U. N. Gunasekera

Gunasekera was elected Fellow and President of the Institute of Engineers, Sri Lanka for five consecutive years, later serving as the chairman of its Board of Trustees. In 2006, he was awarded membership of the Institution of Structural Engineers and life membership of the National Construction Association (whose presidency he declined), in recognition of his professional excellence. He also received an award for 50 years of construction activity from the World Institute of Engineers.

Gunasekera developed a large construction business that captured a large portion of the market share. He was the first Sri Lankan engineer to build high-rise buildings. By initiating the construction of high rise buildings in Sri Lanka, he played a role in the economic and social development of Sri Lanka. In 1995, he was the only pre-qualified Sri Lankan engineer to bid for the 2.6 billion Marriott renovation of the Galle Face Hotel. He was named one of the five billionaires of Sri Lanka in 1998, prior to his retirement.

Gunasekera married Sita de Silva, daughter of Sir Ernest de Silva and Lady Evadne De Silva. They had three children, Srimani who became a Doctor, son Dhammika, who became an engineer and younger daughter, Sushila, was a prominent tennis player in the early 1970s before attending university to study architecture.

U.N. Gunasekera (1922–2008), was a Sri Lankan civil engineer. He is a notable Sri Lankan civil engineer. He revolutionized engineering in Sri Lanka through his construction of high-rise buildings, including Sri Lanka's first five-star hotel (the Ceylon Inter-Continental) and its largest five-star hotel (the Cinnamon Grand), among various other projects.