Seated from left: Hony. Member Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, SLUSABC Treasurer Farhath Amith, Ambassador of USA to Sri Lanka and Maldives Julie Chung, SLUSABC President Charithra Hettiarachchi, SLUSABC VP Tilak Gunawardana, Immediate Past President Sanji de Silva and Tharushika Senadeera of Ceylon Chamber
Standing from left: Shaameel Mohideen of Spillburg Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd and Channa Gunawardena of Expelogix (Pvt.) Ltd
Absent: SLUSABC Vice President Randeewa Malalasooriya, Dilakshan Perera of Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt.) Limited, Halin Hettigoda of Sampath Bank PLC and Salman Jafferjee of Jafferjee & Sons (Pvt.) Ltd

The Sri Lanka-USA Business Council (SLUSABC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce elected WICHY Plantation Company (Pvt.) Ltd CEO Charithra Hettiarachchi as President for the 2024/2025 term, at its eighth Annual General Meeting (AGM) held recently, at Hilton Colombo Residence. 

The AGM featured US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie J. Chung as the chief guest. Chung, in her address, highlighted the strong partnership between the US and Sri Lanka, noting the significant joint activities undertaken over the past year, including initiatives on US visas, human trafficking awareness and promoting trade opportunities for women entrepreneurs. 

Chung emphasised the US government’s commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic growth through programmes such as the National Trade Single Window and the AccelerateHER initiative, while also encouraging private sector investments in key areas. She urged the business leaders to actively support transparency, combat corruption and back the ongoing economic reforms, which are crucial for the nation’s stability and development. She reaffirmed the US’ dedication to strengthening its business partnership with Sri Lanka, with a focus on fostering a prosperous and inclusive future.

In his speech, Hettiarachchi highlighted the council’s achievements over the past year. He extended a warm welcome to Chung, whose presence underscored the strong bilateral ties between Sri Lanka and the US. Hettiarachchi recounted the key initiatives, including sessions on US visitor visas, SelectUSA Investment Summit and human trafficking awareness.The council’s efforts to strengthen trade relations and business travel between the two nations, particularly in sectors like agriculture, were emphasised.

The newly elected Executive Committee for 2024/2025 includes Vice Presidents Tilak Gunawardena from MAC Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd and Randeewa Malalasooriya from CBL Natural Foods (Pvt.) Ltd, with Tuan Farhath Noor Armith from Fanam International (Pvt.) Ltd as Treasurer. Immediate Past President Sanji De Silva will continue to serve in an advisory capacity. Additionally, Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, a past president, was unanimously honoured as an Honorary Member of the Council.

Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt.) Ltd, Expelogix (Pvt.) Ltd, Jafferjee & Sons (Pvt.) Ltd, Sampath Bank PLC and Spillburg Holdings (Pvt.) Ltd were also elected to the SLUSABC Committee for 2024/2025.