BIO-DATA OF LION Eng. SALIYA KALUARACHCHI

DISTRCT GOVERNOR

Lionistic Career
 

Saliya Kaluarachchi entered Lionism through Lions Club of Kandy - Senkadagala in 1983. He was the Club Secretary in 1984/85 and received an appreciation Award as an Outstanding Club Secretary, that year. After moving to Battaramulla, Pelawatta, he initiated and became the Charter President of Pelawatta Lions Club in 1991. He received the Most Outstanding Club President runner up Award with the 100% excellence Award and the award for the best administered club in the district 306 C that year.

Lion Saliya has held Cabinet positions such as District Chairman, Zone Chairman, Region Co-ordinator, Region Chairman, District Governor’s Programme Co-ordinator and Deputy Cabinet Treasurer, under Twelve District Governors. It also includes the post of Cabinet Secretary, twice in 1997 & 2007. Finally he was elected uncontested as the Vice District Governor in 2008/2009. Lion Saliya has received many appreciation awards for his outstanding performance by the respective District Governors. He has also received a number of International awards such as;

• International President Howard L. Patterson’s Appreciation award in 1997,
• International President Kajith Habanananda’s appreciation award in 1998,
• International President Ashok Mehta’s appreciation award in 2005,
• International President Jimmy M. Ross’s appreciation award in 2006 and was also made a Ross Ranger for his outstanding contribution to Lionism in Membership Development.
• International President Mahendra Amarasuriya’s Appreciation Award in 2008 together with his prestigious Leadership Medal.  

Professional Career

Saliya Kaluarachchi [B.Sc. (Eng), MBA, C.Eng. MIESL, MIIM] is a Graduate cum Chartered Mechanical Engineer and is currently the Chairman / CEO of Fintech Engineering (Pvt) Ltd; a company specialized in High Performance coatings and Chemical additives to Construction Industry.   

Lion Saliya was educated at Royal College, Colombo which he entered in 1957. From the school days, his interest in community service as well as his leadership traits was seen. He was a Steward and a Student Librarian, while being an active member and an Office bearer of many Societies such as Sinhala Literary Association, Buddhist Brotherhood, Social Service League etc. He was a member of the College Debating Team and won the Best Speaker’s award.

After a brilliant school career, he entered the University of Sri Lanka, Katubadde Campus, in 1973 where he obtained his B.Sc degree in Engineering. In the University too, he was a student activist and was elected as the Secretary of the Students Union. A key achievement of his university career was the dissertation submitted for his final degree which was on development of “Mining and grinding of Rock Phosphate Fertilizer from the Eppawala Apatite Deposit”. This document which surpassed the feasibility studies done by many foreign consultants, is accepted even today, as the most comprehensive and accurate finding on this valuable resource in Sri Lanka.

Subsequently he obtained his Masters Degree in Business Administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura. He is a member of the Institute of Engineers of Sri Lanka, where he served as the Secretary of the Mechanical Engineering Sect oral Committee and the International Institute of Management, Hong Kong, where he serve as a Director of the Sri Lanka Chapter.

He started his career as an Engineer at State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation and Ceylon Steel Corporation prior to joining as a Project Engineer to the Leaf Division of Ceylon Tobacco Company in 1980. Subsequently he held a series of key management positions moving up to the position of Manufacturing Manager and Technical Services Manager in CTC. In 1993 he was appointed as Project Engineer & Deputy Factory Manager at Ceylon Glass Company Ltd., where he was responsible for setting up the first automated glass bottle manufacturing plant in Sri Lanka. Subsequently in 1995 he was appointed as Technical Director of CIC Agribusiness Group and CIC Fertilizers Ltd. Later he was also made the Managing Director of N.C. Decorators Ltd. a subsidiary of the CIC Group, which positions he left in 2003 to form his own company Fintech Engineering (Pvt) Ltd.  

He has traveled worldwide to more than Thirty different countries obtaining his Business, Management, Technological and Professional Education. These include training. In Industrial Safety & Environment at British American Tobacco Group in Singapore and UK. and training in Total Quality Management (TQM) in Japan. He has also followed numerous training and familiarization programmes in Manufacture, Maintenance Engineering, Agricultural Processing, Waterproofing & Surface Coatings in UK, Norway, Finland, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Bangladesh, India etc. He has also been the country delegate for Sri Lanka and presented papers at seminars on Industrial Management in Manufacture and Factory Maintenance, in China and Sweden respectively.

He has served as the Secretary General of the International Federation of Asian & Western Pacific Contractor’s Association (IFAWPCA) located in Manila, Philippines in 1993/94, covering 15 member countries. He was also the Chief Delegate and country representative for Sri Lanka at Construction Industry Conferences and meetings in seven countries in the Asian and Pacific region from Nepal & India to Australia & New Zeeland. In recognition of his services to the Construction Industry, the German Government recently invited him for a study tour on Vocational Education in Germany, Belgium, Luxemburg and France.  

In his professional capacity, Lion Saliya currently holds a number of honorary positions such as;

• Chairman of the Board of Management of the ‘Handwerkcentre’ in Kalutara - a Sri Lanka German joint venture project for training of construction craftsmen.
• Director of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL),
• Director of the Chamber of Construction Industry, Sri Lanka (CCI)
• Director of the National Construction Association of Sri Lanka (NCASL)
• Director of the International Institute of Management, Sri Lanka Chapter ( IIM – SL )
• Director of the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE) of the Ministry of Education,
• Director of the National Building Research Organization (NBRO) of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights
• Member of the Labour Advisory Council of the Ministry of Labour & Human Resources. .
• Member of the Advisory Committee of the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA)

He has also been an Executive Committee Member of the All Ceylon Buddhist Congress, Buddhist Theosophical Society and “Thurunu Saviya” Movement of the Vajiragnana Dharmayathanaya.

Personal Career 

Lion Saliya is married to Lion Surangani since 1980. They have three children, elder Son Kalinda reading for a B.Sc degree in Engineering, at the Iowa State University, USA. Daughter Thulika reading for a B.Com. Degree in Marketing at the Deakin University, Australia and youngest Son Kolitha studying at Royal College, Colombo.