Indrajit Coomaraswamy
Indrajit Coomaraswamy | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 3, 1950 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Occupation | Economist |
| Known for | 14th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka |
Deshamanya Indrajit Coomaraswamy (, ; born 3 April 1950) is a distinguished Sri Lankan economist who held the position of the 14th Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
Early life and family
Coomaraswamy was born in Colombo to parents Rajendra Coomaraswamy, a civil servant, and Wijeyamani. His paternal lineage includes his grandfather C. Coomaraswamy, who was also engaged in civil service, while on his maternal side, S. K. Wijeyaratnam served as chairman of the Negombo Urban Council. He has one sibling, a sister named Radhika.
His education began at Royal College, Colombo and continued at Harrow School in England, where he led the cricket team as captain from 1967 to 1968 and participated in rugby for three seasons. He obtained both BA (Hons) and MA degrees from Emmanuel College, Cambridge, during which time he played two first-class cricket games representing Cambridge University Cricket Club. Subsequently, he earned a DPhil from the University of Sussex.
Coomaraswamy is married to Tara de Fonseka and is a father to two sons, Imran and Arjun. He belongs to the Sri Lankan Tamil community.
Career
Beginning his professional journey at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka in 1973, Coomaraswamy worked within Economic Research, Statistics, and Bank Supervision departments until 1989. During 1981–1989, he was assigned to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, where he provided guidance on macroeconomic policies and structural reforms. From 1990 through 2008, he occupied senior positions at the Commonwealth Secretariat, including roles such as Chief Officer of Economics and Deputy-Director in the Secretary-General's Office. Between 2001 and 2002, he offered economic reform advice to Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and Project Minister Milinda Moragoda.
In 2010, Coomaraswamy resumed duties at the Commonwealth Secretariat as Interim Director for its Social Transformation Programme Division. His career also extended into the private sector as a special advisor to the hedge fund Galleon Group, where he served on the board of its UK branch, Galleon Research Services Limited. February 2011 marked his appointment as a non-executive director at John Keells Holdings PLC, followed by joining the board of Tokyo Cement Group in March 2011. Additionally, he held brief tenures with Hatton National Bank and acted as a director for SEEDS (Guarantee) Limited.
His academic contributions include membership on the Board of Study for Public Administration at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and directorship at Nawaloka College of Higher Studies. Later in his career, he provided strategic advice on development and international trade to Minister Malik Samarawickrama.
In July 2016, Coomaraswamy was appointed as Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, taking over from Arjuna Mahendran amid allegations of corruption. He remained in this role until his resignation in December 2019.
Sports career
Coomaraswamy represented the Ceylonese Rugby & Football Club as a rugby player and captained the national rugby team during the 1974 Rugby Asiad. His cricketing pursuits included playing for the Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic Club.