BNI National Conference engages over 400+ local and international members

BNI Sri Lanka’s flagship event – The BNI National Conference 2025 – which was held on 18 June at the Cinnamon Grand, Colombo concluded successfully with the active and enthusiastic participation of 250 members representing the 16 chapters in Sri Lanka and 160 foreign participants representing overseas BNI chapters from India, Japan, Bahrain, and Taiwan, The participants were hosted to an engaging full-day conference followed by a networking and fellowship session. The conference aimed to connect the 400+ entrepreneurs, professionals, and industry leaders for targeted networking and referral opportunities. Attendees participated in high-speed meetings, learned from expert speakers on business trends and leadership, and explored collaborations and joint ventures. The event also recognised outstanding performance, offered regional and international exposure, and fostered cross-chapter business relationships among BNI members.

The morning session progressed into a structured speed networking session where members were given an opportunity to introduce themselves and their businesses to other members by walking around. Thereafter, the members were hosted in separate breakout rooms by BNI India President and visionary leader Hemu Suvarna; District Director and Performance Coach Santhosh Radhakrishnan; and author, publisher, and Happiness Coach Murali Sundaram—internationally acclaimed speakers who engaged with the members.

The evening session started with an exciting and minutely curated curtain raiser, which was followed by the welcome address by the BNI Sri Lanka Country Manager Glenn Lord.   

“We warmly welcome members from BNI chapters from across Sri Lanka, as well as the members representing BNI’s overseas chapters. It is a privilege to host our 2025 national conference with the overwhelming presence and support of so many of our members, which is a testament to the trust and value proposition that BNI offers to our members who are primarily entrepreneurs and business owners,” said BNI Sri Lanka Country Manager Glenn Lord in his welcome address.

“BNI’s unique engagement model, which is an exclusive member-driven platform for business networking targeting entrepreneurs and business owners, provides unparalleled benefits to expand and grow business and businesses through our proven “Givers Gain” philosophy,” he added.

Thereafter, the keynote speakers—visually impaired fashion designer, motivational speaker, and founder of Christina Glory, Ashcharya Peiris; visionary corporate leader, public speaker, and mentor, Kishu Gomes; and Murali Sundaram—delivered their keynote addresses, further inspiring and motivating the members.

Ashcharya Peiris spoke about the need for resilience to conquer challenges while Kishu Gomes spoke about the business environment in Sri Lanka which poses critical challenges to business owners and entrepreneurs. In his keynote, Murali Sundaram spoke about the need for entrepreneurs and business owners to collect ‘hearts’ and not simply focus on business alone to be successful. 

The awards ceremony followed the keynote addresses, where outstanding individual and chapter performances were recognised. The award for the Best Region of the Year 2025 was won by the Colombo North region, while the Top Chapter of the Country 2025 award was won by BNI Inspire Chapter – Colombo North. The Green Awards Chapter 12 Months was won by BNI Kingdom Chapter – Colombo South. The awards ceremony was followed by cocktails and a gala dinner.