WISTA joins hand with CASA on innovation and transformation in supply chain

Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association (WISTA) together with Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) will host a thought-provoking session to discuss innovation and transformation in the supply chain industry. This event will be held on 6 March, 3 pm onwards at Hilton Colombo Residencies. Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) Chairman and former Army Commander Daya Ratnayake will be remarking his presence at the event as the Chief Guest, the event being endorsed by SLPA. 

Reflecting the celebrations of International Women’s’ Day on 8 March, guest speaker Reshma Nilofer Naha will be gracing the event to share her expertise and experiences. Reshma Nilofer Naha is the first Indian female marine pilot, holding the responsibility of steering ships from sea to Kolkata & Haldia port. After being qualified as a river pilot in 2018, Naha became the first Indian marine pilot topping the list of very few female marine pilots around the globe. 

This event will focus on the transformations required to be carried out in Sri Lanka in the logistics and supply chain Industry. As the global marketplace continues to evolve, supply chain managers must think out of the box and proactively give solutions that are much needed. With the boom of e-commerce, the world have seen a significant demand on supply chain solutions and end to end fulfilment. Other eminent speakers Maersk Global Service Centres Transformation Program Director Ankur Seth and Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka CEO Bingumal Thewarathanthri will be sharing their expertise and ideas at this forum, which will bring out the much-needed Industry specific knowledge on technological advancements, supply chain innovations taking place globally, and how the industry in Sri Lanka needs to adapt and transform their businesses to stay competitive.

Ankur Seth, an experienced Director with a demonstrated history of working in the outsourcing and offshoring industry, is skilled in service delivery, banking, sales, customer relationship management (CRM), and business process improvement. He is a strong professional with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) focused in General Management from Karnataka State Open University.

Bingumal Thewarathanthri, holding a Master’s degree from University of Wales, counts more than 20 years of experience within the banking and finance industry. Employed at Standard Chartered, over the past 14 years, he has held several leadership positions in Sri Lanka and Africa, including the role of Head, Transaction Banking, Mauritius, where he was responsible for setting up the Transaction Banking business for the franchise. He was also responsible for setting up financial institutions booking centres for Africa and managed investments going into Sub Saharan Africa via Mauritius Securities Services hub. Prior to his appointment as CEO, Thewarathanthri was heading the retail banking business in Sri Lanka and has been a key member of the Country Management Team of the franchise as well. 

Along with the main speakers of the event, Daraz (Alibaba Group) Managing Director Rakhil Fernando and McLarens Holdings Ltd. Group Innovations Officer Dr. Ashan Amarasinghe will be joining in for a panel discussion. The session will be moderated by Lanka Shipping & Logistics Ltd. Director Ana Senanayake. 

Over the years WISTA has been successful in carrying out many initiatives along with their Corporate Partner South Asia Gateway Terminals. These programs have been tailor-made to empower women in the Industry. The Association has also been in the forefront of capturing and educating all professionals in the Industry on trending topics and technological innovations.