The Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) Sri Lanka - the pioneer and leader in the human resources management sphere in Sri Lanka - was invited to share its thoughts and insights on ‘Human Resources Challenges and Opportunities from a Regional Perspective’ at the prestigious Bangladesh Society for Human Resources Management’s (BSHRM) fourth HR Conference held at the Bangabondu International Convention Centre in Dhaka recently. 
IPM President Rohitha Amarapala together with three members of IPM’s governing council Indika Abeysuriya - Honorary Editor, and Council Members Priyankara Senevirathne and Dhammika Fernando represented IPM at the Conference. The BSHRM was established in the year 2001 with the mission to promote the development of human resources professionals in Bangladesh.
The theme of the Conference was ‘People Drive Business’ and was well attended by over 350 delegates comprising HR professionals, academics and practicing managers from Bangladesh as well as other SAARC and AP countries such as Australia. 
IPM Sri Lanka President Rohitha Amarapala representing Sri Lanka shared his thoughts, experiences and insights at the panel discussion on ‘HR Challenges and Opportunities from a Regional Perspective: What Do We Learn from Each Other?’ The other panellists included representatives from India, Bangladesh and BSHRM.
“HR Conferences of this nature with wide regional participation and highly recognized speakers will help to extend and share learning experiences and insights beyond traditional boundaries of countries, helping to enrich this important and dynamic field of human resources management,” said Rohitha Amarapala.          
“BSHRM is an excellent platform to build regional relationships and also offered an opportunity for networking with like-minded HR professionals from the region. It was indeed an enriching experience,” he added.
The conference offered a forum to the participants to acquire hands on learning experience as it featured several prominent keynote speakers such as Prof. T.V. Rao - world renowned and India’s most respected HR academician, writer and speaker, Peter Wilson - Secretary General of World Federation of Peoples Management Association (WFPMA) and MD. Musharaff Hossain - President BSHRM and President APFHRM.
IPM was founded in 1959 and was subsequently incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1976. The institute has developed to be the leading human resource authority in Sri Lanka and has contributed significantly to develop and nurture the human resource management profession in the country. 
IPM is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Human Resources Management and also to the World Federation of People Management Association. IPM, being a professional institute is also a constituent member of the Organisation of Professional Associations [OPA] Sri Lanka. Currently IPM comprises of over 900 professional members who serve in both public and private organisations, as well as approximately 7,000 students who follow the diverse programmes on human resources offered by IPM and its regional study centres throughout the country.