FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – Dimuth Bhashitha Atapattu has been appointed as Director General of Sri Lanka’s Data Protection Authority (DPA) effective March 5.
“The Board looks forward to working with Mr. Atapattu as he leads the DPA in safeguarding the privacy rights of individuals and supporting responsible data-driven innovation,” stated DPA chairman Rajeeva Bandaranaike.
The appointment of a Permanent Director General to the DPA enhances the country’s personal data protection efforts and reinforces the privacy framework established in the Personal Data Protection Act No. 9 of 2022, as amended by Act No. 22 of 2025, according to a statement from the DPA.
Atapattu is an officer of the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS) with extensive experience in both the private and public sectors, including senior management positions.
“I am committed to building an effective, independent regulator that upholds the rights of data subjects and supports a secure and trusted digital economy,” Atapattu remarked.
Before this appointment, Atapattu served as the director in charge of Commercialization and Partnerships at the Ministry of Digital Economy. He is also a Board Director for the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERT) and the LK Domain Registry.
His previous roles include positions at the Ministry of Defense, the Department of Motor Traffic, and the Department of Manpower and Employment. Additionally, he has worked at Virtusa in both Colombo and the United Kingdom, as well as at Queen’s University Belfast in the United Kingdom.
Atapattu holds a Bachelor of Computer Science (BCSc) degree from the University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC), a Masters of Information Systems (MIS) from the University of Melbourne, and a Masters of Public Administration (MPA) from the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM), University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
(Colombo/Mar23/2026)
