Ceylon Chamber re-elects Chairperson Krishan Balendra at 187th AGM

Friday, 26 June 2026 05:11 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Ceylon Chamber Chairperson Krishan Balendra (right) addressing the AGM, in the presence of (from left): Vinod Hirdaramani, Andrew Patrick, Bingumal Thewarathanthri, and Shiran Fernando

Top blue chip John Keells Holdings’ (JKH) Chairman Krishan Balendra was yesterday re-elected Chairperson of Sri Lanka’s premier private sector body, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, at its 187th Annual General Meeting (AGM) for 2026/27.

British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick attended as Chief Guest.

The 2026/27 office-bearers are Chairperson Krishan Balendra (John Keells Holdings Chairperson), Vice Chairperson Bingumal Thewarathanthri (Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka CEO), and Deputy Vice Chairperson Vinod Hirdaramani (Hirdaramani Group Chairman).

Board Members include Jayanthi Dharmasena (Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Managing Director), Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson (5-hour International Corporation Singapore COO and Head of APAC), Shibani Thambiayah (Renuka Hotels Managing Director), Supun Weerasinghe (Dialog Axiata Director/Group CEO), and Shiran Fernando (The Ceylon Chamber Secretary-General/CEO).

David Pieris Motor Company Ltd., Group Chairman/Managing Director Rohana Dissanayake will also join the Board, replacing former Nestlé Lanka PLC Managing Director Bernhard Stefan, who relocated overseas.

In his remarks, Balendra, whose father Ken headed the transformation of JKH and chaired The Ceylon Chamber from 1998-2000, noted that over the past year, the Chamber adopted a more solutions-oriented approach to advocacy, focusing not only on identifying challenges but also on developing constructive recommendations in collaboration with the Government, industry stakeholders, and development partners, with this approach yielding stronger results.

“Through our engagement in the Budget 2026 process, 18 recommendations proposed by the Chamber were incorporated into the national Budget, covering areas such as trade facilitation, investment promotion, digitalisation, infrastructure, and improving the ease of doing business. This builds upon the strong momentum established in previous years and demonstrates the value of evidence-based, constructive engagement,” he said.

“The Chamber also contributed to addressing emerging global trade challenges, including tariff-related issues affecting Sri Lankan exports. By representing private sector perspectives in Presidential Committees, we supported efforts to safeguard export competitiveness and strengthen trade resilience,” Balendra added.

Beyond advocacy, the Chamber significantly expanded its engagement footprint, strengthening bilateral partnerships across more than 20 countries, and supporting more than 1,800 small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through training, advisory services, and market access initiatives.

The Chairperson added that over the next year, The Ceylon Chamber is committed to deepening engagement with members, strengthening global partnerships, enhancing support for SMEs, and accelerating efforts to promote exports and attract investment, and is committed to working with the Government and stakeholders to ensure a resilient and prosperous Sri Lanka.