RUZAIK FAROOK
COLOMBO: The Sri Lanka–USA Business Council (SLUSABC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce celebrated a decade of service at its 10th Annual General Meeting, held recently at the Hilton Colombo Residences, with newly appointed US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Eric Meyer attending as Chief Guest.
At the AGM, Tilak Gunawardana of MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd was re-elected President for a second consecutive term.
The meeting marked Ambassador Meyer’s first engagements with Sri Lanka’s private sector. Welcoming the Ambassador, Gunawardana also expressed his appreciation to former US Ambassador Julie Chung, Chargé affairs Jayne Howell and the US Embassy team for their continued support during the transition.
Ambassador Meyer commended the Council for its contribution towards strengthening the business environment and promoting intellectual property (IP) protection, which he described as essential to attracting US investment and expanding bilateral trade.
He also highlighted opportunities for greater commercial cooperation between the two countries in technology, energy, infrastructure and logistics.
Encouraging Sri Lankan businesses to explore investment opportunities in the United States, Ambassador Meyer drew attention to the forthcoming Select USA Investment Summit. He emphasised that transparent and predictable regulations, strong intellectual property rights and fair competition were fundamental to building investor confidence.
Reviewing his first term as President, Gunawardana said the Council’s work had been guided by three key pillars: trade and market access, emerging sectors, and institutional partnerships.
Amid changes to US tariff policies that placed pressure on exporters, the Council worked closely with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the Export Development Board (EDB), the US Embassy in Colombo and the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington to keep members informed and ensure that the private sector’s concerns were reflected in the country’s national position.
He noted that the current 10 per cent tariff rate, which falls within the lowest available tariff bracket, was the result of a collective national effort. He also paid tribute to Mahinda Samarasinghe, former Sri Lankan Ambassador to the United States, who was present at the AGM.
The following office-bearers were elected for the 2026/2027
President: Tilak Gunawardana – MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Senior Vice President: Randeewa Malalasooriya – CBL Natural Foods (Pvt) Ltd, Vice President: Tuan Farhath Armith – Fanam International (Pvt) Ltd and Treasurer: Halin Hettigoda – Sampath Bank PLC
In his closing remarks, Gunawardana thanked the Executive Committee, the Chamber Secretariat, sponsors and members for their continued commitment and support.
