Union Bank of Colombo partners SLCSMI for Industrial Excellence Awards 2013

By David Ebert

The Sri Lanka Chamber of Small and Medium Industries announced Union Bank of Colombo PLC as the principal sponsor of the 8th Industrial Excellence Awards 2013 to be held in May later this year which will recognise outstanding performers in the small and medium industry sector.

The event will also coincide with the 50th anniversary celebrations of the SLCSMI, an independent, non-profit and non-political voluntary body, which started off in 1963 as the Small Industries Association and now operates as a fully-fledged chamber catering to the growth and development of the SME sector in the country.

The chamber provides its membership with support through the means of start-up loans, advisory and training facilities for the effective development of the business sector and also works closely with both local and international organisations as well as government authorities to encourage the business initiatives of small and medium industrialists.

Speaking at the official ceremony for the handing over of the sponsorship cheque, Union Bank of Colombo CEO Anil Amarasuriya stated: “We are pleased to partner the SLCSMI with our sponsorship of the 2013 Industrial Excellence Awards which provides yet another opportunity for SMEs to demonstrate their business success and further empower them to grow their businesses to new heights.”

“As a bank of choice for small and medium enterprises, this partnership further demonstrates and exemplifies our continued growing commitment to supporting the SME sector.”

Amarasuriya also stated that the bank has always recognised that it is the SMEs that are the bloodline of the country’s growth and development and further reiterated that the focus of the bank has always been on the uplifting of the sector by means of significant branch expansion into the outstation areas where dedicated economic centres have been set up to provide advisory assistance to fledgling SMEs.

President of SLCSMI and 50-year veteran of the chamber Aloy Jayawardene speaking at the ceremony on the chamber’s illustrious history and the changes planned for this year’s awards stated: “The last 50 years have seen the Small Industries Association growing from strength.”

“We are no longer an association, but now recognised as a chamber that is supported and driven by a number of the nation’s reputed industrialists and we are proud to have Union Bank of Colombo PLC join us as the Principal Sponsor on this historic event as we celebrate our 50th anniversary and Industrial Excellence Awards 2013.”

Having received an overwhelming 700 entries in the previous year, Jayawardene also outlined the chamber’s plans to make the awards a regional event which will include entries from SMEs from among the SAARC countries as well this year.

“The chamber anticipates an overwhelming response from participants this year as well. An invitation has also being extended by the chamber to small and medium industries in the Maldives and Nepal.”

He added that the entries would be categorised by country and accordingly, gold, silver and bronze awards will be awarded to the three outstanding performers from each country.

It was also announced that applications are now available exclusively at all of Union Bank’s 36 branches, the Union Bank head office in Colombo 3 as well as the SLCSMI office.



Pic by Upul Abayasekara