SLANZBC holds 30th AGM and ‘Accelerating SL’s Digital Economy’ panel discussion

Newly appointed committee

The 30th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Sri Lanka – Australia – New Zealand Business Council (SLANZBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held recently, with High Commissioner of Australia to Sri Lanka Paul Stephens and High Commissioner of New Zealand to Sri Lanka and Maldives David Pine in attendance as the chief guests. 

Stephens acknowledged Sri Lanka’s resilience during the recent economic challenges and emphasised the need for accelerated reforms, including export diversification, investment, climate improvements, tourism, vocational education and digitalisation, to prepare for debt repayments from 2028. Pine congratulated the newly appointed SLANZBC President Chandana Amaradasa and the new committee and thanked the outgoing President Udara Cumaratunga for her outstanding service. 

He highlighted the strong collaboration between Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand. Reflecting on the past engagements, he praised the organisation’s activities and underscored shared partnership goals, especially in tourism, agriculture, education and sports.  

President Chandana Amaradasa delivers his speech

Island Leisure Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director Chandana Amaradasa was elected as President of the council for 2025/26. Spillburg Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd Managing Director M.H.K.M. Hameez and Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd Managing Director Jayanthi Dharmasena were elected as Senior Vice President and Vice President, respectively. Hayleys Advantis Ltd General Manager Shiyamalee Karunanayake was elected as Treasurer. South Asia Gateway Terminals (Pvt.) Ltd Deputy General Manager Commercial and Marketing Udara Cumaratunga will serve as Immediate Past President after two years of dedicated service. 

The newly appointed committee for the year 2025/26 consists of Abdul Azeez – CMA CGM Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd, Dr. Saroshi Dubash – Abans PLC, Priyantha Chandrasekera – Thames International (Pvt.) Ltd, Prajeeth Balasubramaniam – BOV Capital (Pvt.) Ltd, Lionel D.C. Silva – Lidechsi Group of Companies, Gerard Victoria – Air Global (Pvt.) Ltd, Wazim Ahamed –Infomate (Pvt.) Ltd, Anil Hapugoda – Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt.) Ltd, Ruwan Rajapakse – Jiffy Products S.L. (Pvt.) Ltd, Ravi Jayawickreme – Maliban Biscuit Manufactories (Pvt.) Ltd and Ruwan Kumara – Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd.

Amaradasa pledged to strengthen ties between Sri Lanka, Australia and New Zealand—focusing on SME access to markets and capital and tourism investment. Noting that SMEs contribute nearly 50 percent of national revenue yet face financial hurdles, he urged the partners to open markets. With 50,000 hotel rooms and growing tourism, he sees strong investment opportunities. He closed by inviting active member participation to drive the council’s mission forward.