Anoji to steer Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce for third year

US Ambassador 

Julie Chung

Anoji De Silva

• US Ambassador Chief Guest at Post 38th AGM Session 

The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) conducted its 38th Annual General Meeting recently at the Grand Ballroom Hotel Galadari.  

Anoji De Silva commenced her third term as Chairperson for the period 2023/2024, as per the constitution of the WCIC.

US Ambassador Julie Chung graced the WCIC Post AGM session as the Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering, she thanked Chairperson Anoji De Silva and the governing body of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce for inviting her for the 38th Annual General Meeting and shared her thoughts on “Empowering Women to Re-Build Sri Lanka.” 

“I am delighted to address Sri Lanka’s first chamber, and the National Chamber of SL, dedicated to women entrepreneurs.  As Sri Lanka marks 75 years of independence this year, and as we celebrate 75 years of US Sri Lanka partnership, it is a good opportunity to take a look back at our shared history. When WCIC was founded by 20 courageous women in 1985, USAID came alongside and invested in your vision. We probably couldn’t have imagined that over the next 38 years, that vision has given birth to so many empowering and life-giving initiatives”.

She stated that “We now have an even greater challenge before us in empowering women to rebuild Sri Lanka. Your innovative new ideas, especially on female empowerment, will fuel this economy, and as a result you will improve the lives of families and communities across this nation.  You are also providing real-life examples of female leadership that will inspire the next generation of women entrepreneurs.”

She further stated that “Sri Lanka’s business and investment environment need to improve to realise this dream. The United States stands with you as you seek to reduce red tape and make it easier for the next generation of women entrepreneurs to launch companies. To truly prosper, Sri Lanka must create a more inclusive and sustainable economy. For Sri Lanka to sustainably rebuild following the economic crisis, it will need more than just one-half of its population to drive the economy.  It is vital to have a workforce with gender parity, with women literally at the table and in leadership roles.

Turning from the past 75 years and looking to our shared future, I wonder what the next generation of Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs might achieve.  They’ll probably create things that we haven’t even dreamed of yet.  You can play a pivotal role in making this country ready for them.  You have a crucial role in this, not just in your ongoing efforts to support women in business, but in advocating for the types of changes which will bring lasting benefits to your organisation, the broader business climate, and the well-being of Sri Lankan women.”

Addressing the gathering of members, past Chairs and invitees in her inaugural address of the third term in office, Anoji pledged her commitment to continue to reinforce WCIC vision to be the ‘think tank’ voice and the ‘platform’ empowering women to be powerful nation builders by participating in transforming economic growth of the country. Speaking on the WCIC journey, “WCIC is celebrating 38 years with a membership consisting of 56% women entrepreneurs and 44% businesswomen” She stressed on Empowerment of Women, stating that the WCIC success story 2022/23 was based on Empowered Collaborations, Membership Value, Policy Advocacy, Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs, Women Leaders, Enabling Women SMEs and Right Behaviour. 

Further she added that the WCIC as the National Chamber for Women in Business is represented in several important institutions such as Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Employers Federation and Arbitration Centre. WCIC has entered into a number of strategic partnerships with stakeholders, which allows the Chamber and its members to leverage mutually beneficial schemes.  Seven impactful collaborations were entered into during the year; Capacity Building with IFC, SME Assistance with Rotary Foundation, Prevention of GBVH with CIPE, Knowledge Transfer with SLAC, WCIC Northern Chapter with OAV, Sustainable Infrastructure with CIPE, Inclusive Livelihood Support program with DFAT.

Elaborating on the two flagship properties of the WCIC, Anoji stated that the “WCIC Prathibhabisheka -The Women Entrepreneur Awards 2022 was held in January this year with a resounding success. She stated that 141 applicants participated with combined revenue of Rs.9.1 billion. 21% Applications were received under large and medium category and 79% under SME category. 62% applications were received from the Western/North Western province and 38% from the other provinces. We also encouraged applications from the SAARC region and eleven applications were received. The event was especially designed to honour Sri Lankan women entrepreneurs for their tenacity to scale and grow during these challenging times and for the positive impact they are making on society and the economy.” 

WCIC is now in the process of preparing for the Women Entrepreneur Awards 2023. The award ceremony will be held in January/early February 2024.

She also stated that the Women Leadership Forum 2023, to commemorate the International Women day was held under the theme –”Empowered Women Empower Sri Lanka” as a full day leadership development forum to a packed audience. This event is much looked forward to by the potential audience for its value and knowledge generated and is generally sold out ahead of time.

Keeping with the strategic direction, the WCIC will continue to focus and work on important areas in 2023/2024 through the strategic pillars; Policy Advocacy, Capacity Building, Membership Development, Visibility and Governance and Finance.  She highlighted some of the planned activities under each strategic pillar for the period 2023/2024.

Anoji concluded her speech by thanking the past Chairpersons and members for their presence at the AGM and their continuous support. She welcomed the new board members. She appreciated the contribution of the outgoing board members. She further requested the members to live by the WCIC tagline, ‘Empower, Engage, Enrich’ by “empowering yourself, empowering and engaging other women and empowering, engaging and enriching the economy.” 

The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the premier national organisation supporting entrepreneurs and professional businesswomen. With a well-structured Board of Management and pillar teams and leaders with dedicated responsibility the organisation focuses on achieving its detailed objectives with a clearly defined strategic plan, as well as a plan into action. The membership is open to women who believe they can contribute to society as well as benefit from the many facilities the organisation creates.