Sirisena served as general manager of the Sri Lankan State Timber Corporation[6] from 2005 until November 2014,[7] with his position being terminated after the beginning of his brother's presidential campaign.

[8] Subsequent to his brother's electoral victory, Sirisena was appointed the chairman of Sri Lanka Telecom — an appointment which the Colombo Telegraph called "controversial", while conceding that Sirisena has the requisite education and professional experience for the position.

[9] The Sunday Leader later revealed that the President had appointed Sirisena despite the objections of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and several members of his cabinet.

[10] Sirisena received his secondary education at Bandaranayake College Gampaha.

He holds a master's degree in Business Administration from the Wayamba University of Sri Lanka and a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from University of Sri Jayawardanapura.