SLASSCOM signs MOU with Council for Business with Britain

SLASSCOM Chairman Channa Manoharan and CBB President Roshanie Jayasundera Moraes at the virtual signing of the MOU

SLASSCOM has been a trailblazer for the IT/BPM sector in Sri Lanka by continuously supporting the growth of the industry to reach global heights with proactive strategies. It has multiple initiatives luring IT/ BPM trade and investment into the country through many market access programs across key countries. 

SLASSCOM has collaborated with Government and non-government agencies, international and local to position Sri Lanka’s Island of Ingenuity (IOI) brand and the country’s potential for great business and investments in the IT/ BPM sphere in Asia. To drive the messaging and to access to a wider network, SLASSCOM is on a drive to partner with organisations and associations with similar appetite to promote Sri Lanka.

In a bid to further expand their network of opportunities offered to the sector, SLASSCOM recently signed an MOU with the Council for Business with Britain (CBB), who serves as the recognised representative in matters concerning business relations between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom and are involved in the facilitation and promotion of trade between Sri Lanka and the UK. 

The MOU was signed by SLASSCOM Chairman Channa Manoharan and CBB President Roshanie Jayasundera Moraes. In attendance at this virtual event was Vice Chairman of SLASSCOM Ashique Ali, Board Director and Board Lead of SLASSCOM Global Trade & Investment Forum, Shiraz Lye, Director Finance, BPM Forum Board Lead of SLASSCOM, Jehan Perinpanayagam, Executive Director of SLASSCOM, Chamindā de Silva, Linda Giebing, Vice President of CBB, Ameena Ziauddin, Vice President of CBB, Mark Prothero, Immediate Past President of CBB and Arjuna Nanayakkara, Committee Member CBB and Head of Shared Services Centre, LSEG.

Jayasundera Moraes stated they were very happy to partner with SLASSCOM and emphasised that with CBB being the conduit for business and trading with the UK, and SLASSCOM being the national chamber for the knowledge and innovation industry in Sri Lanka, means that it brings together a great synergy of expertise, both of whom are well placed to help drive and strengthen business opportunities for the BPM industry in Sri Lanka.     

Manoharan stated that UK was a key market of prioritisation and as such SLASSCOM is looking to further build on the relationships already established with the UK. He added that with both UK and Sri Lanka having similar business practices works well in paving the way for not only showcasing the competencies and capabilities of the Sri Lankan IT /BPM sector as a centre of excellence in certain key verticals such as AI, cybersecurity and automation, but in also developing and establishing lucrative long-term partnerships with businesses in the UK. He further explained that this also entails in attracting large conglomerates in the UK to set up operations in Sri Lanka, either as an R&D operation or as a BPO entity. 

Lye gave an overview of the Global Referral programme and outlined its concept and vision, explaining how the program has empowered and enabled many start-ups with opportunities for global business expansion. He also gave an insight into the plans in the pipeline part of which included targeted training and mentorship programs offered through webinars for Start-ups to be geared to compete on a global scale.  

With such initiatives in place, SLASSCOM intends to not only help local companies drive exports in the UK market, but to also enable further investments into the county through paving the way for MNC’s in the UK to set-up regional operations in Sri Lanka. These ventures also go in line with the Governments vision of a digital inclusive and prosperous country.