Srilanka, Feb. 4 -- Prominent business personality Harry Jayawardena passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Jayawardena was the chairman of Aitken Spence, Melstacorp, and Distilleries Corporation of Sri Lanka, and served as the Honorary Consul General for Denmark in Sri Lanka. Recognised as one of the wealthiest individuals in the country, he played a pivotal role in shaping Sri Lanka's corporate landscape. He began his career in the tea department at the state-owned State Trading Corporation (Consolidated Exports), also known as Consolexpo Ltd, after a stint at a British company. He later founded Stassens and went on to acquire significant stakes in several major companies.

In multiple stock market filings, the boards of companies le...