Saranga Goonawardena appointed new Chairman of COYLE at 22nd AGM

Saranga Goonawardena was elected the new Chairman at the Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE) 22nd Annual General Meeting held on 10 March at the Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo.  

It was followed by a gala function attended by Chief Guest Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, Ministers and State Ministers together with Secretaries, Government officials and COYLE members. The traditional kiribath was cut by the outgoing and past Chairmen of COYLE.

He takes over from Chamath Kottage who held the office for the preceding year. The new Chairman will be ably assisted by Senior Vice Chairman Dimuth Chankama Silva and Vice Chairman Rasith Wickramasingha.

Goonawardena, who assumed duties as the 22nd Chairman of COYLE, started from mediocre beginnings, but had a vision of being successful in life and pursued his dreams in global enterprises. After having pursued a career in Civil Engineering, he went on to obtain his Masters in Business Administration from USA, and on proceeding to USA, he worked in a US company with international exposure. 

Meanwhile, he also stepped into the area of E-commerce. Having received exposure in international organisations and in E-commerce, he returned to Sri Lanka and ventured into the unique industry of protective packaging; and is presently the Managing Director of TNG Packaging Ltd. and TN Global Ltd.  

Goonawardena in his speech stated: “It is with a deep sense of pride that I take on the reins of COYLE which has taken on yet another challenging chapter in its 22 year journey. Our close affiliations we have sustained with Government agencies and foreign missions have opened up various avenues for dynamic entrepreneurship in both local and international markets. It is significant that COYLE has been instrumental in reaching mutual consensus on vital issues with successive Governments.” 

He added, “COYLE has encouraged its membership to adapt their business models and its governance to the new economic, financial and regulatory environment effected by the present pandemic, and great progress has been made on all these fronts.”   

Outgoing Chairman Kottage said: “As I transition out of my role as Chairman of COYLE, first and foremost I would like to thank the past presidents, steering committees and members for bringing the Chamber to this standard of influence in the business arena. I am pleased to say I will be leaving you in the capable hands of incoming Chairman for 2021/22 Saranga Goonawardena, who has been involved with us here at COYLE for many years.”

COYLE through its empowering motto ‘Recognition through Excellence’ contributes greatly towards the economic development of the country, with a greater emphasis on the Sri Lankan business community.