Private sector take on Lanka’s way forward with China and India on Wednesday

• New insights from young leaders at key Daily FT-Colombo Uni MBAA-HSBC forum

Young leaders of the country’s private sector will have their say on the way forward for Sri Lanka’s future economic cooperation with China and India at the Wednesday, 14 June full-day forum in Colombo organised by the Daily FT and the Colombo University MBA Alumni Association in partnership with HSBC.

Taking on the most prominent issue in the future of Sri Lanka’s international trade, the forum at the Cinnamon Grand via two separate morning and post-lunch sessions with international, regional and local experts, will try and shed light on the best way forward in forging enhanced economic cooperation with China and India, two of Sri Lanka’s leading trading and development partners. 

Insights into the way forward for Sri Lanka-China economic cooperation will be shared by Global Rubber Industries Ltd. Managing Director Prabhash Subasinghe and Hayleys Advantis Managing Director Ruwan Waidyaratne while speaking on the future of Indo-Lanka economic relations will be Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. 

Group Managing Director Shea Wickramasingha, Brandix Lanka Ltd. CFO Hasitha Premaratne, Ceylon Chamber Chief Economist Anushka Wijesinha and Piramal Glass Ceylon Plc MD/CEO and Indian CEO Forum Immediate Past President Sanjay Tiwari, who is also the President of the Sri Lanka Ceramic and Glass Council .

Finance Minister Mangala Samaraweera will inaugurate the forum at 8.30 a.m. while State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne will be the Guest of Honour. The Chief Guest for the post-lunch Indo-Lanka session will be Foreign Minister Ravi Karunanayake. Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka Yi Xianliang and India’s Acting High Commissioner Arindam Bagchi will also address the respective sessions. 

Among other speakers to share key insights will be renowned economist Dr. Razeen Sally, who is the Director of the European Centre for International Political Economy and Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, as well as Institute of Policy Studies Research Fellow Dr. Janaka Wijeyasiri and Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador to China Nihal Rodrigo. Strategic Partner HSBC is bringing three specialists exclusively for the forum. They are Regional Head of ‎ Belt and Road Initiative for Commercial Banking Director Sunil Hiranandani; HSBC India Managing Director and Head of Commercial Banking Rajat Verma and Global Head of RMB Internationalisation, HSBC Global Liquidity and Cash Management Vina Cheung while HSBC Sri Lanka CEO Mark Prothero will also speak.

The moderators for the China-Sri Lanka session will be Daily FT Editor Nisthar Cassim while former Central Bank Deputy Governor W.A. Wijewardena will be the moderator for the Indo-Lanka session.

To book your seat for the 14 June (Wednesday) event ‘Growing with the Giants’ forum call Andrea 0768223926, Malsha 0773095627, Canisies 077 3891111 or Vidushan 077 3706704 or email [email protected].‎