TMC Jaffna ushers in new leadership with bold regional vision at 2026 AGM

Seated from left: NIS26 Chairman Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa, Consul General of India in Jaffna Sai Murali, TMC Jaffna Chairman 26/27 Dr. S. Chandrakumar, BoM President Roger Talayaratne, TMC Jaffna Vice Chairman V. Niranjan, and BoM VP – Admin Shanthi Bhagirathan 

Standing from left: Assistant Treasurer Rajaratnam Sasikaran, Renewals and Membership Development S. Sukirtharuban, TMC Jaffna Immediate Past Chairman S. Anu Rakavan, Assistant Secretary R. Janarthanan, and Treasurer R. Balakumar 

The Management Club – Jaffna (TMC Jaffna) held its Annual General Meeting on 27 August, at the Conference Hall of Jetwing Hotel Jaffna, under the theme “Stronger Together – Building a Progressive Jaffna.” The evening combined routine governance with a fresh strategic vision for the Club’s next chapter, in the presence of TMC Board of Management leadership, the Consulate General of India, academic leaders and a World Bank consultant.

Business and leadership transition

Outgoing Chairman Anu Rakavan opened proceedings and confirmed quorum, after which members ratified the 2025 AGM minutes, the Annual Report and Financial Statements. Thereafter Dr. Chandrakumar was appointed as the incoming Chairperson for 2026/27, with his Executive Committee:

The line-up shows a clear continuity with several Ex- office bearers simply stepping into new roles like Anu Rakavan, Sukirtharuban, S. P. Gokulashankar, Vivekananthan Niranjan and N. Nishanthan Karunairaj.

A tribute to a landmark year

Dr. Chandrakumar paid a tribute to Anu Rakavan’s leadership where he referred to a landmark year for TMC Jaffna, anchored by the Northern Investment Summit (NIS26). He also credited TMC Immediate Past President Indhra Kaushal Rajapaksa, for driving the summit’s overall vision, while appreciating the work of TMC Vice President-Admin Shanthi Bhagirathan, as its organisational backbone, and thanked Vivekananthan Niranjan for coordinating with local offices and departments behind the scenes. He also stated that NIS26 Deputy Chair Rakavan, worked tirelessly to ensure TMC Jaffna played a central,uncontested role in the summit’s success. He also highlighted the launch of OSSI — the club’s “One Stop Shop Investment” online platform, built in partnership with academic and provincial bodies — as proof of TMC Jaffna’s capacity to contribute directly to national development.

Membership expansion as the term’s priority

Dr. Chandrakumar stated aggressive membership expansion as his primary focus for the year, inviting corporate, banking and entrepreneurial leaders, medical and academic professionals, IT specialists, and archaeological, heritage and cultural experts to join the Club and broaden its base of regional expertise.

A four-point action plan

Chairman Dr. Chandrakumar in his chairman’ s speech set out an action plan built around four priorities: building a dedicated young membership tier with structured mentoring toward future leadership roles; promoting tourism and hospitality alongside other key regional industries; embedding SME empowerment, startups and women-led enterprises into every future initiative; and helping local SMEs become export-ready through sponsor-supported skill development workshops.

World Bank spotlights tourism and investment

World Bank Consultant Kanishka Balasuriya, the evening’s featured guest speaker, addressed the potential of tourism in Northern Sri Lanka. His remarks tied closely to REVIVE (Regional Empowerment through Vibrant, Inclusive and Viable Economies), a $ 100 million World Bank project under Sri Lanka’s new country partnership framework. Locally, the project’s first phase priorities are Jaffna Fort and the Gurunagar fishing harbour — pairing heritage tourism infrastructure at the fort with the modernisation of Gurunagar’s fishery sector — alongside sites in Pasikuda, Trincomalee and Arugam Bay in the Eastern Province. The project aims to strengthen tourism and fisheries value chains and thereby to support small businesses, with particular emphasis on women entrepreneurs, while creating roughly 3,000 jobs and benefiting close to 260,000 people by 2031. The overlap with TMC Jaffna’s own membership and SME priorities was hard to miss.

Keynote: Youth, women and enterprise

The keynote address came from Consul General of India in Jaffna Shri Sai Murali on “The Transformation of Northern Province.” He emphasised youth empowerment, women’s advancement and startup development as the region’s key growth levers — themes that echoed Dr. Chandrakumar’s own plans for mentorship and women-led enterprises — and described India as a steady, motherly presence for the region, one that has consistently stood by Sri Lanka through good times and difficult ones alike.