Indrani Fernando heads Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce

Seated from left: Assistant Treasurer Jani Perera, Joint Secretary Zahara Cader, 1st Vice Chairperson Gayani De Alwis, Immediate Past Chairperson Chathuri Ranasinghe, Chairperson Indrani Fernando, 2nd Vice Chairperson Ramani Ponnambalam, Joint Secretary Sonali De Silva, Treasurer Anoji De Silva. Standing from left:  Samitha Perera, Nayana Karunaratne, Sarrah Samooon, Tehani Mathew, Tusitha Kumarakulasingham, Ilanga Karunaratne, Suba Ramamurthy

• Chathuri Ranasinghe steps down after impactful journey of three years 

The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce conducted its 35th AGM at the Kingsbury Hotel on 25 September, where Indrani Fernando, the 1st Chairperson of the last year, took over the reigns as its leader to continue the fast tracked journey the WCIC has embarked on. 

The AGM was graced by British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Sarah Hulton, as the Chief Guest. She in her address established the importance of entrepreneurs in the progress of any economy, and committed to support the WCIC in its endeavours. 

The Chamber, which has now strategised its forward journey, has already finalised the Strategic Plan for 2020/2021 that will be shouldered by Pillar Leaders, who are part of the Board. 

Addressing the audience of members, past chairs, and founder members, in her maiden speech Indrani stated: “I am humbled and honoured to be taking over the responsibility to steer the Women’s Chamber of Industry of Commerce to even greater heights, and I am committing my full energy to make this a reality. 

“Having been a part of this chamber for many years, I have been a witness to the contribution it has made to the society at large, supporting entrepreneurs to achieve higher standards, and professionals to reach greater achievements. We have connected and collaborated with both the public and the private sector to deliver extraordinary results under the guidance of the immediate past Chairperson. 

“Quite recently we revalidated our fundamentals, adjusting our vision, mission and core values to align with the needs of tomorrow. Our sharpened direction clearly highlights the need for action. With extreme clarity on our forward journey we have been able to shape out a clear structure and plan. Even for the new term strategic plans are already in place, and a very capable and energetic board has taken the responsibility to drive the activities. In actual fact, I have become the first, privileged WCIC Chairperson who will take over with an already created structured Strategic Plan for the year. I consider myself very lucky to be in this position and am very grateful to the team for all the efforts that have been extended to create such a robust system.” 

Presenting her review of the year 2019/2010, the outgoing Chairperson Chathuri Ranasinghe shared the many activities conducted by the Chamber even amidst the restrictions that had prevailed. She shared a detailed review of the challenges and the achievements. She elaborated on the conscious decision she and her respective boards made to ensure the WCIC is where it is today. “Way back with the board of 2018/19 supporting me, we embarked on validating and creating the fundamentals truths that drove the organisation. We were able to sharpen our vision, mission, and core values, which resulted in the need to create a relevant brand identity in line with the created direction, depicting the progressive nature and the need to embrace the emerging world. We are grateful to our founders, past chairpersons and our senior and other members, for the blessings and the support,” Chathuri stated.

“As we enter new terrain, it is important to ensure our focus stays sharp. The five pillars that have been created, led by extremely competent Pillar Heads, and supported by equally committed team members, will shoulder the responsibility of implementation, ‘walking our talk’.” 

The AGM and the post event were well attended, with all the safety guidelines followed meticulously. 

The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce is the premier 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 the ability to put that plan in to 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.  ​