IASL appoints new office bearers at 25th AGM

Seated from left:  Rimoe Saldin, Senior Vice Chairman, PolypakSecco (Pvt) Ltd; Rohan Casiechetty, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce; Dinesh Dharmadasa, Chairman Elect, Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC; Dr. Harsha De Silva MP, Chief Guest; Nilam Jayasinghe, Immediate Past Chairman, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd; and Pravir Samarasinghe, The Swadeshi Industrial Works PLC. Standing from left:   Sanjev Perera, Alpha Industries (Pvt) Ltd; Anushka Vidanapathirana, Hettigoda Industries (Pvt) Ltd; Alikie Perera, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Noman Lufti, Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd; Viville Perera, Richard Pieris & Co PLC; and Bandula Egodage

The Industrial Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) recently announced the appointment of their office bearers for the year 2016/2017at its 25th Annual General Meeting held at the JAIC Residencies.
Dinesh Dharmadasa, Legal and External Affairs Director, Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC was elected as the Chairman of the Association for the ensuing year while.Rimoe Saldin, PolypakSecco (Pvt) Ltd was elected as the Senior Vice Chairman and Dushantha Ranaraja, Haycarb PLC as the Deputy Vice Chairman.
The newly appointed Chairman, Dinesh Dharmadasa said, “It is indeed an honour to be elected as the Chairman of the IASL for the upcoming year. Through the years, this body has successfully contributed to the development of industries where rapid industrialization and meaningful expansion has been the norm. Industries are facing numerous challenges in the local operating environment. These include high import duties and levies on imported raw material which goes into finished products. As an Association dedicated to further the interests of local industries, we are willing to discuss with the government the challenges that have adversely affected our industries.” 
Primarily representing industrial and manufacturing interests in Sri Lanka, the IASL is a constituent body of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) and has continued to formulate realistic strategies that contribute towards steady industrial growth in the country. Dr. Harsha De Silva, MP, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs was the Chief Guest at the event where dignitaries from the CCC and attendees from a multitude of industrial organizations also participated. 
Addressing the gathering on sentiments towards the country’s growth, Dr. Harsha de Silva remarked, “I extend my thanks to the Association for providing me with this opportunity to explain what we have planned to achieve in the near future. While an increase in exports will be significant contributor toward the economic growth of the country, we believe there should be a simultaneous increase in imports to reap benefits as well. Taking into consideration a multitude of factor including foreign policy, trade agreements and competitiveness, it is important that we understand each other and work together towards a more competitive nation with strong bridges which ensures that investment rolls in and production rolls out.”