Saman Kelegama (6 April 1959 – 23 June 2017) was a Sri Lankan economist, author and the executive director of the Institute of Policy Studies (Sri Lanka) (IPS).

Early life and education

Kelegama was born and grew up in Colombo under the influence of his father,

Deshamanya Deshamanya ( si, දේශමාන්‍ය, translit=Dēshamāṉya; ta, தேசமான்ய, translit=Tēcamāṉya; Pride of the Nation) is the second-highest national honour of Sri Lanka awarded by the Government of Sri Lanka as a ...

Dr. Jayantha Kelegama, who was both an academic and civil servant. He received his secondary and primary education in

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

Royal College, Colombo Royal College, Colombo is a selective entry boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started as a private school by Rev Joseph Marsh in 1835, it was established as the Colombo Academy by Sir Robert Wilmot-Horton in Janua ...

and St. Thomas' Preparatory School respectively. Subsequently, after completing his master's degree (1983) in Mathematics (Five year integrated programme) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, India, he completed his M.Sc. (1985) and D.Phil. (1990) in economics at St Catherine's College, Oxford University, UK.

Career

Kelegama joined the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) in 1990 and served as a

research fellow A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...

until 1994, and was appointed executive director in 1995. He was engaged in fund raising and networking activities for the IPS for two decades. The development of the IPS

Endowment Fund A financial endowment is a legal structure for managing, and in many cases indefinitely perpetuating, a pool of financial, real estate, or other investments for a specific purpose according to the will of its founders and donors. Endowments are of ...

and the new Head Office were two of his many achievements in fund raising at the IPS. The initiation of the South Asia Economic Journal and the South Asia Economic Summit were two noteworthy achievements in regional networking. Kelegama co-edits the South Asia Economic Journal. While working at the IPS he was closely associated with many academic institutions, the government and the private sector of Sri Lanka. He was a member of the governing boards of the South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS), Kathmandu, Nepal (since 2001), Postgraduate Institute of Management – University of Sri Jayawardenapura (since 2012), Social Policy Analysis and Research Center(SPARC),(since 2005), Gamani Corea Foundation (since 2012). He was a member of the editorial boards of various journals including the South Asia Economic Journal (founding editor), the Journal of the Indian Ocean Region (

Routledge Routledge () is a British multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanities, behavioural science, education, law, and ...

), Asia Pacific Development Journal (

UNESCAP The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to increase economic ...

), Trade Insight (SWTEE), and the Sri Lankan Journal of Management. Kelegama was the president of the Sri Lanka Economic Association from April 1999 to May 2003. He was instrumental in the merger of the Sri Lanka Association of Economists with the Sri Lanka Economic Association in the year 2000. He was also instrumental in merging Upanathi with the Sri Lanka Economic Journal and bringing out a new series. He was an Honorary Fellow of the Sri Lanka Economic Association. He was a Member/Executive Council Member of a number of institutions/associations including, the Sri Lanka Economic Association, the Organization of Professional Association of Sri Lanka, the Coalition of Action of South Asian Cooperation (CASAC-Sri Lanka Chapter), and Centre for Regulation and Competition,

University of Manchester , mottoeng = Knowledge, Wisdom, Humanity , established = 2004 – University of Manchester Predecessor institutions: 1956 – UMIST (as university college; university 1994) 1904 – Victoria University of Manchester 1880 – Victoria Univer ...

, UK. He was a Visiting Lecturer at the Postgraduate Institute of Management and the

Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute (BIDTI) is the institute in Colombo where Sri Lanka Overseas Service officers are trained. The Institute functions under Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategi ...

in Colombo. He was a visiting Fellow at the

International Institute of Social Studies The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS) of Erasmus University Rotterdam is an independent and international graduate school of policy-oriented critical social science. ISS was established in 1952 by Dutch universities and the Neth ...

