Seated from left – Mr. Upul Jayatissa, Chief Manager - Marketing & Business Development, Sri Lanka Ports Authority; Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, Group Director – Hayleys Advantis Limited; Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, Senior Assistant Secretary General - Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Head of Shipping - Unilever Sri Lanka

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, with its drive to develop a competent, productive and skilled workforce and uplift the trade standards within Sri Lanka, has partnered with Hayleys Advantis Limited to nurture talent in the logistics sector of the country. The two entities got together to launch a programmetitled “Inspiring Logistics in Sri Lanka” aimed at building capacity in the logistics sector by bridging the gap between academic qualifications and corporate requirements.

Over 100 graduate and undergraduate students and young professionals were given the opportunity to learn from senior industry representatives at the maiden workshop titled “The future of logistics to a sustainable business”, held recently. Participants received an overview of industry best practices and the regulations governing the trade. They were apprised of the strategic moves and innovations that have helped the local industry grow over the years along with the global trends to watch out for in future.

An eminent panel of industry stalwarts shared valuable insights with the audience in their key note sessions. Dr. Asanka Ratnayake, Group Director – Hayleys Advantis Limited spoke on “Logistics in 2025 &beyond”; Mr. UpulJayatissa, Chief Manager - Marketing & Business Development, Sri Lanka Ports Authority on “The role of Sri Lanka ports and its future developments” and Mr. Dinesh De Silva, Head of Shipping - Unilever Sri Lanka on “Logistics to a sustainable business”.This was followed by a paneldiscussion amongst them which was moderated by Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, Senior Assistant Secretary General of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.

“Sri Lanka is blessed with a strategic geographical advantage and is ideally located to serve as a key logistics hub within the South Asian region. It’s a known fact that both the government and the private sector are making greater investments in this sector.Addingthe right talent to this mix is pivotal to realizing the government’s vision of establishing Sri Lanka as a logistics hub,” said Mr. Chandraratne Vithanage, speaking on behalf of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.“In this regard, we are delighted to roll out the “Inspiring Logistics in Sri Lanka” programme in partnership with Hayleys Advantis, one of the country’s foremost logistics service providers. Together, we will work towards shaping the next generation of skilled logisticians who will help unleash the true potential of this sector.”

Speaking about the event, the Managing Director of Hayleys Advantis Limited, Mr. Ruwan Waidyaratne said, “Asa longtime supporter of the government’s vision of transforming Sri Lanka into a regional logistics hub, we firmly believe that there is potential for our industry to further contribute towards national development. In line with this, we are excited to partner with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in building capacity in the logistics sphere with the aim of taking the logistics industry in Sri Lanka to global standards. We see there’s immense potential amongst the youngsters in this country and they only need the platform to help them unleash this potential. As a growing company we also see a lot of benefit for us, by developing capacity within our own industry. I believe this will create a win-win for the students as well as the corporate sector in due course.”

The session was the first of a series of sessions planned to share knowledge and build capacity towards energizing the logistics industry in Sri Lanka, with many more workshops, internship programmes and discussions scheduled to take place throughout the year.