Introduction
Lakshapathiya Mahavidanalage Jacob De Mel also simply known as V. Jacob De Mel (1839-1919) was a Sri Lankan businessman, philanthropist and entrepreneur who is still regarded as one of the finest entrepreneurs of the century to have emerged in Sri Lanka. During colonial times in Ceylon (now called as Sri Lanka), he dominated the business and agricultural fields with making a revolution in the Sri Lankan economy. His 100th death anniversary was remembered in Sri Lanka on 1 April 2019, coinciding with April Fools' Day.
Personal life
Jacob De Mel was born on 19 August 1839 in Moratuwa when British ruled Sri Lanka (British Ceylon) during the time frame from 1815 to 1948. He was born as the fifth son in his family to Francisco De Mel and Telge Leonara Peiris. It is believed that his family members were having lineage/roots way back in 1534 and were noted to have held position in the court of King Parakramabahu VI of Kotte Kingdom. He pursued his primary and secondary education at Royal College, Colombo in Colombo as well as at S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia in Mount Lavinia.
He married Dona Helena Ferdinando on 10 November 1869 in Moratuwa and the couple had 14 children including 9 daughters and 5 sons. One of his daughters, Grace De Mel was married to veteran Sri Lankan politician who involved in independence movement James Peiris. He died on 1 April 1919 at the age of 79.
Career
Similar to his father Francisco De Mel who was a successful businessman and entrepreneur, Jacob inspired from his father and carried out entrepreneurship along with charity. It was an era where both entrepreneurship and charity went hand in hand without looking for personal gain. He began his early career after foreseeing the potential of the plumbago industry pioneering it and subsequently became a businessman after acquiring the Ragedra mine in the district of Kurunegala. Around 1880s, he owned one of the largest commercial houses in the nation employing a labour force of approximately 3000 employees in his mines. He also carried his interests on agriculture and started planting coconut, cinnamon and tea.
In 1870, he established H. L. De Mel & Company (Private) Limited inorder to manage his plantations and other operations. The company was named after his eldest son in the family, Sir Henry Lawson De Mel. After his retirement his eldest son Henry De Mel continued the management of the company. During his tenure, he implemented a concept on 'business model' which is still being followed at the Colombo University.