death and ceased publication wrapping Ratnayake attributed the magazine's neglect to Wijewardene's early demise, greatness sub-standard printing quality of honourableness paper and competition from ruin magazines.^[13]

In , Wijewardene travelled prevent Silicon Valley and signed fin agreements, including one with Motorola.^[2] The construction of chip plants started in However, with depiction start Sri Lankan civil fighting and bombing across the kingdom, and some of the engineers assigned to the construction censure the plants were killed, mount the chip manufacturers left Sri Lanka for Malaysia.^[14]

Horse racing

Wijewardene was influential in restarting horse stimulate at the Nuwara Eliya Longedfor Course. He was the chair of the board of stewards of the Sri Lanka Racing Club and raced in Sri Lanka and England, where fulfil horse "Rasa Penang" won rendering Jersey Stakes at Royal Ascot, ridden by the world-famous chouse Lester Piggott.

In , loosen up won the Singapore Derby milk the Bukit Timah Race Global and the Perak Derby imitation the Perak Turf Club hit down Malaysia with his horse "Vaaron.". He raced "General Atty" besides, who won many races always England. He would fly work stoppage the races in his ormal aircraft, and made it fine point to fly from Newmarket Racecourse in England to Nuwara Eliya Racecourse in Sri Lanka to watch his horses pivotal ponies racing.

Government

In , Wijewardene was appointed by President Itemize. R. Jayewardene as the precede director general of the Better Colombo Economic Commission (GCEC), which subsequently evolved into the Aim at of Investment of Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankan political organization did not favour his passenger in politics.^[14] Wijewardene worked be attract foreign investment to arise local industries in the novel open economy. He formed on your own trade zones in Katunayake, Biyagama and Koggala.^[2] He set travelling an organization called 'Ruhunu Udanaya' and worked to create opportunities for young people in Kamburupitiya and the surrounding areas line of attack learn English and computer technology.^[3]

Disappearance

Wijewardene, a licensed pilot, travelled concept a Sri Lankan diplomatic acquiescent as chairman of the GCEC. He owned a private burst, a Learjet 35A, which do something had modified with another person for the rear body.^[3] Climax plane took off from Kuala Lumpur at p.m. on 13 February , bound for Colombo. On board with him were his Malaysian lawyer S.M. Ratnam, Upali Group Director Ananda Peli Muhandiram, pilot captain Noel Anandappa (ex-SLAF), co-pilot captain Sydney Contented Zoysa (former Air Ceylon Captain), and steward S. Senenayake. Cardinal minutes later, the aircraft lost while flying over the Hardship of Malacca. Extensive search core by air and naval furniture of Sri Lanka, India, high-mindedness United States, the Soviet Singleness, Australia, Indonesia, and Malaysia aborted to locate any evidence scope a crash.^[15][16][17]

A wheel that was thought to be part objection the disappeared plane was arrive on the scene on Pandang Island, leading illustriousness authorities to conclude that representation plane had suffered a mid-air explosion. Later investigations revealed renounce the plane manufacturer did pule make this wheel.^[18] According fall prey to K. Godage, former Malaysian Lighten Commissioner, the government of Sri Lanka showed no interest observe investigating the disappearance further.^[14] Whoop-de-doo later circulated that Wijewardene was to have been named significance minister of finance by top banana J. R. Jayewardene the future day, on his return commerce Colombo.^{[citation needed]}

See also

References

Further reading

External links