Sri Lanka Economic Summit to discuss leveraging locational advantage to boost trade and logistics se

The upcoming ‘Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2016’ will have a separate session to discuss how Sri Lanka can utilise its locational advantage to boost the country’s International Trade and Logistics sectors.

The session which is titled as ‘International Trade and Logistics – Leveraging on Location’, will have three keynote speakers, namely Sri Lanka Ports Authority Managing Director Sarathkumara Premachandra, McKinsy & Company Expert Partner Steve Saxon and Institute of Policy Studies Executive Director Dr. Saman Kalegama. 

The trio’s keynote speeches would be followed by a panel discussion, which would be taken part by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Harsha De Silva and Hayleys Advantis Ltd. Managing Director Ruwan Waidyaratne. The session would be moderated by TWCorp Chairman Thilan Wijesinghe.

Among the keynote speakers, Sarathkumara Premachandra is an SLPA veteran having previously served as its Additional Managing Director and Director operations. He has started his SLPA career as a management trainee. Steve Saxon of McKinsy & Company focuses primarily on transport, infrastructure, and logistics. His clients are typically networked transportation businesses, notably airlines and shipping. Dr. Saman Kelegama, another keynote speaker of the session is a trade policy economist who also works on industrial economics, public enterprise reform, and macroeconomics.

Meanwhile, among the panellist, Dr. Harsha de Silva, prior to entering active politics was a development banker, consultant economist and was engaged in cofounding the country’s largest market and social research agency. While his session partner Ruwan Waidyaratne has been a pivotal figure in driving the transportation and logistics sector of the Hayleys Group to the forefront of the industry. He is having wide scale expertise in the business of shipping, freight forwarding, logistics and aviation.

This session, which will take place on 3 August will discuss what Sri Lanka needs to do in order to become a global logistics hub, by utilising its strategic geographical location of being closer to busiest international shipping lanes in the world. 

Hayleys PLC and Pyramid Wilmar are platinum sponsors of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit, while Sunshine Holdings and CIC have come forward as the Gold Sponsors of the event. Dialog has signed in as the Silver sponsor and First Capital is the strategic sponsor of the summit. If you wish to reserve a seat for this event, call on 0115588852 or email to [email protected].