He was a school prefect[3] a member of the English Debating and Drama Societies, (with Chanaka Amaratunga, RD Gunaratne and Richard de Zoysa), a member of the Classical Quiz competition team which won the National competition (with Rohan Edirisinghe, Richard de Zoysa, RD Gunaratne, Chanaka Amaratunga and Devaka Fernando)[4][5] a member of the Science Quiz team which reached the semi-finals of the national competition (with RD Gunaratne Professor Chandu de Silva and Devaka Fernando).

Herat was awarded the Bishop's Senior Divinity Prize and the HL Wendt Memorial Scholarship and served as Secretary of the Student Christian Movement.

In 2004, Herat was released to the International Monetary Fund to serve as Alternate Executive Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka.

[10] He was a much loved and deeply respected official of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka[11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] Uthum Herat was an author on financial matters writing for both national and international magazines and newspapers - in the areas of monetary policy, foreign exchange market, financial sector reforms, money laundering, Central Bank independence, economic growth, exchange rate, financial market deployment, unemployment and savings and investments.

Church life was an integral part of Dr Herat, over the years he had led the Youth Fellowship, he was also General Superintendent of the Sunday School.

[29] In April 1974 he represented St.Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia in a dramatised act of Easter Worship, ' Breakdown and Breakthrough,' directed by Gillian Todd and held at the Anglican Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, in Colombo.