April 08, 2024: HNB FINANCE PLC, announced its appointment of Ravi Tissera as an Independent Non-Executive Director to its board, effective from April 04, 2024.
Tissera is an inclusive finance, impact investing, green finance and MSME Sector specialist with over 15 years’ experience as a CEO both in Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
He was the founder CEO of LOLC Micro Credit Ltd in 2008, which later merged with LOLC Finance PLC (LOFC) in 2018. He continued as Executive Deputy Chairman/CEO of the merged entity until February 2020. He moved to Myanmar in 2020 as CEO of Early Dawn Microfinance Ltd. Under his leadership, Early Dawn made vast improvements and is now among the top four microfinance institutions in Myanmar. Furthermore, during his tenure, Early Dawn was able to be the first MFI in Myanmar to complete long term debt restructuring.
He was also instrumental in the transformation of BRAC Sri Lanka, an NGO, to a Non-Bank Financial Institution and expanded microfinance entities outside Sri Lanka for the LOLC group, in Myanmar, Cambodia, Pakistan and Zambia.
Tissera has held board positions in many companies in Sri Lanka and overseas and has served as an Alternate Director of Seylan Bank PLC. He has strong competencies in Corporate Finance and lead the first USD syndicate debt finance to the NBFI sector in Sri Lanka
Additionally, during his term as CEO at LOLC Micro Credit, INSEAD Business School made a case study for social enterprise for its Masters Programme.
He is professionally qualified as a marketer and has received executive education training at HBS. He is also a panellist and resource person in the inclusive finance, impact investing and green finance space.
