Colombo Supply chain Forum to begin in October

The third Colombo Supply chain Forum (CSCF) will be held from 3 to 5 October at Cinnamon Lakeside under the theme ‘Capability Building for 2020’. 

The CSCF 2016 is organised by NEXT Institute of Supply chain Management along with a host of industry sponsors. The forum’s foreign and Sri Lankan panel will include renowned industry speakers covering a range of supply chain topics to build supply chain capability for the year 2020. 

Commenting on CSCF 2016, Conference Chair Jayamal Jayaweera, a supply chain professional himself, said: “The first two conferences were a great success and we have had numerous requests to make this an annual event in the NEXT Campus Calendar. This is the only industry forum for supply chain practitioners in South East Asia. This time too we are expecting a sold out event and the previous times.” 

This year’s conference will start with a CEO Forum on the evening of 3 October which will be an invitee only event. This will be followed by a panel discussion of industry experts speaking to CEOs about capability building in supply chains for 2020. The NEXT two days will be the conference days for the participants from 8.30am to 5.00pm. 

Supply chain arena is a fast and rapidly changing discipline. Supply chain practitioners are expected to enhance their knowledge and keep up with this ever changing environment. Speaking on CSCF 2016 theme, Jayamal Jayaweera said: “This time’s theme is Capability Building for 2020, which is a pertinent topic to discuss today. The scope of supply chain has expanded immensely and so has the skill set needed for future challenges. Our goal is to paint a picture of how supply chains will look like in 2020 and what type of capabilities will be required by businesses to face these challenges. This will include identifying and grooming talent and capability in supply chain and there for this year’s forum will be equally important for HR professionals who are keen to shape the supply chain talent pipeline. 

This time’s forum will present three overseas  speakers and nine Sri Lankan Speakers that comprise Global Digital Director for Coats PLC UK Hizmy Hassen , a sought after Supply chain resource person globally, Head of Operations (Europe) for Kingfisher Offer and Supply Chain Suren Sonalingam who is considered an expert in manufacturing planning and the Asia CEO for International Supply Chain Education Alliance (ISCEA, USA) Ejazur Rahaman involved in shaping Supply Chain Education Agenda in Asia.

The resource panel also includes renowned Sri Lankan supply chain experts such as Ex Supply chain Director at Unilever Sri Lanka Gayani De Alwia, President , John Keells Transportation Group Romesh David,  Founder of Innovation Quotient and Ex- Director Insight & Innovation at MAS Bodyline (Pvt) Ltd Ahmed Irfan, Director, Logiwiz Pvt Ltd, Sri Lanka, Chintaka De Zoysa and Supply Chain Consultant and Former Director – Supply Chain & IT , Coats Thread Exports Pvt Ltd, Sri Lanka, Jayamal Jayaweera.

This year’s conference is expected to be attended by approximately 350 supply chain professionals. This will be an excellent opportunity for various suppliers who cater to Supply chain requirements to showcase their products and services. Various sponsorship opportunities are also on offer for potential sponsors .Conference ticket bookings are now open for prospective attendees to reserve their tickets. Further information could be received by contacting the NEXT Campus directly.

The NEXT Campus represents Cornell University USA, Birmingham City University (UK), Teesside University (UK), Mahatma Gandhi University (India) and Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK) and is considered a premier private education provider in Sri Lanka.