by

Maheen Senanayake

Mr. P B Abeykoon, a senior career administrator and former Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration has been appointed Secretary to the President and assumed duties last morning.

All Secretaries of Ministries who are appointed by the president vacated office with the change of administration. Mr. Lalith Weeraunga, Secretary to President Rajapaksa, remained in office until President Sirisena took his oaths and then vacated this position.

Abeykoon served as Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration & Home Affairs since May 2010. His previous postings include Secretary, Ministry of Public Management Reforms and Controller General, Department of Immigration & Emigration.

He joined the Sri Lanka Administrative Service in 1982 and began his career as an Assistant Government Agent, at Gomarankadawela (Trincomalee District). Then he moved to the Department of Immigration & Emigration and worked as an Assistant Controller and later Deputy Controller. Subsequently he was appointed as the Deputy Director, Combined Services Department, Ministry of Public Administration and Home Affairs where he served till 2000.

From 2004 to 2005 he functioned as the Commissioner General, Department of Registration of Persons, Colombo and from 2005 to 2010 as the Controller General, Department of Immigration & Emigration. As Controller General, he is considered by many to have pioneered a more customer centric approach to service delivery.

Under his direction the Department of Immigration and Emigration was the recipient of the Productivity Award in 2007.

He obtained a Special Degree in Economics from University of Kelaniya in 1980 and a Diploma in Agriculture from the School of Agriculture, Kundasale in 1981.Mr.Abeykoon has a Masters in Development Management (MOM) from the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Manila, Philippines in 1995 and is an Attorney at Law. He is married with two sons and a daughter.

Courtesy:Sunday Island