Nilu Wickremasinghe appointed as WISTA President

The Sri Lankan arm of the Women’s International Shipping and Trading Association (WISTA) celebrated six years of presence in Sri Lanka. To commemorate this significant milestone WISTA held its AGM on 21 August at the Kingsbury Hotel, followed by cocktails.

This event was graced by Kasthuri Chellaraja Wilson who shared her remarkable journey to have become the first female Group CEO of a conglomerate in Sri Lanka inspiring the many WISTA members. This truly was a momentous occasion for WISTA as Wilson who had been a WISTA member addressed the audience sharing her success story of how she broke the glass ceiling encouraging more women in a male dominant industry to come forward. She also outlined the key factors women should consider in taking up leadership roles and how to be successful, keeping the audience inspired and motivated. 

SALOTA International Ltd. Director Nilu Wickremasinghe was elected as the President of WISTA Sri Lanka during the event. Nilu brings in a wealth of knowledge and experience in the shipping and logistics industry to lead and achieve the objectives of WISTA. 

Debbie Jones, Correspondent Manager at GAC Shipping Ltd. was elected as the Vice President. Felicita Alwis, Senior Executive Operations at GAC Marine Services Ltd. was elected as the Secretary, Ishani Caldera Assistant Manager at Ocean Network Express Lanka Ltd. (ONE) as Assistant Secretary. Sujani Kumarasinghe, Head of Finance/Director at Maersk Sri Lanka was elected as the Treasurer, Surangi Gunasekara, and Manager at Prudential Shipping Lines Ltd. as the Assistant Treasurer.

The newly elected Executive Committee for the year 2020/21 consists of Shehara Jayawardana, Swabha Wickramasinghe, Diruni Chanmugam, Catriona Jayasundara, Anoma V. Ranasinghe, Chamila Bandara, Amali Mendis, Keshani Jayasekara, Shalinie de Silva, Kalani Dassanayake, Omalika Jayathilaka, Shiyamalee Karunanayake, Shamala Rebecca, Randima Krishnaratne, Chandula Rambukwell and Kanchana Bopitiya. The Executive Committee will work towards implementing many initiatives in accordance with the WISTA mandate on improving gender parity and women empowerment in the industry.

Addressing the gathering the newly elected President Nilu Wickremasinghe expressed her confidence in leading WISTA to be a strong force in the industry during a very challenging period. She also stressed on the importance of empowering women and encouraging more of them to join the workforce where the new normalcy has changed how we work with more flexible work patterns.

During the event felicitations were offered to Kasthuri Chellaraja Wilson as the ‘WISTA Personality of the Year’ for her outstanding achievements and service to the industry.

South Asia Gateway Terminals continues to power WISTA SL as the Corporate Partner and will extend its support for yet another successful year of activities that promote and strengthen gender diversity and women empowerment in the industry.