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

(1992), Australia-South Asia Centre,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

(1998) and the Centre for Migration and Development at the

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

(1993–2000). He was an international visitor at the

United States Information Service The United States Information Agency (USIA), which operated from 1953 to 1999, was a United States agency devoted to "public diplomacy". In 1999, prior to the reorganization of intelligence agencies by President George W. Bush, President Bill C ...

(1993),

Indian Council for Cultural Relations The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), is an autonomous organisation of the Government of India, involved in India's global cultural relations, through cultural exchange with other countries and their people. It was founded on 9 Apri ...

(1998). He was a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences in Sri Lanka (elected in 2006) and a Salzburg Fellow(1997).

Public sector

While working at the IPS, Kelegama served on a number of Sri Lankan government boards and committees including; Industrial Development Board, National Enterprise Development Authority, Presidential Taxation Commission, 'Committee on Development and Management of Estates Leased out to Regional Plantation Companies, National Economic Council, National Development Trust Fund, Committee on Regional Trade Agreements of Sri Lanka, Joint Study Group: India – Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement'', * ''Independent South Asia Commission on Poverty Alleviation'', * ''Fair Trading Commission, Industrial Task Force, Industrialization Commission, Human Resources Development Council, Public Enterprise Reform Commission' and Board of Investment of Sri Lanka(BOI). Kelegama was appointed as the Chairperson by the Government of Sri Lanka in a number of Boards & Committees including Technical Negotiation Committees on "Trade in Services" & "Economic Cooperation" of the India-Sri Lanka Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement since 2005 to 2008. He also served as the Chairperson of the "Regaining Sri Lanka" Policy Development Committees on Land Transport and Infrastructure Development from 2002 to 2004, Small and Medium Industrial Task Force to prepare the White Paper since 2001 to 2002, SAARC Research Network since 1998 to 2001 and Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group since 1997 to present. He was appointed as the Economic Advisor to the Ministry of Industrial Development (2002–2004) and was a member of the Sri Lankan official delegation to:

ESCAP The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It was established in order to increase economic ...

Annual Sessions in 1999 and 2000 in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

;

WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...

Ministerial Summit in Singapore in 1996 and in Hong Kong in 2005; 12th

SAARC The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is the regional intergovernmental organization and geopolitical union of states in South Asia. Its member states are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, ...

Summit in

Islamabad Islamabad (; ur, , ) is the capital city of Pakistan. It is the country's ninth-most populous city, with a population of over 1.2 million people, and is federally administered by the Pakistani government as part of the Islamabad Capital T ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 2004;

UNCTAD The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is an intergovernmental organization within the United Nations Secretariat that promotes the interests of developing countries in world trade. It was established in 1964 by the ...

XI in

Sao Paulo SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in 2004;

Doha Development Round The Doha Development Round or Doha Development Agenda (DDA) is the trade-negotiation round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) which commenced in November 2001 under then director-general Mike Moore. Its objective was to lower trade barriers a ...

in Qatar in 2006 among others. The establishment of the Consumer Affairs Authority in 2003 was based on a report he jointly authored and recommended for the merger of the Fair Trading Commission and the Department of Internal Trade to form one single institution. Moreover, the establishment of the National Enterprise Development Authority in 2006 was based on a White Paper of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) prepared in 2002 by a committee chaired by Kelegama which recommended for an authority to deal with problems of SMEs.

Private sector

Kelegama was the chairman of

Singer (Sri Lanka) Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC is a Sri Lankan holding company engaged in retailing and wholesale marketing home appliances and furniture. The company is also taking part in financial services and manufacturing businesses. The company is listed on the Colo ...

PLC (from 2015 until his demise). He served on a number of boards in the Sri Lankan Blue chip and other companies including Singer (Sri Lanka) and its subsidiaries – Regnis Lanka, and Singer Finance, SC Securities,

Colombo Stock Exchange The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) ( si, කොළඹ ව්‍යාපාර වස්තු හුවමාරුව, translit=Kolamba Vyapara Vasthu Huvamaruva; ta, கொழும்பு பங்கு பரிவர்த்தனை) i ...

