COLOMBO : The Sri Lanka-Malaysia Business Council (SLMBC) successfully held its 31st Annual General Meeting on September 10, 2025, at the Hilton Colombo Residence. The event was a significant milestone for the council, marked by the election of new office bearers who will lead the organization for the 2025-2026 term. Marshad Barry, Deputy Head of Orphan Care at Amana Bank PLC, was re-elected as the President. He is joined by Senior Vice President Tony Ganlath of Ganlath Timber & Transport Services, Vice President Ms. Wathsala Wijesinghe from International Scholar, and Treasurer Ms. Zaharine R. Hameen from Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd.
The new committee includes representatives from a diverse range of companies: Acorn Aviation, Dialog Axiata PLC, Eduko Pathway Pvt Ltd, Inspiration Consultancy (Pvt) Ltd, Macksons Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, MTL Lanka Travels & Logistics (Pvt) Ltd, MWAY PVT LTD, Overseas Cargo Consultants, Public Bank Berhad, and SmashTaps (Pvt) Ltd. SN Travels (Pvt) Ltd has also been invited to serve on the subcommittee.
President Marshad thanking the Support of Badli Hisham Adam ,High Commission of Malaysia and Government of Malaysia stated in his acceptance speech “we are looking ahead, as a nation to further strengthen cooperation with Malaysia, including plans for up to 10,000 employment opportunities for Sri Lankans and discussions on visa-free travel. Additionally, we seek to boost trade, particularly in sectors such as agriculture and investment, and enhance tourism ties, with Malaysian tourism officials actively promoting Sri Lanka as a destination for Malaysian travelers. Also the SLMBC continues to work closely with the High Commission of Malaysia and Badli Hisham Adam, the High Commissioner, to promote business, trade and investment opportunities. We also maintain strong engagement with key Malaysian agencies, including the Malaysian External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS), Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), and Cyber view,
Following the AGM, a thought-provoking panel discussion took place under the theme “Accelerating and Expanding Economic Cooperation between Sri Lanka and Malaysia.” The esteemed panelists included Badli Hisham Adam, High Commissioner of Malaysia; Ms. Nilrukshi De Silva, Senior Vice President of Macksons Holdings Group of Companies; Praveena Sarathchandra, Founder & CEO of SmashTaps; and. Imran Akbarally, Director of Akbar Brothers. The event concluded with an interactive networking session, providing a valuable platform for businesses to connect and explore new opportunities for collaboration.
