SLSBC holds 18th Annual General Meeting

21 September 2015 06:30 pm Views - 2179

Seated from left: Secretariat Michelle Fernando, Vice President Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, President Shamil Mendis, Vice President Rohitha Mendis, Vice President Upali Bandaranayake 
Standing from left: Just in Time Holdings (Pvt) Ltd Chief Operating Officer Chrishan Mendis, Prima Ceylon Ltd General Manager Jay Ong, Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC Director/Group CEO Pravir Samarasinghe, MAC Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd Chairman/Managing Director Andre Fernando, A Baur& Company Ltd Senior Director Agri Input Janaka Gunasekara, Aitken Spence Cargo (Pvt) Ltd Assistant General Manager Business Development Johann Steinwall


The 18th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka - Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) was held on September 15, at the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.  
The SLSBC was inaugurated in 1997 under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce with the objective of promoting trade, tourism and services between Sri Lanka and Singapore.

Shamil Mendis, Chairman & Managing Director, Spear International (Pvt) Ltd. was re-elected as the President of the Council for the year 2015-2016.
 
In his address Mendis mentioned that the Year 2014-2015 has been an eventful year and outlined some of the significant activities the council had undertaken during this period which included the recently concluded Business Promotion Mission to Singapore in July 2015 which was organized to coincide with the IE-SBF Seminar on Business Opportunities in Sri Lanka.The 19 member Sri Lankan delegation met with over a 100 participants from Singaporean companies. 
The SLSBC Executive Committee’s meeting with officials from the National University of Singapore took place in order to discuss Internship opportunities for the placement of their students in Sri Lankan companies. NUSis a leading university centered in Asia, and is the flagship university in Singapore.

The NUS International Internship programme aims to equip students with foreign and local industry experience and prepares them to enter the workforce upon graduation. It was concluded that such a program can further strengthen commercial links between Singapore and Sri Lanka, 
Early this year a joint Networking Evening was organised by the Sri Lanka – Singapore Business Council and the Singapore (Sri Lanka) Club.  The event was organized with the objective of providing an opportunity for members to interact with fellow members, the Singapore expatriate community in Sri Lanka, senior officials of key Government Institutions relevant to business, and trade officials of foreign missions and foreign trade agencies.

Mendis stated that in this manner the Council would undertake initiatives to further promote bi-lateral trade relations between Sri Lanka and Singapore in the forthcoming year as well. The SLSBC co-operates closely with IE Singapore, and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). It has also conducted meetings during outwards missions to Singapore with the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Singapore and the Sri Lanka High Commission in Singapore in order to facilitate business between SLSBC members and Singapore companies in the pursuance of the Council’s objectives said Mendis.

Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, Managing Director, Blue Ocean Ventures (Pvt) Ltd, Upali Bandaranayake, Director, Valdhue and Walker (Pvt) Ltd and Rohitha Mendis, Managing Director, Prudential Shipping Lines (Pvt) Ltd and were elected as Vice Presidents of the Council.

The following Members were elected to serve on the Executive Committee of the Council; 
A Baur& Co. Ltd, Aitken Spence Cargo (Pvt) Ltd., Just in Time Holdings (Pvt) Ltd., MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd.Ovearseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC, Prima Ceylon Ltd., The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce acts as the Secretariat to the Council.