Read the complete write-up of Dhammika Perera net worth, age, height, family, wife, children, assets and liabilities as well as other information you need to know.
Introduction
Dhammika Perera is a Sri Lankan entrepreneur/business magnate and philanthropist, and Chairman/Managing Director of Vallibel One PLC. He is considered to be a very successful investor, which made him one of the richest persons in Sri Lanka.
Dhammika is best recognized as an icon of expertise in corporate re-engineering and revival owing to his uncanny ability to choose his investment portfolio across sectors. He owns nearly 23 companies and is regarded as a pioneer of Sri Lankan economic growth after the end of the Sri Lankan Civil War. He is also known for frequently addressing the required policy framework for the country.
Early Life
| Name | Dhammika Perera |
| Net Worth | $800 million |
| Profession | Entrepreneur, Businessman, Investor |
| Height | 1.68m |
| Age | 54 years |
Kulappu Arachchige Don Dhammika Perera was born on December 28, 1967 (age 54 years) at a private hospital in Katukurunda Nursing Home in Payagala, Sri Lanka. He embarked on his maiden business venture in 1986 at the age of 19 after completing his primary and secondary Education at Taxila Central College, Horana. His childhood interests in electronics and electrical items made him pursue graduation in the field at the University of Moratuwa, Katubedda, however, he dropped out to pursue his business interests.
Career
Dhammika Perera enrolled in the National Diploma in Technology (NDT) program at the Institute of Technology, the University of Moratuwa during the time of civil war before dropping out later to pursue his business ventures. He then decided to move to Taiwan to pursue his career in technical training for a period of 6 months.
However, he returned from Taiwan after 3 months due to his lack of knowledge on technical skills. He started a machine manufacturing business in 1987 close to his residence in Payagala and continued the business until 1991. In 1991, he had to venture into a car sales centre in Paiyagala following a ban imposed on the jackpot and other machinery business by then President Ranasinghe Premadasa.
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Dhammika also ran Tito Electronics, an electronic shop repairing electronic circuit boards in Colpetty. He then ventured into gambling and started his own casino business in 1993 in Isurugiri. Dhammika also started up a business producing and selling neon bulbs in 1995, at a time when none of the manufacturers was not keen on selling those bulbs. He also met then International Monetary Fund resident representative in Sri Lanka Nadeem Ul Haque in 1998 and developed strong bonds.
He also ventured into large scale businesses and decided to purchase and take over the ownership of Royal Ceramics in 1992 at the time when the company was making losses and he became the owner of it in 2000. He also notably purchased the Pan Asia Bank in 2002 at a time when the bank was regarded as a loss-making financial institution.
He also partnered with popular investor Nimal Perera after acquiring the Pan Asia Bank in 2002 and the duo became arguably the most successful pioneers of the Sri Lankan economy post the Civil War. He has been the executive director of Vallibel Finance since 2014.
Dhammika Perera also owns holds a major stake in major financial institutions such as Vallibel Finance, Vallibel Power Erathna, The Fortress Resorts, The Queensbury Leisure Ltd and Delmege Limited. He is also the current Co-Chairman of Hayleys, Royal Ceramics Lanka, Horana Plantations and LB Finance. He is also one of the members of the Board of Directors of Amaya Leisure, Haycarb, Hayleys Fabric PLC, The Kingsbury Hotel, Dipped Products, Lanka Floortiles.
He became the chairman of Lanka Tiles in 2017 and was appointed as the co-chairman of Singer (Sri Lanka) in October 2017 after Hayleys agreed to buy Singer. Dhammika was appointed as the chairman of the Director Board of Lanka Ceramic PLC in 2017 but he resigned from the position on 31 August 2018. He was also appointed as chairman of the Board of Directors of Lanka Wall tiles in 2017.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he introduced a philanthropic initiative titled DP Education for the students to study online free of charge. He collaborated with the University of Moratuwa to offer a diploma to students aged 18 and above bundling Maths, IT and English through DP Education platform.
Controversies
In July 2019, Dhammika Perera and his company Hayleys were accused of earning income through a garbage scam which became a controversial issue after tonnes of garbage were imported and dumped into the country from the UK.
Hayleys has since denied any wrongdoing in the matter and highlighted the fact that the Group’s logistics arm was merely providing logistics services including storage, value addition and re-exportation for its client Ceylon Metal Processing Corporation for a resource recovery operation.
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Calling for a press conference on the 22nd of July 2019, the managing director of Hayleys Advantis Limited, Ruwan Waidyaratne, categorically denied the allegations levelled against the company in connection with importing garbage to Sri Lanka. In relation to 130 container loads of used mattresses that were stored at their Free Zone yard premises, the company clarified that the mattresses were imported by Ceylon Metal Processing Corporation (Pvt) Limited, who is the actual owner of the cargo.
Wife
Dhammika Perera is married to his longtime girlfriend Priscilla Perera. They have three children together. However, in 2019, he was also rumoured to become the Presidential candidate representing United National Party for the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election. However, he refuted the allegations and termed them as rumours.
Dhammika Perera net worth
What is Dhammika Perera net worth? Dhammika Perera net worth is estimated at around $800 million as of 2022. His main source of income is his private investments. Dhammika Perera’s successful career has earned him some luxurious lifestyles and some fancy cars. He is one of the richest people in Sri Lanka. However, in 2013, Perera became Sri Lanka’s wealthiest individual with a net worth of LKR 72.6 Billion (approx. $550 Million).