Mr. J.N. Dambawinne

Mr. Dambawinne has  an extensive 43-year career in the Tea Trade, including a 12-year tenure at Somerville & Co Ltd before joining Mercantile Brokers Ltd as Director – Tea in 1992. He served with Mercantile Produce Brokers (Pvt) Ltd for 23 years, rising to the position of Managing Director for the last 14 years. Mr. Dambawinne possesses exceptional knowledge of tea and is responsible for grading, tasting, auctioning, and marketing of tea. He has held several significant roles in the tea industry, including serving as the past convener of the tea sub-committee in 1988/89, 2002/03, and as the broker representative on the committee of the Ceylon Tea Traders’ Association (CTTA) in 1989, 2007/2008, and 2019/2020. He was also appointed as a Surveyor for the export of tea by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and as a member of the tea council by the Honorable Minister of Plantation Industries in 1996. Mr. Dambawinne has held several leadership positions in professional organizations such as Deputy Chairman of the Colombo Brokers Association for 2004/2005 and 2005/2006, Chairman of the Colombo Brokers Association for 2007/2008 and 2019/2020, Chairman of the Tea Association of Sri Lanka for 2007/2008 and 2019, and as a member of the committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2004/2005, 2007/2008, 2011/2012, and 2016/2017. Presently, he holds the position of Managing Director at Lanka Commodity Brokers Limited.