Commonwealth Enterprise chief in Colombo next week

Sri Lanka’s private sector and government are to get fresh insights from a chief of a Commonwealth trade and investment organisation next week besides opportunities to expand businesses across the 56 Member States of the Commonwealth. 

Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) Chairman Lord Marland will meet President Ranil Wickremesinghe during his visit to Sri Lanka from February 19 to 21, 2024, as part of his larger trip to South and South East Asia. 

On February 19, along with Wickremesinghe, he will be meeting Investment Promotion State Minister Dilum Amunugama. In the evening, CWEIC Strategic Partner Port City Colombo is hosting him with prominent government and business leaders. 

On February 20, Marland will meet with British High Commissioner Andrew Patrick.

Throughout the two days, he will meet with the CWEIC’s current Strategic Partners, including Capital Maharaja Group Group Director Niro Cooke, who also serves on the statutory board of the CWEIC.  

Marland will also be meeting with prospective Strategic Partners interested in joining the CWEIC to expand their businesses across the Commonwealth sates. 

The CWEIC is a commercial, not-for-profit membership organisation with an official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government to facilitate trade and investment throughout the 56 Commonwealth member nations. 

The CWEIC aims to use the convening power and trusted network of the Commonwealth to drive trade and investment. Its network includes over 140 business and government Strategic Partners. 

Every two years, the CWEIC hosts the Commonwealth Business Forum in association with the host country of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).

It has multiple Strategic Partners (members) in Sri Lanka, including Port City Colombo, Capital Maharaja Group and LOLC Holdings, from the private sector. In 2023, the government of Sri Lanka rejoined as a Strategic Partner.

Marland will depart for Singapore on February 21.

Lord Marland

• Trade Envoy for the UK’s Prime Minister
• Chairman of the UK Trade and Investment Business Ambassador Network (2011 to January 2014)
• Minister for the Energy and Climate Change Department (2010)
• Minister for Intellectual Property at the Business, Innovation and Skills Department (2012) 
• A founding Director of multinational insurance business Jardine Lloyd Thompson PLC 
• Chairman of EcoWorld Management Ltd and Bspoke Insurance Group Ltd
• Co-Owner of The Wisden Cricketer Magazine
• Member of the Investment Advisory Committee of the Kuwait Investment Authority 
• Member of the House of Lords of the UK (since 2006) and frequently provides commentary on British politics 
• A strong supporter of the arts
• A Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts 
• Trustee of the British Museum appointed by Prime Minister of the UK in December 2021
• Chairman of Tickets for Troops
• Trustee of the Winston Churchill Society UK
• A Founding Trustee of the Atlantic Partnership 
• Patron of Salisbury and South Wiltshire Cricket