Sri Lanka Administrative Service officer Saman Ekanayake has been appointed as Secretary to the President of Sri Lanka, the president’s office said shortly after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as the country’s eighth executive president.

Ekanayake was Secretary to the Prime Minister since his appointment on May 12 following Wickremesinghe’s appointment as prime minister.

He had served as Secretary to the Prime Minister three times before under the tenure of Wickremesinghe from 2015 to 2019.

Ekanayake is a Special Grade Retired Officer in the Sri Lanka Administrative Service, with a career spanning 30 years in which he served a number of ministries and High Commissions in Malaysia and London.