MR.AJITH NARAGALA started his life in a beautiful remote village in Wendala, Ruwanwella. Being the youngest of four siblings, he was brought up with the love of his family instilling strong cultural values and passion for his country. He completed his primary education at Ruwanwalla Rajasinghe Central College and joined Taxila Central College in Horana for secondary education. He completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of Visual and Performing Arts and followed it up with an MBA from the Mahatma Gandhi University in India.
“I BEGAN MY CAREER AS A YOUNG BANKER AT NATIONAL SAVINGS BANK. I SPENT MY FIRST 10 YEARS OF WORK LIFE AT NSB. AFTER MY STINT AT THE BANK, I WORKED IN MULTIPLE FIELDS, SUCH AS MEDIA MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, SOCIAL WELFARE, AND EDUCATION.
DURING MY UNIVERSITY LIFE, I WAS INVOLVED IN MANY STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS. THIS, TOGETHER WITH THE BROAD RANGE OF EXPERIENCE THAT I HAVE GAINED, HAS GROOMED ME TO BE THE LEADER THAT I AM TODAY AND TAKE DLB TO NEW HEIGHTS.”
Mr. Naragala is a well-known figure in Sri Lanka, with an impressive track record of leadership positions in both public and private organizations. Currently, he serves as the Chairman/CEO of Development Lotteries Board and as a board director for BCC Lanka Limited and Independent Television Network Limited. He is also a council member at the University of Ruhuna. Prior to his current positions, Mr. Naragala served as the Director General of Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) from 2020 to 2021. He has also held the positions of Chairman and Managing Director at Luxury Caring (Pvt) Limited from 2018 to 2021 and Operational Director at the National Youth Services Council from 2012 to 2015. With his vast experience and expertise, Mr. Naragala has made significant contributions to various organizations and industries in Sri Lanka. Mr. Naragala has also had the opportunity to work with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Higher Education on developing national strategies and policies.
“In addition to my work, I also take pleasure in being a visiting lecturer at a number of Universities. That provides me an opportunity to share my experience with undergraduates in the fields of marketing, management, public relations, and event management. I consider this a great opportunity to contribute to society.”
He has represented the country at the United Nations General Assembly in New York as part of the Sri Lankan delegation for the UN-funded youth development program. Speaking about this experience, Mr. Naragala stated that,
“I WAS HONORED TO REPRESENT MY COUNTRY AT THIS PRESTIGIOUS EVENT AND BE A PART OF THIS PROJECT THAT WAS FUNDED BY THE UN FOR THE YOUTH DEVELOPMENT IN SRI LANKA. IT WAS SOMETHING THAT I LED WITH PASSION AND THEREFORE IT WAS A REMARKABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME THAT IT HAD BEEN SHORTLISTED FOR RECOGNITION BY THE UN.”
Mr. Naragala is passionate about uplifting sports in Sri Lanka. As the VisePresident of Sri Lanka Athletics, since 2011 he has extended his support to move forward athletics.
Sri Lanka’s economy was already showing signs of weakness before the COVID-19 pandemic. With COVID-19, the economy took a hard hit, with most businesses coming to a standstill. While most other countries started to recover from the pandemic, the situation in Sri Lanka was exacerbated by the country’s political turmoil in the second and third quarters of 2022. While most organizations struggled during these challenging times, a few organizations showed resilience and were successful in facing these challenges. One such organization was the Development Lotteries Board. DLB not only grew but also made record profits during the previous financial year.
In an interview with the CEO magazine, Mr. Ajith Naragala, Chairman/CEO of the Development Lotteries Board, had this to say:
“The country’s situation had a significant impact on DLB’s business operations as well. We undertook a work program in 2022 that bolstered its success. First, we adopted a strategy to get closer to our retailers and customers. Accordingly, we held regional conferences, reaching out to all our sales personnel and retail partners. In these conferences, we shared our plans as well as got first-hand feedback about the market, which helped us further improve their strategy. Sales teams and Retails partners from all regions of the country were gathered at the annual sales agent’s conference. ‘Sanwardhana Abhiman,’ our annual sales agents conference, was held with a new outlook and the participation of top provincial officials such as divisional development committee heads, representatives of RDA, UDA, and SL Police. This forum helped us resolve some of the long pending challenges between the various stakeholders. During this conference, those who achieved the highest annual sales at the district level received cash prizes and certificates to motivate them, which further boosted DLB’s performance.
” DLB expanded the sales network with strategies such as providing sales booths for their agents, opening lottery shops island wide, promoting retail shops to sell lottery tickets, as well as various financial incentives for their district-wide distributors. This initiative contributed to an increase in sales through the existing sales channel. As a result, overall sales increased by 25%. This is a significant accomplishment considering the previous years’ average market growth for lottery sales, which was around 3% per year.
“WE ACTIVELY TOOK STEPS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUES FACED BY SALES AGENTS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, ORGANIZED MEETINGS OF SMALL GROUPS, AND PERSONALLY VISITED BOOTHS TO ENCOURAGE LOTTERY AGENTS TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE RISE IN DLB’S BUSINESS. WITH OVER 20,000 SALES ASSISTANTS, 2500 AGENTS, AND 90 DISTRIBUTORS SPREAD ACROSS THE ISLAND, DLB HAS A STRONG SALES NETWORK. WE ENSURED THAT THE SALES AGENTS ADOPTED OUR MARKETING PLANS FOR THEIR SALES ACTIVATION PROGRAMS, WHICH GREATLY AIDED DLB’S PERFORMANCE IN 2022. DESPITE THE CHALLENGES THEY HAD, THEY WERE ABLE TO REACH THE AMBITIOUS TARGETS GIVEN BY THE ORGANIZATION.”
