Overview

Overview

The Industrial Development Board (IDB) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development. It is empowered by Industrial Development Act No.36 of 1969.In terms of this Act the IDB is the premier state organization entrusted with the responsibility of development of the Industrial Sector in Sri Lanka.

Chairman of the IDB

Mr. Yasas Hewage
Chairman – Industrial Development Board of Ceylon

Mr. Yasas Hewage brings over two decades of experience spanning banking, business strategy, entrepreneurship development, organizational transformation, and sports tourism.

Prior to his appointment as Chairman of the Industrial Development Board (IDB), he served as Private Secretary to the Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development and contributed to several national initiatives, including the SME Nexus Initiative, the National SME Strategy Framework, and the Institutional Transformation Team supporting the proposed Entrepreneurship and Industry Transformation Authority (EITA).

During his career with HSBC and NDB Bank, he held leadership roles in retail banking, SME development, strategy, and branch banking, contributing to business growth, organizational transformation, and customer-centric innovation.

A graduate in Business Administration from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Yasas is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing. He played a key role in establishing one of the world’s leading study centres for the CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing and has coached and mentored over 10,000 entrepreneurs, executives, and business professionals.

Founder of Spinner, a sports tourism and endurance cycling enterprise, and serves as a Director of Serendib Multisport, the local franchise holder and organizer of one of the world’s leading triathlon brands in Sri Lanka. A certified cycling biomechanics specialist trained by Retül, he combines his passion for endurance sport, performance, and destination marketing development with a strong interest in innovation, entrepreneurship, and industrial transformation.

Actg. Director General

Mr. W.A.P. Kapila Nishantha
Actg. Director General – Industrial Development Board of Ceylon

Organization Structure

• The IDB is headed by a Chairman and Board of Directors consisting of nine members appointed by the Minister.
• The Chairman is assisted by a Director General under whom are nine Directors heading the functional divisions. The functional divisions are responsible for the services provided to industry.
• The implementation of the programme at the Regional level comes under the purview of the Regional Development Division through it’s Network of District Offices covering the entire island.

• The Front Office Desk (Information Cell) provides the basic counseling to clients who visit the Head Office and register them online to facilitate them to link with IDB to avail further services from the relevant functional divisions or the island wide Provincial Network.