Upali Wijewardene | |
|---|---|
| උපාලි විජේවර්ධන | |
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| Born | 17 February 1938 Kamburupitiya, Sri Lanka |
| Disappeared | 13 February 1983 (aged 44) Straits of Malacca |
| Education | Royal College, Colombo |
| Alma mater | Queens' College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder of the Upali Group (Kandos Chocolate, Upali Air and Upali Newspapers) |
| Spouse | Lakmini Ratwatte |
| Relatives | |
Philip Upali Wijewardene (17 February 1938 – 13 February 1983: Sinhala: උපාලි විජේවර්ධන) was a Sri Lankan business magnate and entrepreneur. In 1983, Wijewardene had a net worth of US $50 million. He was the founder and chairman of Upali Group, the first multi-national business in Sri Lanka. Upali Group has businesses in the US, UK, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and Hong Kong.[1] The Upali Group diversified from confectionery to electronics, automobile manufacturing, publishing, print media, leisure, and aviation. It developed many brands, including Kandos, Delta, Unic, Upali Air, Upali Mazda and Upali Newspapers, which Insight Magazine UK said was achieved "largely through bravado and wit."[2]
Wijewardene was presumed dead on 13 February 1983, when his private Learjet disappeared over the Straits of Malacca soon after leaving Malaysia en route to Colombo.[3]
- ^ "The president we never had 37TH REMEMBRANCE OF UPALI WIJEWARDENE". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Upali Wijewardene the colossus". Daily News. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "The mysterious disappearance of Upali 37 years ago". Silumina. 20 November 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2021.