The 28th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Australia – New Zealand Business Council (SLANZBC) was held recently, with His Excellency Paul Stephens – High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka & Maldives and His Excellency Michael Appleton – High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka & Maldives, gracing the occasion as Chief Guests.
In a significant move, Ms. Udara Cumaratunga – Senior Manager, Commercial & Marketing – South Asia Gateway Terminals was elected as the first female President of SLANZBC, while Mr. Sampath Jayasundara – CEO / Director hSenid Business Solutions, and Dr. Dhananjay Kulkarni – Dean, Universal College Lanka, were elected Vice-Presidents for 2023/24, with Mr. Ruwan Rajapakse – Managing Director – Jiffy Products S.L. (Pvt) Ltd., serving as the Immediate Past President
Ms. Cumaratunga outlined her vision for the upcoming year, aiming to provide a platform for new business ventures, encourage trade delegations, and work closely with respective trade missions to build stronger and broader industry engagements. She also emphasised the importance of collaboration between Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand in various sectors, including trade, services, tourism, education, and agriculture, highlighting the significant potential for growth given their geographic uniqueness as island nations.
She expressed her commitment to strengthen existing connections and expand trade engagement in various sectors, including educational services, tourism, Indian-ocean economic cooperation, people-to-people links, dairy, fresh fruit, tea, sports, agriculture, rubber, and ready-made garments.
Committee Members 2023/24: Mr. Gerard Victoria – Air Global (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Denver De Livera – ASL Logistics CMB (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Kingsley Abeywickrema – CMA-CGM Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Emil Kronemberg – E C D Global (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Fazlan Faizal – Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Ms. Jayanthi Dharmasena – Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., Mr. Chandana Amaradasa – Island Leisure Lanka (Pvt) Ltd., Mr. Lionel De Silva – Lidechsi Group, Mr. Delano Dias – Millers Ltd., and Mr. M H K M Hameez – Spillburg Holdings (Pvt) Ltd.
SLANZBC is a platform that aims to promote trade, services, and tourism between Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand.
