Mr. Somasena Mahadiulwewa officially assumed duties as the Acting Director General of Commerce at the Department of Commerce (DoC), Sri Lanka, on May 15, 2026.
Hailing from Mahadivulwewa in the Trincomalee District, Mahadiulwewa received his education at Mahadivulwewa Maha Vidyalaya, Trincomalee, and Niwaththakachethiya Maha Vidyalaya, Anuradhapura.
A seasoned public servant and career commercial diplomat, he brings more than 24 years of experience at the Department of Commerce, where he has played a significant role in shaping Sri Lanka’s foreign trade policy, international trade negotiations, trade promotion strategies, and commercial diplomacy initiatives aimed at supporting economic development and export growth.
Throughout his diplomatic career, Mahadiulwewa has served at Sri Lanka’s foreign missions in the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, and South Africa, contributing to the strengthening of bilateral trade relations and the promotion of Sri Lanka’s commercial interests in international markets.
He has also represented Sri Lanka at several World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conferences and has been actively involved in Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, trade remedies, and national trade policy formulation. In 2009, he served as an intern at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.
Academically, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Management (Public) Honours degree from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Colombo. He is currently pursuing a PhD in International Economics at the University of Colombo, focusing on Free Trade Agreements and export diversification.
Mahadiulwewa is also a life member of the Sri Lanka Economic Association.
