N. V. NUGAWELA
Archivist and Records Manager in Colombo, Sri Lanka
INFORMATION | EVIDENCE | RIGHTS | RECORDS
Nigel Nugawela is an internationally-recognised information professional with nearly a decade of experience and leadership in archives and records management (ARM). Nigel has expertise in strategic policy development and drafting legislation related to ARM, having chaired high-level national committees to modernise archival law and introduce a national policy framework to more effectively manage archives and records that comprise the country’s evidentiary infrastructure. He has also a proven track record in implementing archival and records management projects, contributing to organizational development, and designing specialised academic curricula to elevate professional standards within the field of ARM in Sri Lanka.
He currently operates as a consultant, advising various organisations on ARM-related projects. He was a founding trustee of the Collective for Historical Dialogue & Memory (CHDM) and was previously associated with the Centre for Policy Alternatives (2009-2012), Groundviews (2009-2012), Consultation Task Force on Reconciliation Mechanisms (2016-2018), and the Strengthening Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka (SRP) programme (2019-2022).
N. V. Nugawela read for an MA (Hons.) in Politics at the University of Edinburgh and, as a Chevening Scholar, for an MA in Archives and Records Management at University College London (UCL), where he was awarded the Sir Hilary Jenkinson Prize (2018/9).
• Professional membership •
Member-at-Large, Executive Committee, Section on Archives and Human Rights (SAHR), International Council on Archives
• Advisory •
Member, Sri Lanka National Archives Advisory Council (June 2026 - present)
Member, Sri Lanka National Archives Advisory Council (April 2023 - April 2026)
• Committees •
Member, Committee to Draft Retention/Disposal Regulations for Court Records (ongoing)
Chairperson, Committee to Revise the National Archives Law No. 48 of 1973 (appointed by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs)
Chairperson, Committee to Formulate a National Policy on Archives and Records Management (appointed by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs)
• Recent writing/finding aids/contributions
National Policy on Archives and Records Management, released in January 2026
Records of the Secretary, S. H. C. de Silva, 1990-2018 (ESC1), Historicaldialogue.lk, January 2022
• Other news •