SLSBC and Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club hold networking event

Sri Lanka Singapore Business Council and Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club committees with the Export Development Board, Japan External Trade Organisation and Japan International Co-operation Agency senior officials

A joint networking evening was recently organised by the Sri Lanka – Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club. 
The event was organised with the objective of providing an opportunity for the members to interact amongst themselves, with the Singapore expatriate community in Sri Lanka and the senior officials of key government institutions relevant to business. 
The organising of this event is in keeping with an objective of the Sri Lanka – Singapore Business Council, which is to be a facilitator of business for its members.
The event was held at the function room of Prima Ceylon Ltd and was well attended by over 80 participants including the members of the SLSBC, which has now grown to 79 member companies, members of the Singapore Club and special invitees. 
Representatives of Prima, Overseas Realty, Singapore Airlines, Pico–SLECC, Fujitec Lanka, Pyramid Wilmar and other Singapore connected companies attended the event. The senior officials of the Board of Investment (BOI), Export Development Board (EDB) as well as representatives from the Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO), Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA), Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) and Embassy of Japan were amongst the special invitees present.
Spear Global Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd Chairman/Managing Director and SLSBC President Shamil Mendis, SLSBC committee and Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club President Jay Ong welcomed the members. 
The SLSBC was inaugurated in 1997 as the 18th bilateral business council formed under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. The primary objectives of the council are to promote trade, tourism and to create an environment which will enhance the commercial activity between Sri Lanka and Singapore as well as to facilitate investment by Singapore companies in Sri Lanka.
Following the successfully concluded Sri Lanka Singapore Business Forum in Colombo organised by the SLSBC to mark the visit of Singapore Trade and Industry Minister S. Iswaran, leading a high-profile business delegation and the subsequent trade and investment promotion mission to Singapore last year, the council intends to organise the next business delegation to Singapore in November 2017 in conjunction with the High Commission of Sri Lanka in Singapore and Singapore Business Federation (SBF), Singapore’s apex and largest business chamber. 
During this period, the SBF with a membership of over 16,000 members will plan to conduct a seminar titled Doing Business in Sri Lanka, followed by a business matchmaking session.
Several inward delegations were received from Singapore in the last year and are also expected in the period ahead. The SLSBC is in regular contact with the SBF, IE Singapore, the government agency driving Singapore’s external economy, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Singapore Manufacturing Federation.