Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council holds 20th AGM

The 20th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. 

The SLSBC was inaugurated in 1997 under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce with the objective of promoting trade, investment, tourism and services between Sri Lanka and Singapore.

Spear International Ltd. Chairman and Managing Director Shamil Mendis was re-elected as the President of the council for 2017-2018. In his address Mendis mentioned that 2016-2017 has been an eventful year and outlined some of the significant activities the council had undertaken during this period. 

The Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council organised the ‘Sri Lanka Singapore Business Forum’ on 1 June 2016, to coincide with the visit to Sri Lanka of Singapore Minister of Trade and Industry S. Iswaran together with a high-powered business delegation. Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama graced the occasion on behalf of the Sri Lankan Government. Mendis stated that FDI inflow was crucial in the present context and the establishment of new partnerships and confidence building was a prerequisite. As such, the business forum provided a platform for establishing new business links with Singaporean companies and for providing insight into the investment climate in Sri Lanka.

The business delegation accompanying the Singapore Minister comprised representatives from various sectors such as export-led manufacturing, food processing, sourcing, services, Information Technology, BPO, hospitality and tourism, education, logistics, oil and gas and chemicals, agri-commodities trading, infrastructure solutions, etc. The business forum was followed by B2B meetings and a networking lunch with the delegation.

The Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) successfully concluded a business mission to Singapore in November 2016. The mission was organised to coincide with the seminar on Doing Business in Sri Lanka followed by business meetings which were organised by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and supported by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency which promotes international trade and partners Singapore companies to go global. The delegation also participated in business meetings with companies arranged by the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI) which provided them with an opportunity to network with their respective member companies and senior officials of the two chambers. The 18-member delegation engaged in an extremely productive visit to Singapore.   

The year ended with a joint networking evening organised by the Sri Lanka-Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and the Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club. The event provided an opportunity for members to interact and meet people from the Singapore expatriate community in Sri Lanka and senior officials of key Government Institutions relevant to business.

Prudential Shipping Lines Ltd. Managing Director Rohitha Mendis, Blue Ocean Ventures Ltd. Managing Director Prajeeth Balasubramaniam and Valdhue and Walker Ltd. Director Upali Bandaranayake were elected Vice Presidents of the council.

A Baur & Co. Ltd, Aitken Spence Cargo Ltd, Just in Time Holdings Ltd, MAC Holdings Ltd., Overseas Realty (Ceylon) Plc and Prima Ceylon Ltd. were elected from the membership to serve on the Executive Committee of the council.