RUZAIK FAROOK
COLOMBO – The Sri Lanka–Nordic Business Council, operating under the aegis of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, held its Members’ Day and Panel Discussion under the theme “Skills, Start-ups and Innovation: Developing the Next Generation of Partnerships” at the Sales Gallery, Port City Colombo on Thursday September 10.
The event was held under the patronage of Shaameel Mohideen, President of the Sri Lanka–Nordic Business Council, and brought together representatives of the Nordic business community, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, investors and other stakeholders to discuss opportunities for strengthening business and economic ties between Sri Lanka and the Nordic region.
Addressing the gathering, Mohideen extended a warm welcome to the distinguished speakers, council members, representatives of the Nordic business community, industry leaders, entrepreneurs, stakeholders and guests.
He reaffirmed the Council’s commitment to strengthening economic and commercial relations between Sri Lanka and the Nordic countries, while highlighting its efforts to expand bilateral trade, promote Sri Lankan exports, encourage tourism, facilitate investment and joint ventures, and foster meaningful partnerships in innovation, technology, skills development and sustainable business.
The event featured two keynote speakers Sanjay Kulatunga, Director of Lynear Wealth Management, and Mano Sekaram, Founder and Chairman of 99x Technology who shared their perspectives on entrepreneurship, innovation, technology and the evolving skills landscape.
The panel discussion brought together a distinguished group of business and industry leaders, including Hariharan Padmanaban, Cluster Head – Global Capability Centres and R&D, CHEC Port City Colombo Ltd , Sampath Jayasundara, Chairperson of SLASSCOM and CEO of hSenid Business Solutions PLC and PeoplesHR , Prajeeth Balasubramaniam, Managing Partner of BOV Capital , and Daniel Nordlund, Chairman of the Sweden–Sri Lanka Business Council.
The discussion was moderated by Yolani Fernando, Executive Director and Co-Founder of Arutha.
The session focused on the importance of developing future-ready skills, nurturing start-ups and entrepreneurship, strengthening innovation ecosystems, and creating new avenues for collaboration between Sri Lanka and the Nordic countries. It also provided an opportunity for participants to explore how stronger links among businesses, investors, technology companies and other stakeholders could contribute to sustainable economic growth and the development of the next generation of partnerships.
