SLSBC concludes trade and investment promo mission to Singapore

The Sri Lanka- Singapore Business Council (SLSBC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce successfully concluded a business mission to Singapore recently.
The mission was organized in collaboration with the International Enterprise (IE) Singapore; the Government Agency driving Singapore’s external economy and promoting the overseas growth of Singapore-based enterprises and international trade, supported by Singapore Business Federation (SBF); the apex business chamber in Singapore with over 18,000 members andin association with the Sri Lankan High Commission in Singapore. 

In the backdrop of the impending Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Singapore, there was augmented interest from companies to participate.
The twenty six-member delegation led by the SLSBC Vice President Rohitha Mendis, Managing Director – Prudential Shipping Lines (Pvt) Ltd resulted in an extremely productive visit to Singapore.

The delegation comprised Ranga Soysa, Managing Director – Ariel Leisure (Pvt) Ltd, Niduk Perera, Director - Ariel Leisure (Pvt) Ltd, Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, General Partner/ Managing Director – BOV Capital Ltd, Tushan Wickramasinghe, Chairman/ CEO – Capital TRUST Holdings Limited, Minoli Wickramasinghe, Managing Director - Capital Trust Properties (Pvt) Limited, Suhayl Sangani, Assistant General Manager – Ceylon Jewellery Manufacurers (Pvt) Ltd, Sriyal Dissanayake, Managing Director – Eastern Maritime (Colombo) Ltd, Mohan Perera, Chairman – GMT Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Shiluka Goonewardene, Principal – KPMG, Dr. U.K.M Ismail, CEO – Lloyds Auto Mart (Pvt) Ltd, M. I. A. Imraan, Director - Lloyds Auto Mart (Pvt) Ltd, Andre Fernando, Chairman / Managing Director – MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Tilak Gunawardana, Chief Financial Officer - MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Ranga Goonawardena, Director / CEO – Macksons Properties (Pvt) Ltd, A. Samson de Silva, Managing Director – S.S Impex (Pvt) Ltd, S. Shah Jahan, Chief Executive Officer – Taipan Trading Company, Ahmed Zaharan, Executive Director – Business Development – Tridel Development (Pvt) Ltd, Sajad Ghaffoor, Associate – Business Development -  Tridel Development (Pvt) Ltd, Jurian Druvi Ondaatje, Director/CEO – Vingrows Business Solutions Pvt Ltd, Visva Prathirajage, Head of Strategy and Planning - Vingrows Business Solutions Pvt Ltd and Joe Lenora, Managing Director – WAD International (Pvt) Ltd. The mission was co-ordinated by Rasangika De Silva and Julianne Boulton of The Ceylon Chamber 
of Commerce. 

The opening remarks were made by the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Singapore, Nimal Weeraratne. Prasanjith Wijayatilake, Executive Director of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka in his speech mentioned the significant and attractive opportunities available for investment in Sri Lanka. Shiluka Goonewardene of KPMG presented on the tax and legal framework of Sri Lanka. 

Addressing the gathering Rohitha Mendis, Vice President of the SLSBC stated that the participation of Sri Lankan delegates in a series of successful seminars and business sessions organized by the Singapore Business Federation and IE Singapore in the past has resulted in productive business contacts and partnerships between Singaporean and Sri Lankan companies. Considering Sri Lanka’s rapidly developing status as a regional hub for business Mendis invited potential Singaporean investors to visit Sri Lanka in order to explore the many opportunities available for doing business in the country.