WiLAT Sri Lanka’s globally renowned ‘IGNITE’ Mentoring Program celebrates 1st anniversary

Mentees with Chairperson of WiLAT and Project Chair – Ignite

Mentors

The scholarship being awarded to Dilini Yapa, an undergraduate from University of Moratuwa  by President of Lions Club of Thalangama North, Rtd Brig Maithree Tennekoon with WiLAT Chairperson and Ignite Project Chair 

The first anniversary celebration of ‘IGNITE’ Mentoring Program organised by the Women in Logistics and Transport Forum Sri Lanka was held on 27 November at The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo amidst a large gathering. The Chief Guest for the event was Expo Freight Ltd. Managing Director Saif Yusuf while SAGT Chief Commercial Officer Ted Muttiah was the keynote speaker. 

WiLAT Chairperson Gayani de Alwis in her welcome speech informed the gathering that the flagship mentoring program which was launched on 3 November 2014 within a short period of time, received global recognition. She said that at the recently concluded WiLAT global convention in Dubai, WiLAT adopted four thrust areas; mentorship, entrepreneurship, leadership and empowerment to work on for the next three years and the pioneering efforts of WiLAT Sri Lanka was adopted for global roll out across the 16 WiLATs under her leadership .

“IGNITE mentoring program fits perfectly into the WiLAT mission to ‘Provide a forum for women engaged in the industry to network and create opportunities for career advancement and empower them to become leading professionals’,” said the WiLAT Chairperson. She reiterated that the mentoring program can only be successful if both mentor and mentee understand each other, committed to the cause and be flexible in their interactions. She reminded the mentees that this is a golden opportunity for their personal and professional development and for them to make the most of it by actively engaging with the mentors. Remember mentoring is a two-way street. You get out what you put in, she stressed.

The Chairperson further said that WiLAT is blessed to have 16 mentors from the industry who are volunteering to support young female talent to take our sector forward and urged them to cherish this experience as a leadership moment. The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves she added.

In his keynote speech titled, Developing brand “I”, Muttiah explained a framework for Strategic Professional and Personal Development. This review is considered through four key areas that support a structured approach. The four areas are formal learning, experiential learning, emotional, cultural and social intelligence and Spiritual, Moral, Ethics and Values. The review enables identification of stepping stones to make positive gains to actualising aspirations. The framework was full of insights and was very useful for the young audience.

The highlight of the event was the awarding of a scholarship to a mentee courtesy Lions Club of Thalangama North. Dilini Yapa, an undergraduate from University of Moratuwa was selected as the winner.

Dhashma Karunaratne, WiLAT Executive committee member was the Project Chair of ‘Ignite’. Rajini Ruchithra, WiLAT Executive Committee member shared her mentoring experience with the audience. A mentoring guide book was launched at the event and Chairperson of WiLAT handed over the guide to the chief guest and the keynote speaker.

The Women in Logistics and Transport (WiLAT) forum in Sri Lanka was formed in 2013 by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Sri Lanka to encourage the representation of women in the transport and logistics industry and to address the wide gender imbalance. WiLAT Sri Lanka creates awareness on career opportunities, increases access to information and supports continuous professional development. The forum also offers networking opportunities to share industry best practice as well as training and mentoring opportunities.