NCE congratulates new EDB Chairman

The National Chamber of Exporters of Sri Lanka (NCE) in a statement congratulated Suresh De Mel for his appointment as the Export Development Board (EDB) Chairman.

As the Managing Director of Fishing Flies (Pvt) Ltd., which engages in the export of artificial fish baits specially to the USA market, De Mel succeeded his father Nihal De Mel, an Engineer and Technical Director who served the Industrial Development Board in late 1960s.  

De Mel is an Environmental Engineer by profession who acquired experience in USA. He has been actively engaged in the Hambantota Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is well known for supporting both exports and tourism sectors. He has also promoted entrepreneurship in Sri Lanka through the Global Entrepreneurship Network. 

De Mel also serves as Co-Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Trade Promotion and Trade Information related to the implementation of the National Export Strategy (NES) under the purview of the EDB.  

In this capacity, he empowered the public and private sectors to collaborate in the identification of priorities, to improve the performance of the export sector.  Currently, De Mel serves as a Council Member cum Board Member of the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC), representing small and medium enterprises and Regional Chambers of Commerce.  Being a successful entrepreneur himself in the SME category related to exports, De Mel will be an advantageous to foster the development of SME exporters, who pursue the potential to make a vital contribution to the economy of Sri Lanka.