Sri Lankan corporate leader and executive Deshamanya Kandiah (“Ken”) Balendra passed away at the age of 85 today, his family confirmed.

Born in 1940, Balendra held numerous influential corporate positions in Sri Lanka and the region. He was the first Sri Lankan Chairman of John Keells Holdings Ltd. and was serving as the chairman of the Commonwealth Development Corporation at the time of his death.

Known as Ken to some and Bala to others, Balendra was a legendary figure whose remarkable career spanned from his early days as a schoolboy rugger star to becoming a planter and a dynamic corporate leader. He played a key role in transforming John Keells in the 1980s from a colonial-era tea broking house into one of the country’s largest conglomerates.