DLB also bolstered its revenue with increased daily ticket sales by making the prize schemes more attractive and holding special monthly draws. Further, to specifically cater to the population in the North and East, and help create a bridge between the Sinhala and Tamil communities, they launched a new lottery called “Valampuri” with more prizes.
“WHEN I TOOK OVER IN DECEMBER 2021, PUBLIC AWARENESS AND PERCEPTION OF THE LOTTERY AND ITS CHANCES OF FAIR PLAY WERE NEGATIVE, SO WE BEGAN ANNOUNCING OUR WINNERS TO THE PUBLIC ON MASS MEDIA TO BUILD TRUST AND TRANSPARENCY AMONG THE TICKETBUYING PUBLIC ABOUT FAIR PLAY AND HONESTY. WE BELIEVED THERE WAS A NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE CORPORATE BRAND TO ATTRACT NEW CUSTOMER SEGMENTS AND GROW BUSINESS. IN DECEMBER 2022, WE LAUNCHED A NEW BUSINESS LOGO FOR DLB. THE AIM WAS TO CATER TO THE LOTTERY MARKETPLACE, WHICH IS GROWING DAY BY DAY. DLB CREATES ABOUT 40 TO 50 MILLIONAIRES EVERY MONTH AS WELL AS OVER 600 WINNERS OF PRIZE MONEY OF ONE LAKH.”
“We try our best to keep every promise we make in our promotional campaigns and have a winner in each draw. In the past year (2022), we have had forty-seven (47) super jackpot winners and handed out nearly Rs 10 billion in prize money. People are happy because they see so many people becoming millionaires, giving them renewed hope of a jackpot win. Sales agents received sales commissions exceeding Rs. 3 billion that year. DLB achieved a profit of Rs. 3.2 billion and a turnover of over Rs. 19.7 billion in 2022. The profit was contributed to the president’s fund and was the highest in all DLB history.”
Driving sales in a challenging environment is not an easy task. DLB had to get their sales staff motivated to drive towards this ambitious target. Commenting on this, Mr. Naragala expressed his views on the strategy adopted to motivate the sales staff.
“Going beyond the traditional model, we introduced a very attractive incentive scheme for our sales team. This created a high level of energy and enthusiasm among the team. With this boost in motivation, the teams were able to not only reach the target but deliver beyond it as well.”
Commenting on DLB’s mission, Mr. Naragala expressed his passion for his role.
“I AM VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT DLB’S MISSION AND ITS ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COUNTRY THROUGH THE MAHAPOLA SCHOLARSHIP WHICH GIVES HAND TO POVERTY-STRICKEN STUDENTS WHO ENTER STATE UNIVERSITIES IN SRI LANKA AND MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR LOW-INCOME GROUPS SUFFERING FROM CRITICAL ILLNESSES. THROUGH OUR MISSION DLB ENRICHES THE LIVES OF MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.”
With 50% investment each by the President’s Fund and Mahapola Scholarship Trust Fund, the Development Lotteries Board’s (DLB) income is shared equally by the two funds. The President’s Fund is a main source of medical assistance for lower income groups for critical illnesses where patients must undergo immediate, serious, and complicated surgeries for the heart, kidney, et cetera, both in the country and abroad. Similarly, of the nearly 40,000 students in the local universities and institutes of advanced technological education, about 40% are entitled to Mahapola assistance.
“So far, we have assisted over 325,000 graduates to complete their education with assistance from the Mahapola Grants Scheme. To be in the leadership of such an organization that would develop people’s lives and help develop social wellbeing drives my passion. All our funds come from lottery sales. I strongly believe that this support is crucial to the country during this critical stage we are in.”
People buy lottery tickets for a variety of reasons. For some, it is an access to quick money, and for others, it is a form of entertainment as they watch the draw in the hope of winning. There are also those who buy tickets as a sheer habit, and still others who consider it a form of charity where their contributions are for a worthy cause. In addition to creating winners and supporting two major social funds, DLB also contributes to the economy through the creation of over 20,000 job opportunities.
DLB has evolved over the years, keeping up with new trends and capturing the hearts of its customers. Explaining the future strategy of DLB, Mr. Naragala noted that
“DLB HOPES TO GROW FURTHER BY DRIVING NEW PRODUCT OFFERINGS AS WELL AS CATERING TO MARKET SEGMENTS SUCH AS YOUTH. FOR THIS, THE DLB WILL ADOPT NEW TECHNOLOGICAL PLATFORMS SUCH AS SOCIAL MEDIA AND DIGITAL LOTTERIES. THROUGH THIS, WE HOPE TO CREATE A MORE POSITIVE PERCEPTION OF THE LOTTERY MARKET. WE ALSO SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE OUR DISTRIBUTION NETWORK TO MAKE OUR PRODUCTS MORE ACCESSIBLE TO CUSTOMERS.”
Elaborating on the success of DLB, Mr. Naragala commented on the key pillars of the business’s success. “Our success is the result of a dedicated team of passionate individuals working together towards a common goal. Their ability to be resilient in challenging times has paid dividends to the company, allowing it to achieve its goals.”
In conclusion, Mr. Naragala commented.
“I strongly believe that Sri Lanka will come through this crisis stronger than ever. We are a nation of resilient citizens who have experienced many forms of crisis but always overcome them. I am glad to be at the helm of DLB to support my country during this crucial time.”