Salesforce strengthens commitment to Sri Lanka with first-ever Innovation Day in Colombo today

Salesforce will host its first-ever Salesforce Innovation Day Colombo today (31), underscoring the company’s growing investment in Sri Lanka and its confidence in local enterprises as they accelerate Artificial Intelligence (AI) adoption.

The event will bring together over 200 business leaders, customers, partners, and technology professionals to explore how trusted AI, connected data, and intelligent automation can help Sri Lankan organisations compete globally — driving productivity, deeper customer relationships, and new growth pathways.

The speaker line-up reflects the diverse sectors leading Sri Lanka’s digital transformation, spanning diversified enterprises, pharmaceuticals, retail, and consumer goods. 

Keynote speakers will include John Keells Holdings PLC Executive Vice President and Group Chief Information Officer Ramesh Shanmuganathan, Keells Supermarkets Head of Omni Commerce, Digital and Loyalty Niresh Muthuratnanandan; and Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC Head of Digital Marketing Yashodha Sooryakeerthi. 

Partner and advisory perspectives will come from Deloitte Customer Leader – Sri Lanka and Maldives Haresh Perera and Altria Consulting Ltd., Director – Sales Chamikara Perera, who will share insights from Altria’s experience as both a Salesforce partner and customer.

Through leadership conversations, live demos, and customer stories, Innovation Day Colombo will show how Sri Lankan businesses are moving beyond experimenting with AI to putting it to work responsibly across sales, service, marketing, and commerce.

Salesforce India and Sri Lanka Managing Director Mankiran Chowhan said: “Sri Lanka has a strong foundation of entrepreneurial ambition, digital talent, and businesses ready to innovate. Innovation Day Colombo reflects our confidence in this opportunity and our commitment to supporting businesses of all sizes for the long term. By bringing together trusted AI, data, skills, and a strong local ecosystem, we want to help Sri Lankan organisations turn technological potential into meaningful outcomes — for their customers, employees, and the wider economy.”

Innovation Day is one part of a broader commitment Salesforce is building in Sri Lanka, spanning skills, startups, partners, and enterprise transformation:

●Building digital skills: Through Trailhead, Agentblazer learning, workforce partners, and the Trailblazer Community, Salesforce is helping students, professionals and career-switchers build job-ready digital skills — with several AI learners in Sri Lanka trained through Salesforce-supported programs to date.

●Enabling startups: Salesforce expanded its Startup Program to Sri Lanka in January 2026, connecting founders with the broader Salesforce ecosystem, including its AI-powered technology, community support, and joint go-to-market opportunities. The expansion builds on a regional community of more than 435 startups across India and Singapore, including over 230 AI-first startups.

●Strengthening the partner ecosystem: Consulting partners like Altria Consulting Ltd., Deloitte, John Keells IT (pioneer sponsor), Mawkish Technologies, and Teardrop AI are helping enterprises move from AI ambition to execution, bringing implementation expertise and change-management capability that complement Salesforce’s technology.

●Driving customer transformation: Salesforce is already supporting Sri Lankan organisations, including Keells Supermarkets and Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC, to strengthen customer engagement and advance digital transformation across sales, service, marketing, and commerce.

Together, these efforts position Salesforce not just as a technology vendor entering Sri Lanka, but as a long-term partner in the country’s digital and economic ambitions.