The 20th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka–Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently at the Chamber premises.
The SLSBC was set up in 1997 under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce to promoting trade, investments, tourism and services between Sri Lanka and Singapore.
Shamil Mendis, Chairman and Managing Director, Spear International (Pvt) Ltd., was re-elected as the President of the Council for 2017-2018.
Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade, Malik Samarawickrama was the chief guest.
Mendis said that 2016-2017 has been an eventful year and outlined some of the significant activities the council had undertaken during this period.
The Sri Lanka–Singapore Business Council organized the ‘Sri Lanka Singapore Business Forum’ on June 1, 2016, to coincide with the visit to Sri Lanka of Minister of Trade and Industry, Singapore, S. Iswaran and a high powered business delegation.
Mendis said that FDI inflow is crucial in the present context and the establishment of new partnerships and confidence building is a prerequisite. As such, the Business Forum provided a platform for establishing new business links with Singapore companies and for providing an insight into the investment climate in Sri Lanka.
The SLSBC concluded a business mission to Singapore in November last year. The mission was organized to coincide with the seminar on Doing Business in Sri Lanka followed by business meetings which was organized by the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) and supported by International Enterprise (IE) Singapore, the government agency that promotes international trade and partners Singapore companies to go global.
The delegation also participated in business meetings with companies arranged by the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SICCI).
The year ended with a joint Networking Evening organized by the Sri Lanka–Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) and the Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club.
Rohitha Mendis, Managing Director, Prudential Shipping Lines (Pvt) Ltd, Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Blue Ocean Ventures (Pvt) Ltd, and Upali Bandaranayake, Director, Valdhue and Walker (Pvt) Ltd were elected as Vice Presidents of the Council.
Representatives of A. Baur & Co. Ltd, Aitken Spence Cargo, Just in Time Holdings, MAC Holdings, Ovearseas Realty and Prima were elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Council.