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The profession of Personnel Management in Sri Lanka and Dr D. S. Bandarage

Dr. D. S. Bandarage, considered as the 'Father of Personnel Management in Sri Lanka' is the first ever Personnel Manager to be appointed in the country. That was way back in 1944 with the Shell Company of Ceylon - a British-Dutch multinational conglomerate.


Dr. D. S. Bandarage

That appointment is considered a major watershed in Sri Lankan management. This is because it is the first time that a Ceylonese national had been appointed to such a high position as Personnel Manager in a Sri Lankan company. Prior to that, such senior management positions were only reserved for the British. Before his appointment as first ever Ceylonese Personnel Manager, Dr Bandarage worked with Air Ceylon in the capacities of Welfare Officer/Welfare Manager.

After becoming the first Ceylonese native Personnel Manager Dr Bandarage became very active in setting up a very comprehensive personnel management department at Shell. Dr Bandarage by his excellent work manner demonstrated to the British that the dark skinned Sri Lankans could do the same job as well as (or even better than) the white British. Dr Bandarage's main focus and determination was to give opportunities to Sri Lankan born apprentices on Management Traineeships.

In early fifties Shell Company got into political strife and some of the best managers left the company. Dr Bandarage was quickly grabbed by Lever Brothers (Uni Lever) as their Group Personnel Manager.

Levers was the top company in the country then. Dr Bandarage is the first ever Ceylonese to be appointed by Levers as a senior manager. During his 16-year sojourn at Levers Dr Bandarage streamlined the Lever Personnel Management Department to such an extent that the mother country started sending its managerial staff in England for training in Colombo.

Dr Bandarage brought the management and minor staff closer. He resolved labour disputes remarkably well with so much focus on labour rights, respect and dignity to workers. Dr Bandarage initiated 'Lever Pavula' and edited himself it until he left. During the 50s and 60s 'Lever Pavula' was such an interesting read even non-Lever Sri Lankans read it regularly.

One of the noteworthy contributions made by Dr Bandarage during his time at Levers was to continuously employ and train local Sri Lankans into varying positions including managerial. He was encouraged to do so by the then Levers boss, the legendary, J D Mould. Dr Bandarage went and recruited a number of managers for Levers, some of them became such luminaries in Sri Lanka's corporate structure.

Some later became Chairmen of Levers. Dr Bandarage's main ambition was to screen and employ the cream of Sri Lankan talent into the top positions of the Sri Lankan private companies. He knew that Sri Lanka as a young nation, which had just obtained independence, vehemently required a team of talented managers for its emerging mercantile sector.

In the fifties and sixties Dr Bandarage had emerged as a giant in Sri Lanka's Personnel Management field. Along with Sir Cyril De Zoysa (then Chairman of Associated Motorway group), was instrumental in establishing the Institute of Personnel Management (Inc) in 1959.

In the formative years of the institute Sir Cyril was the President and Dr Bandarage was the Secretary of the institute. Later, Dr Bandarage became the President of the Institute and held this position for a very long time. He is still a Fellow of the Institute of Personnel Management in Sri Lanka. It was only two years ago that the IPM awarded Dr Bandarage at a special ceremony with the prestigious 'Gold Medal Award'.

Dr Bandarage had been involved in the establishment of the Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) Management Institute (SLMA). Dr Bandarage served as a visiting lecturer of Management Studies at the Universities of Colombo and Sri Jayawardanapura. In fact it was only recently that he finished his sojourn with these universities. Dr Bandarage was a panel member in the recruitment to the Ceylon Civil Service (now Sri Lanka Administrative Service).

Thanks to Dr Bandarage's teaching hundreds of educated youth from rural Sri Lankan villages ended becoming senior public servants, including Government Agents and Departmental Secretaries (like the writer). Dr Bandarage did substantive studies both locally and overseas and recommended the then government in 1966 (the government under Dudley Senanayake) that Sri Lanka should implement a 5-day working week. In 1966 or so Dr Bandarage compiled the "Handbook of Personnel Management for Ceylon" which is even today regarded by the Sri Lanka's management fraternity as the 'Bible' of Sri Lankan Management Studies.

Dr Bandarage has written several books on Management both in English and Sinhalese. It was only three years ago that he published the book "Case Methods Management and Administration". He is currently writing a text book named "Administrative Management".

After an exceptional career Dr Bandarage left Levers in the late 1960s and set himself up as a Management Consultant. It is accepted that Dr Bandarage is Sri Lanka's first Management Consultant. During his sojourn as a leading Management Consultant (even until now) he has been instrumental in helping many large and medium scale companies in Sri Lanka on streamlining their businesses.

Dr Bandarage closely associated with the late Upali Wijewardene and helped him to become one of the most successful business entrepreneurs in Asia. Dr Bandarage was late Upali Wijewardene's personal consultant.

In 1970 Dr Bandarage was invited by late Mrs Sirima Bandaranaike, Prime Minister, to reform and improve Sri Lanka's ailing textile industry. She appointed him as Chairman of the National Textile Corporation. This appointment was seen as a non-political appointment of the then United Front Government, trying to stick to the principle of 'giving best positions of the government to the best qualified people, solely on merit'.

In late 1970s and early 1980s Dr Bandarage served as a UN adviser in Africa. The Kenyan Government, including the then Prime Minister of Kenya, Daniel Arap Moi, personally felicitated Dr Bandarage's efforts to rehabilitate and streamline Kenya's management and administrative system.

In the last two or three decades Dr Bandarage has still been involved with management development activities, but has also been extremely involved in the propagation of Buddhism. Being a great Buddhist and a philanthropist himself, in the recent past Dr Bandarage has lavishly donated monies to charities and Buddhist institutions, especially towards the propagation of Sinhala Buddhist values in rural and urban Sri Lanka.

Dr Bandarage has been a long standing active member of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress and the YMBA. He donates generously to the war-torn victims in the marginal villages of the North and East.

It is very regretting to note that Dr Bandarage is now blind. But the doors of Dr Bandarage's residence at 7, Ohlums Place in Colombo 8 are always open to the down-trodden to come and relate their unfortunate plight. Dr Bandarage would help them with words, deeds and wisdom.

Dr Bandarage is a remarkable man with so much wisdom, distinction and persona. During our young years in the 1970s and 80s we looked up to him as the father figure. Thanks to his contributory efforts Sri Lanka today is well abundant with a huge reservoir of managmental talent.

The management fraternity of Sri Lanka today must thank Dr Bandarage for working tirelessly in the 1940s, 50s and 60s and until very recently in the early 2000s to unlock doors for them to enter into the private sector with opportunities and traineeship, the earlier times dominated by the British or English only speaking Sri Lankans.

The IPM which has become a premier Management institution not only in Sri Lanka but also in Asia, profoundly thanks Dr Bandarage for the huge sacrifices that this man had made to this great institution. On Behalf of the present generation of managers and executives of Sri Lanka let us sincerely wish Dr Bandarage the best of health and long life.

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