Sampath Bank Sampath Bank PLC ( si, සම්පත් බැංකුව, sampat bæṁkuva) is a licensed commercial bank incorporated in Sri Lanka in 1987 with 229 branches and 373 ATMs island-wide. It has won the "Bank of the Year" award by "The Banker" ...

, Centre for Private Sector Development and Five Year Apparel Sector Strategy Task Force. He also served as the chairperson of the Evaluation Committee on ''Best Corporate Citizen Award'' of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce from 2004 to 2013; and was the head of the panel of judges for the ''Exporter of the Year Award'' of the National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka from 1998 to 2008. He also served as the head of panel of judges of the ''Sri Lanka – Entrepreneur of the Year Award 1996'' of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka and was a member of the panel of judges for the selection of the ''Best Corporate Annual Report'' of the

Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (''CA Sri Lanka'') is a professional accountancy body in Sri Lanka. The Institute was established by Act of Parliament, No. 23 of 1959 as the sole organisation in Sri Lanka with the right to a ...

in 2002.

Death

Kelegama died of a heart attack, on 23 June 2017 while attending a seminar in

. He was 58 years old.

Awards and posthumous recognition

Posthumously, the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS) named its state-of-the-art auditorium as the ‘Dr. Saman Kelegama Auditorium’, dedicating it to its late executive director, in memory of his vision, leadership, and guidance. A special session to commemorate Kelegama was held during the Think Tank Initiative's 7th South Asia Regional Meeting 2018 (TTI RM7) held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue. In fact, the whole 4 day event was dedicated to his memory. The special session reflected on the contributions of Kelegama, who dedicated his professional life to promoting South Asian integration. Kelegama was posthumously conferred the ICCR Distinguished Alumni Award by the Government of India at a ceremony in New Delhi on the 13th of April 2018. The award is presented to distinguished foreign alumni of Indian Universities and Dr Kelegama was recognised for his significant contributions in the field of Economics and for his efforts towards strengthening Sri Lanka - India Economic ties and friendship. In December 2017, the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) of the Sri Jayawardenapura University of Sri Lanka decided to name the Gold Medal for the best performing student in its Executive MBA program as the 'Dr. Saman Kelegama Memorial Gold Medal' as a fitting tribute to preserve his presence at the PIM for posterity. Furthermore, the PIM dedicated the 14th edition of the Professional Manager magazine to him, launching the book in April 2018. Titled ‘Insights on an Irreplaceable Icon’, this issue contains 25 articles dedicated to Kelegama. The IPS launched the Saman Kelegama memorial lecture in June 2018 to mark the first death anniversary of Kelegama. The inaugural lecture was held on the theme ‘Managing Domestic and International Opportunities and Challenges for Stability and Growth’ and was delivered by the governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), Indrajit Coomaraswamy. Coomaraswamy noted that Kelegama was an embodiment of many qualities, both professional and human; despite his many accolades and achievements, he was always modest, kind, unassuming, and humane, he said. IPS also hosted a 'Dr. Saman Kelegama Memorial Conference', which was held in Colombo under the patronage of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and International Trade and Development Strategies Minister Malik Samarawickrama. The 2 day event was themed ‘Managing Domestic and International Challenges and Opportunities in Post-Conflict Development: Lessons from Sri Lanka' and brought together eminent economists from Sri Lanka and abroad, including Sri Lankan economists overseas and key figures from South Asian think tanks and international agencies, as resource persons. The conference was organised to mark Kelegama's first death anniversary.

Works

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelegama, Saman 1959 births 2017 deaths Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Sri Lankan economists Development economists Sinhalese academics Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford Alumni of S. Thomas' Preparatory School, Kollupitiya Indian Institutes of Technology alumni