WiLAT SL organises Mentor-Mentee Evening

Mentors and mentees at the WiLAT SL Mentor-Mentee Evening 

Speakers at the WiLAT SL Mentor-Mentee Evening

Women in Logistics and Transport of Sri Lanka (WiLAT SL) organised a Mentor-Mentee Evening for mentees who enrolled for WiLAT’s ‘Ignite’ mentoring program in November 2018. The program was held on 31 August at the National Chambers of Commerce SL Board Room under the discussion topic: ‘Finding your mentor and nurturing the relationship for the long haul’. 

WiLAT SL Chairperson, Spectra Logistics Head of Contract Warehousing and 3PL  Gayathri Karunanayaka

WiLAT SL Secretary, Expolanka Freight HR Generalist – Learning and Organisational Development Amra Zareer

WiLAT SL Chairperson Gayathri Karunanayaka CMILT briefed the mentees on the ‘Ignite’ mentoring program and reiterated the importance of making the best use of this program which gives the mentees direct exposure to the eminent mentors from the industry with sound professional background, experience and qualifications. 

WiLAT Hon. Secretary Amra Zareer CMILT shared her experience and educated the audience on nurturing the mentor-mentee relationship to help mentees enhance their professional and personal lives and also to help them fast-track their career with proper mentoring from one’s Mentors. She further stated that mentoring is a two-way street and both the Mentor and Mentee should work towards supporting each other professionally and should assist in reverse mentoring where possible. 

WiLAT Co-Founder and Advisor Gayani De Alwis CMILT also shared her experience and encouraged the mentees to engage with their mentors and obtain maximum benefit from the ‘Ignite’ program which is also been followed in other countries under the WiLAT banner globally. Gayani further stated that it is evident that the mentees who are part of the Ignite program once entering the corporate world are performing exceptionally well and have a head start to their careers. 

The session was concluded by a Q&A forum where mentors namely Niroza Gazzali, Priyangani Jayasundara and Dr. Renuka Herath also exchanged their experiences and ideas on how this program could be further enhanced to add value to the logistics, transport and supply chain industry and encouraged the university undergraduates to actively involve in programs of this nature. 

The flagship event ‘Ignite’ is scheduled to take place in early November and WiLAT SL will be calling for applications to enrol the new batch of Mentees under the WiLAT Ignite program for the sixth consecutive year. WiLAT has groomed over 125 young mentees and has contributed immensely to the development of these young undergraduates to enter the sticky floors confidently in this highly male dominant logistics and transport industry. 

WiLAT is the women’s forum of Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. The main objective of WiLAT is to promote and encourage the art and science of logistics and transport. WiLAT is part of an ever expanding global network within CILT. The global launch of WiLAT was held on 3 June 2013 in Sri Lanka during the CILT international convention. Currently, WiLAT is present in 20 countries with over 2,000 members in the global network which is expanding rapidly. WiLAT Sri Lanka is one of the five pioneering fora of the global network and was established on 21 March 2013.