# Sanji Gunawardena

> Sanji Gunawardena is the Philadelphia-based founder, President and CEO of Fidem Financial, established in 2018. His career includes consumer-finance acquisitions at Bank of America and Kessler Group, and business analysis at DuPont. Fidem acquires and manages consumer credit assets and supports co-brand card programs through institutional capital partnerships.

- **Role:** President & Chief Executive Officer at Fidem Financial
- **Organizations:** Fidem Financial, Kessler Group, Bank of America, DuPont
- **Education:** Nalanda College, Colombo, Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance, University of Georgia, MBA, Finance, University of Toronto - Rotman School of Management
- **Known for:** Founded Fidem Financial in 2018., Fidem’s current leadership biography reports more than $23 billion in acquired credit card and other unsecured consumer loan assets; this is an acquisition figure, not a verified current AUM figure., Led Fidem as it expanded into co-brand card partnerships, including Shop Your Way and Bilt 2.0.

## Career timeline

- **Before 2018; dates unspecified** — Held roles at DuPont, Bank of America, a consumer-finance advisory firm, and Kessler Group.
- **2018** — Founded Fidem Financial.
- **2022** — Listed as President, CCIM, in ECN Capital investor materials.
- **2025** — Fidem announced Shop Your Way co-brand partnership and four senior leadership hires; Gunawardena announced Aress on LinkedIn.
- **2026** — Fidem became underwriting and funding partner for Bilt 2.0; Gunawardena shared his return to Nalanda College.

## Achievements

- Founded Fidem Financial in 2018.
- Fidem’s current leadership biography reports more than $23 billion in acquired credit card and other unsecured consumer loan assets; this is an acquisition figure, not a verified current AUM figure.
- Led Fidem as it expanded into co-brand card partnerships, including Shop Your Way and Bilt 2.0.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Fidem appointed Yasmine Anavi Chief Risk Officer, reporting directly to Gunawardena.
- **2026-01** — Fidem partnered with Bilt, Cardless and Column as underwriting and funding partner for Bilt Card 2.0.
- **2025-12** — Gunawardena announced the launch of Aress Financial Services with partner organizations.

## Links

- Website: https://fidem-financial.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanji-gunawardena-6644911

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/sanji-gunawardena
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-09