Eminent personalities to motivate Chartered Accountants at CA Sri Lanka’s 40th National Conference

 The high-profile speakers at the 40th National Conference of Chartered Accountants 

• Group includes corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, cricketers and mountaineers

A diverse portfolio of some of Sri Lanka’s best-known names, including corporate leaders, entrepreneurs, famous mountaineers and a legendary cricketer, will take the stage at the 40th National Conference of Chartered Accountants to help rediscover the passion and purpose of professionals to ensure they reach the pinnacle of professional success. 

Dubbed Sri Lanka’s largest business summit, the National Conference, organised by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), will feature Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Chief Executive Officer - South Asia Region and Corporate Executive Vice President of Axiata Group Berhad, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya, who will set the pace of the conference by delivering the keynote on the theme ‘Finding your mojo’ on 14 October at Waters Edge, Battaramulla. 

The conference will conclude following two days of technical sessions on 15 and 16 October. 

Sri Lanka’s popular Mount Everest duo of Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala and Johann Peries will kick off the first session on ‘Self mojo’, which aims to examine how professionals can rise up from their negative mindset to take charge and become an effective part of change. 

The second session titled ‘In search of a nation’s magic that has sustained in most of its history’ will feature Merrill J. Fernando, a doyen of Sri Lankan tea and founder of global brand Dilmah, as its speaker. 

99X Technology Ltd. CEO/Co-Founder Mano Sekaram, JB Securities CEO Murtaza Jafferjee and Chartered Clinical Psychologist Dr. Malkanthi Hettiarachchi, who is also a counterterrorism researcher and instructor, will join the session as panellists to help participants understand how to regain their lost mojo, which is defined as the internal magic that translates to external success. This session will be moderated by Management Consultant, Trainer, Author, Speaker and Accredited Master Coach Deepal Sooriyaarachchi. 

The third session on ‘Mojo in one’s career – how do you fall back in love with your job’ will feature Capital Maharaja Organization Ltd. Executive Group Director Chevaan Devavarathan Daniel, who will be joined by Daraz Sri Lanka Managing Director Rakhil Fernando and MAS Holdings Group Human Resources Director Dinali Peiris, who will share their insights on how to look beyond the daily tribulations and seek purpose in one’s work, aspire to reach greater heights and more importantly fall back in love with one’s job.

Well-known entrepreneur and business leader LAUGFS Holdings Ltd. Chairman/Group CEO W.K.H. Wegapitiya will steer the fourth session on ‘The enterprising mojo of family businesses’. The session will also feature CBL Group (CBL) Group Managing Director Sheamalee Wickramasinghe and Hemas Holdings Plc Executive Director Murtaza Esufally. 

The session, which will be moderated by Ernst and Young Sri Lanka and Maldives Senior Partner Arjuna Herath, looks at how one of the oldest and most common models of economic organisations - family businesses - can teach participants lessons on building an enterprise with its own unique mojo.

Legendary cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan will take the stage during the fifth session on ‘It’s about how you play the cards you hold’ to help participants understand the need to never give up despite the obstacles you face. During this session, he will share with participants his road to success, despite the hurdles, and how he never threw in the towel and kept on playing to finally achieve his target. 

The sixth session will bring forth two respected corporate leaders, KPMG Sri Lanka Managing Partner Reyaz Mihular and Softlogic Holdings Plc Chief Process Officer Indresh Fernando, who, together with Russel Valentine, Nigel Wayne White, Sakina Juzar, Kaveesha Coswatte and Shenellka De Silva, will go in for a ‘rapid fire tango’ titled ‘The future of mojo – it takes two to tango’. The session will help participants to understand the next generation, what they bring to the table and what their world looks like to ensure the older generation can gain a better understanding of the next generation and its expectations.