People’s Bank and CA Sri Lanka launch mentoring programme for SME exporters

People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse, CA Sri Lanka Immediate Past President Manil Jayasinghe and CA Sri Lanka SME Task Force Chairman Lakshman Abeysekara address gathering

Participants 

People’s Bank has partnered with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka) to provide a timely boost for small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) customers of the bank through a mentoring programme.

The inauguration ceremony of this programme was held recently at the People’s Bank Staff Training College. The occasion was graced by the presence of People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse, CA Sri Lanka Immediate Past President Manil Jayasinghe, CA Sri Lanka SME Task Force Chairman Lakshman Abeysekara, CA Sri Lanka Council Member Saman Sri Lal, CA Sri Lanka SME Task Force Executive Committee Member Harsha Gunasena, Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce Sri Lanka President/CA Sri Lanka Council Member Anoji De Silva, National Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka President Nandika Buddhipala, CA Sri Lanka Asia Pacific Institute of Money and Entrepreneurship Chaaminda Kumarasiri, People’s Bank DGM Enterprise Banking Krishani Narangoda, AGM SME Wickrama Narayana, AGM Offshore Unit and Corporate Banking 1 D.M.D. Dasanayake, AGM Commercial Credit P.M Ariyawanse, AGM Commercial Banking Thushari Hewawasam, AGM Corporate Banking Relationship II Nalin Perera, Regional Manager Colombo North S.L.M.A.S. Samarathunga and Senior Manager Project Finance and Rehabilitation Chamari Perera.

The SME Task Force of CA Sri Lanka invited People’s Bank to join hands to promote SMEs in Sri Lanka through a mentoring programme for selected customers of the bank. Through this partnership, CA Sri Lanka aims to help People’s Bank customers on a one-to-one basis by appointing mentors on financial and other business-related issues free-of-charge for a maximum period of one year. Accordingly, People’s Bank has selected export or ICT customers from its large base of SME customers spread across the country.

CA Sri Lanka has appointed mentors for each customer and the People’s Bank mentor coordinates with the customers (mentees) and with CA Sri Lanka mentors. The programme commences after signing a formal tripartite MoU between CA Sri Lanka, the respective mentee and CA Sri Lanka mentor. 

Initially, the mentees will be provided consultation virtually and subsequently they will be visited twice a month by CA Sri Lanka mentors for closer cooperation and monitoring. The bank’s mentors are responsible for directing and guiding the respective mentees continuously so that they are able to obtain the maximum benefit from the mentoring programme during the one-year period. The mentees will be provided relevant information in the form of reading material and booklets in Sinhala and English by CA Sri Lanka, which provides knowledge on financial and other areas of their business operations. 

During the mentoring programme the mentees as well as their company accountants will be provided consultations. CA Sri Lanka mentors are supervised and evaluated by CA Sri Lanka continuously in order to ensure that the partnership benefits the mentees and the required goals are achieved. If a mentee requires the service from the CA Sri Lanka mentor beyond the initial one-year period, it can be continued based on a new agreement, which will be made on new terms and conditions.