OPA to hold 34th Annual Conference from 13-14 October

President Elect and 34th OPA Annual Conference Committee Chairman Dulitha Perera during the unveiling of the conference theme and logo

• President Rajapaksa Chief Guest at event themed ‘Resurgence in the New Order’

President Eng. Shantha Senarath welcoming media personnel

The Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) of Sri Lanka is to host its 34th OPA Annual Conference on 13 and 14 October at the Shangri-La Colombo, attracting over 60,000 professionals from 52 Member Associations

representing 32 diverse professions.

The OPA Annual Conference Committee led by OPA President Elect Dulitha Perera recently presented the timely and apt theme ‘Resurgence in the New Order’ and the logo of the 34th OPA Annual Conference.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has been invited to attended the Inauguration Ceremony as the Chief Guest.  The two-day conference will be held on a virtual setting and live streamed via the OPA website and its corporate social media pages on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.

The Keynote Speaker of the Inauguration ceremony will be Lord Dr. Michael Hastings of Scarisbrick CBE, House of Lords, Westminster, London. He is also the Chancellor, Regent’s University London Professor of Leadership, Stephen R Covey Leadership Centre, Huntsman Business School, Chair, London Chamber of Commerce Black Business Association and Black Business Institute Advisory Board Member and Concordia Leadership Council.

The opening plenary scheduled for 14 October will focus on ‘Entrepreneurship’ where Ashroff Omar with Dr. Udaya Indraratne will be exchanging their knowledge on how successful they have been in their own fields and how one could adapt and come up with new concepts on entrepreneurship to overcome the challenges and hurdles that the pandemic brought in its wake. They will be discussing on what strategies could be implemented in order to help our entrepreneurs to revive and make a contribution to society and country.

The first concurrent sessions will be focusing on two pertinent aspects which should be taken into consideration amidst a pandemic. ‘Future of Education’ will be an issue where the focus would be on an entire range of educational activities and linking them up with STEM education and technological education system to adapt to the new normal. 

‘Current Economic Conditions and Sustainable Economic Development’ will focus on measures to be initiated to revive the country’s economy and what strategies are to be implemented to build up the cornerstones of Sri Lankan economy for a better future in an equitable society.

Second concurrent sessions will focus on supply chain management to concentrate on how Sri Lanka can be positioned as a central hub in the global supply chain which will result in attracting more Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs) to the country. Having identified wide ranging legal and regulatory reforms required in thrust sectors such as agriculture, health sector and improving overall foreign direct investment, a concurrent session has been dedicated for the same.

Finally the closing plenary will focus on the tourism industry which has been worst hit industry due to the pandemic. With the pandemic, dwindling income generated through tourism sector necessitates, strategic direction and fundamental changes in the product offering. The session will also focus on the ever increasing need for human capital and talent development in the hospitality and tourism sector.

The launch event was attended by OPA President Eng. Shantha Senarath, OPA President Elect, 34th Annual Conference Committee and 03rd National Apex Awards Committee Chairman Dulitha Perera, OPA General Secretary Ruchira Gunasekara, OPA Treasurer Bandula Gamarachchi, 34th Annual Conference Committee and 03rd National Apex Awards Committee Convener Amila Sugathapala, representatives of media and members of OPA connecting on a virtual platform.

Eng. Senarath extended invitation to its entire fraternity, corporates and business leaders in Sri Lanka to join the virtual session. Whilst congratulating the Organising Committee on appropriately conceptualising the theme of the 34th OPA Annual Conference Eng. Senarath stated that the theme would act as a steppingstone to help keep exploring and instilling ways and means of enhancing the ability of our professionals to work in tandem to be able to actively contribute to the country’s development agenda. Perera explaining on the theme and logo of the 34th OPA Annual Conference said it is aimed at educating the drivers of the economy - professionals, on the path to reviving Sri Lanka’s economy through education of future generations, adapting and evolving with new technology, guiding entrepreneurs, gaining recognition as the economic central hub in the global supply chain with efforts to strengthen the country’s legal/regulatory framework.

The logo colours symbolise the professionals who are engaged in 32 professions in 52 professional associations, a star that betoken professionals as frontline members for the country’s development agenda, the earth in the middle of the star resembling the global outreach of our professionals, the 32 coloured boxes point out all professionals are on par with each other despite the diversity in respective practices, Sri Lanka highlighted within the globe denotes the global thinking and acting locally whilst the hands conceptualise the ‘Resurgence’ through the unified platform offered by OPA to further strengthen the ideology of global thinking and acting locally, whilst the two hands presents the togetherness of the OPA to influence, to lobby for the betterment and development of Sri Lanka. Finally, the books and cogwheels at the root of the hands symbolise the blend of theoretical and practical knowledge that is of need for the ‘Resurgence in the New Order’.

The 34th Annual Conference Committee and 03rd National Apex Awards Committee Convener Amila Sugathapala thanked the sponsoring organisations of the 34th OPA Annual Conference including SLT-Mobitel as Official Telecommunication Partner, Siam City Cement (Lanka) Ltd. as Gold sponsor and HNB Finance PLC and Huawei Sri Lanka as Bronze sponsors.

OPA General Secretary Ruchira Gunasekera thanked the Office Bearers, the Annual Conference Committee, Past Presidents and the members of the Executive Council and the General Forum of the OPA for the support they had given to successfully conduct the press conference. She also expressed thanks to the media personnel for being present at the event amidst a difficult time in the country.

Conference Committee Chairman Dulitha Perera responding to media questions

 Seated from left: 34th Annual Conference Convener Amila Sugathapala, OPA Treasurer Bandula Gamarachchi, OPA President Eng. Shantha Senarath, OPA President Elect and 34th Annual Conference Committee Chairman Dulitha Perera and OPA General Secretary Ruchira Gunasekara