Sumathipala Family
The Sumathipala family own and manage Lakbima Newpapers (Pvt) Limited. Udu Watuwage Janath Priya Thilanga Sumathipala, also referred to as Thilanga Sumathipala, is a parliamentarian. He founded Sumathi Newspapers (Pvt) Limited in 1994. The company was renamed as Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited in 2008. In order to further his political career, he resigned from the board of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited and from the position of Chairperson in 2010. He is well-known for having previously held the following positions: former Deputy Speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament, former Deputy Minister of Skills Development and Vocational Training Institute, former member of the Western Provincial Council and a founding member of the Newspaper Society of Sri Lanka.
Thilanga is the younger son of a business magnate, U.W. Sumathipala, and philanthropist Milina Sumathipala. U.W. Sumathipala is the founder of Lakbima Newspaper's parent company, Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited, while Milina Sumathipala served as the Chairperson after her husband passed away. Thilanga has one brother, Jagath Sumathipala, and five sisters. Jagath currently serves as the Chairperson of Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited, and as the CEO and Managing Director of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited. Jagath and Thilanga’s mother, Milina Sumathipala, is still listed as a shareholder although she passed away in 2016. Jagath’s wife Samantha Kumari Karunaratne serves as a Director at Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited. Their eldest son, Chadu Sumathipala, currently serves as the Director for Business Strategies and Development at Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited.
Business
Publishing
Lakbima Newspaper (100%)
Holdings Company
Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited (100%)
Family & Friends
Affiliated Interests Family Members Friends
Jagath Sumathipala – the brother of Thilanga Sumathipala, the current Chairperson, CEO and Managing Director of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited and its parent company, Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited. He owns 50 percent of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited.
Samantha Kumari Karunaratne – the wife of Jagath Sumathipala and serves as a Director at Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited.
Chadu Sumathipala – the eldest son of Jagath and Samantha Sumathipala, currently, serves as the Director for Business Strategies and Development at Sumathi Global Consolidated (Pvt) Limited.
Samadara Saamamala Wimalaratne – the wife of Thilanga Sumathipala, served as a Director of Sumathi Global Consolidated (Private) Limited in 2016. She is the daughter of Victor Harold Wimalaratne, the Managing Director of Alerics Ice Cream (Pvt) Limited.
Milina Sumathipala – well-known philanthropist and film producer, the mother of Thilanga and Jagath Sumathipala. Although she passed away in 2016, 50 percent of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited is listed under her name.
Thilanga Sumathipala – well-known parliamentarian and founder of Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited.
Further Information
Meta Data
Details on the Sumathipala family are accessible on their publicly available, individual websites. According to the annual return form filed at the Department of Registrar of Companies for the year 2017, Milina Sumathipala is listed as a shareholder at present. Yet, Milina Sumathipala passed away in December 2016. While the Media Ownership Monitor research team reached out to Lakbima Newspapers (Pvt) Limited by formally requesting for the company’s information on 25 July 2018, the company did not respond to the aforementioned request.
