Nawaz appointed Vice President of global lobby for SMEs

Thursday, 30 April 2015 01:23 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Nawaz Rajabdeen Business leader Nawaz Rajabdeen has been appointed as the Asian Vice President serving the international board of the global lobby group for SMEs - the International Society for Small and Medium Enterprises (ISSME). The International Society for Small and Medium Enterprises (ISSME) - a global Non-Government Organisation headquartered in New Delhi, India - has been working for the cause and development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) the world over since its inception in 2010. The vision behind establishment of ISSME was to build a global community of small businesses, their support institutions and other stakeholders for sustainable development of this vibrant MSME sector with a practical approach. ISSME is committed to enhancing the state of MSMEs across the world. Rajabdeen has been appointed due to his vast knowledge and experience as well as his selfless and singular service to the cause and development of the micro, small and medium enterprise sector in Sri Lanka. Rajabeen is a veteran businessmen and industrialist and has played a pivotal role in the private sector. He has served as Chairman of the Industrial Development Board, National Director for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Vice President of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce, Director of the Export Development Board, the Sri Lanka Standards Institution, the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka and Hotel Developers Plc. “I am hoping to set up a regional industrial development office with the assistance of the ISSME headquarters in Delhi. This will help Sri Lankan industrialists to upgrade their machinery and get advanced technology to increase their quality and productivity to be competitive globally,” an elated Rajabdeen told the Daily FT following the appointment. According to him most of the micro and SMEs do not get proper support from any institutions in the country and as a result a large number of industries have become ineffective. Rajabdeen expressed hope that through ISSME and its efforts, needy Sri Lankan micro and SMEs would benefit and become regionally and globally competitive.