ASEAN opportunity for SL: Hirdaramani, Expolanka to share key insights on 11 June

The key public forum on 11 June titled ‘ASEAN: Sri Lanka’s next big opportunity’, co-organised by the Daily FT at Shangri-La Hotel Colombo, will shed light on how two dynamic companies struck gold early and are currently progressing. 

The forum from 10.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. will see Expolanka Holdings Plc Group Managing Director Hanif Yusoof and Hirdaramani Group Managing Director Ranil Pathirana sharing their experience, opportunities and challenges in entering and succeeding within ASEAN markets.

Expolanka entered Vietnam in 2009 and has three offices and in the same year set up in Cambodia with a main office in Phnom Penh and in Indonesia with offices in Jakarta, Semarang and Surabaya. 

It also has operations in the Philippines. Separately, Expolanka is present in China and Hong Kong SAR as well. Today it is one of the biggest freight forwarders in the South and Southeast Asian region which attracted major Japanese investor interest a few years ago which translated into an owning 51% stake. 

Hirdaramani explored unchartered waters when in the early 1990s it entered Vietnam. Today it employs around 12,000 people with six apparel factories and a joint venture focused on fabric.

The 10-member ASEAN presents a compelling opportunity for Sri Lanka given its 630 million affluent population and $ 2.25 trillion GDP.

With Sri Lanka getting aggressive on ASEAN to expand export markets and woo Foreign Direct Investments, the 11 June forum organised by the Daily FT and Colombo University MBA Alumni Association, with the strategic partnership of HSBC, is timely. 

The focus of the public forum is to highlight the growth and importance of the ASEAN region as an opportunity for Sri Lanka to expand and diversify exports, seek investments from and to and look for joint venture partners for technology transfer.

The Government is keen to diversify its exports to the ASEAN region, thereby reducing the reliance on the major markets of the US and Europe. As an initial strategy, a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Singapore was signed in January 2018.

FTAs are planned or under negotiation with Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Korea, all of which are members of ASEAN.

A host of top international executives from global banking giant HSBC will also share key insights on the ASEAN opportunity for Sri Lanka. HSBC executives at the 11 June forum will share some of the latest developments in trade and investment in ASEAN, the opportunities for Sri Lanka and its private sector as well as key lessons from Southeast Asia for Sri Lanka in terms of reforms, exports and FDIs.   

The team of HSBC executives will be led by Douglas Lippoldt - Chief Trade Economist at HSBC Global Research, HSBC London and includes Tim Evans - Head of Commercial Banking International Markets, Asia Pacific; Winfield Wong - Head of Wholesale Banking, HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd; Vivek Deshpande - Regional Head of Sales, Commercial Banking, Global Liquidity and Cash Management, Asia Pacific and Stuart E. Rogers - Head of Wholesale Banking, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Central Bank Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy will be the Chief Guest. Others speakers include Finance Ministry Advisor Deshal de Mel and Adam Collins - Research Fellow at LKI’s Global Economy

Program. To register to attend the 11 June forum call 0117515151 or 0772075253.