The 30th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka – Australia – New Zealand Business Council (SLANZBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held on 7th July 2025, with H.E. Paul Stephens, High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka, and H.E David Pine, High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka & Maldives, in attendance as Chief Guests.
H.E. Paul Stephens, High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka, acknowledged Sri Lanka’s resilience during the recent economic challenges and emphasized the need for accelerated reforms, including export diversification, investment, climate improvements, tourism, vocational education, and digitalization, to prepare for debt repayments from 2028.
New Zealand High Commissioner His Excellency David Pine congratulated the newly appointed SLANZBC President Mr. Chandana Amaradasa and the new Committee, and thanked the outgoing President Ms. Udara Cumaratunga for her outstanding service. He highlighted the strong collaboration between Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand. Reflecting on past engagements, he praised the organization’s activities and underscored shared partnership goals, especially in tourism, agriculture, education, and sports.
Mr. Chandana Amaradasa Managing Director at Island Leisure Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, was elected as President of the Council for 2025/26. Mr. M H K M Hameez, Managing Director of Spillburg Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and Ms. Jayanthi Dharmasena, Managing Director of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd were elected as Senior Vice President and Vice President respectively. Ms. Shiyamalee Karunanayake, General Manager of Hayleys Advantis Ltd was elected as Treasurer. Ms. Udara Cumaratunga, Deputy General Manager, Commercial & Marketing at South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt) Ltd will serve as immediate past president after two years of dedicated service.
The newly appointed committee for the year 2025/26 consists of Mr. Abdul Azeez -CMA CGM Lanka (Pvt)Ltd, Dr. Saroshi Dubash -Abans PLC, Mr. Priyantha Chandrasekera -Thames International (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Prajeeth Balasubramaniam -BOV Capital(Pvt)Ltd, Mr. Lionel D C Silva -Lidechsi Group of Companies, Mr. Gerard Victoria -Air Global (Pvt)Ltd, Mr. Wazim Ahamed -Infomate(Pvt)Ltd, Mr. Anil Hapugoda -Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Ruwan Rajapakse -Jiffy Products S.L. (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Ravi Jayawickreme -Maliban Biscuit Manufactories (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Ruwan Kumara -Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt)Ltd.
The newly appointed President Mr. Amaradasa pledged to strengthen ties between Sri Lanka, Australia, and New Zealand—focusing on SME access to markets and capital, and tourism investment. Noting that SMEs contribute nearly 50% of national revenue yet face financial hurdles, he urged partners to open markets. With 50,000 hotel rooms and growing tourism, he sees strong investment opportunities. He closed by inviting active member participation to drive the Council’s mission forward.
For further details regarding membership of the Council, please contact the Secretariat of the Sri Lanka -Australia- New Zealand Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, No. 50, Navam Mawatha, Colombo 2. E-mail: [email protected] or Tel.: 011 5588875/ 5588800.
