PIMA to hold forum on  Sri Lanka’s turnaround strategies and the role of international community

Keynote speakers at the forum Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, Douglas E. Sonnek, Katsuki Kotaro and Vinod K. Jacob

The Alumni Association of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIMA) will hold its first ever PIMA Strategic Forum on 20 September at the Shangri-La, Colombo.

Titled “Sri Lanka’s turnaround strategies and the role of the international community” the event will see some of the finest minds in Sri Lanka’s corporate sector discuss the country’s turnaround strategies for overcoming the prevailing economic crisis. The vital role played by the international community in Sri Lanka’s Road to recovery will also be explored by the speakers and panellists scheduled to address the forum.

Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe, the chief guest at the event, will deliver the keynote address. Other key dignitaries giving their insights will be US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Douglas. E. Sonnek, Embassy of Japan Deputy Head of Mission Katsuki Kotaro and India Deputy High Commissioner Vinod K Jacob.

The organisers of PIMA Strategic Form 2022 intend to create a professional platform for those interested and are willing to play a hands-on role in formulating strategy for the country to forge a path out of the crisis to prosperity.

PIMA President Shiranthi Theverapperuma said the alumni body plans to achieve this by providing an opportunity to business leaders and professionals to understand their respective industry’s role in Sri Lanka’s turnaround strategy and the myriad ways in which they can contribute.

Boasting over 5,000 members, in both private and public sectors and across multiple disciplines, PIMA is uniquely qualified to hold an event of this magnitude, where this high-profile event will also provide the opportunity to PIMA CEOs and other senior executives to interact with each other in what promises to be a rare gathering of some of the country’s sharpest thinkers and business strategists.

Given this context, one of the objectives of the forum is to set a positive tone and create a more approachable and accessible environment in order to attract as many professionals and businessmen and women as possible to this much needed development discussion.

Among the forum’s ambitious objectives is to serve as a facilitator and knowledge partner in the execution phase of the strategies formulated for the business sustainability that will help the authorities and the country’s vibrant private sector navigate Sri Lanka out of its present crisis. This would be initiated through insights and guidance provided by the PIMA Alumni who currently comprise some of the country’s top business magnates. 

Utilising their experience and expertise in navigating businesses through challenging times, these practitioners will mentor and guide local businesses implement strategies to promote business productivity and employment growth and to improve business survival, thereby paving the way towards improving economic growth.

“The goal is to foster an intelligent and productive discourse on not just short-term economic recovery but a sustainable, inclusive development that seeks to unlock Sri Lanka’s full potential as a hub in the region. CEOs, professionals and business leaders can benefit immensely from this forum,” said Theverapperuma.

“There hasn’t been a professional platform for specialists and experts to present their viewpoints on the nation’s development and turn those viewpoints into concrete action items. The PIMA strategic forum will try to bridge this gap by enabling the right stakeholders in society the opportunity to participate in initiatives of this nature and contribute to the nation’s recovery efforts,” added Project Chair Thimira Manamendra.

The vision behind the forum is perfectly in line with PIMA’s vision as an alumni body -- to transform PIMA into a community of thought leaders that will shape the nation’s socio-economic fabric -- and its mission -- to bring together and develop PIMA through Unique Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs to forge links with the country’s business and public sector communities through unique public interest programs.