Outstanding entrepreneur Dr. Lawrence Perera to address NHRC 2015

Dr. Lawrence Perera

Sri Lanka’s top entrepreneur, innovator and business leader Dr. Lawrence Perera – Chairman and CEO of Micro Holdings and Micro Cars Ltd – will be delivering the keynote address at the National HR Conference 2015 (NHRC) to be held on 16 and 17 June at the BMICH in Colombo. The Conference themed ‘HR for National Prosperity’ is organised by IPM Sri Lanka – the nation’s premier professional body for human resource management.

“As a respected entrepreneur, innovator and businessman who has contributed to Sri Lanka’s national prosperity through his outstanding ventures particularly in the automotive manufacturing and construction sectors, we are privileged to have Dr. Lawrence Perera as the keynote speaker at the National HR Conference 2015,” said IPM Sri Lanka President Rohitha Amarapala.

An Automobile Engineer by profession with well over 40 years experience in the Automobile Engineering Industry, both locally and overseas, Dr. Perera is a diploma holder in Automobile Engineering at CGTTI and Institute of Motor Industry UK. He is also a certificated Automobile Engineer in the Institute of Motor Industry UK (CAE) and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Motor Industry-UK (FIMI). He has held several junior and senior managerial positions in automobile franchises, locally as well as overseas, and has extensively trained with BMW, Volkswagen – Germany and Peugeot – France.  

“The conference will be enriched by the insights and experience that Dr. Perera will be sharing as the keynote speaker and all conference delegates will have a lot to take away from a practical perspective,” he added.

Dr. Perera founded Micro Holdings, Transmec Group of Companies and Micro Cars Ltd. in 1995, and currently holds the office of The Chairman/CEO of Micro Holdings, Micro Cars Ltd, Micro Construction Ltd, Transmec Engineering Ltd and Transmec International Ltd, Micro Cars International Consortium, Euro Sports Auto Lanka Ltd.  

With many innovative ‘firsts’ to his credit, Dr. Perera was the first to design, develop and manufacture a car in Sri Lanka – ‘MICRO’ – with a patent in 1999, the first to design an economical rail solution – ‘Lanka Econo Rail’ – for Sri Lanka Railway in 2004, the first in Sri Lanka to assemble 4x4 SUVs under technology transfer agreement with SsangYong Motor Korea with Mercedes technology in 2006 and the first in Sri Lanka to manufacture a luxury double decker bus with latest technology with fully aluminium low floor monocoque design for mass transport in 2007. He was also a Director, Board of Governors of the University of Vocational Training, Moratuwa.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the industry and to the nation, he has been conferred with many awards and accolades. In 1997 Dr. Perera was conferred with a doctorate for his service excellence towards the Automobile Industry in Sri Lanka and overseas, and in 2007 he was bestowed with the honorary titles of Deshamanya, Deshakeerthi and Janaranjana by the Government of Sri Lanka. 

He was also the winner of the Best Innovation Award (Institute of Engineers) in 2003, Best Innovation Award in Transport Business in 2004, the Presidential Award – 1st place for the Best Innovation in 2004, Transport Award (The Chartered Institute of Logistic and Transport) in 2004, Most Outstanding Citizen of Sri Lanka – Gold Medallist 2004 and the Asia Pacific Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award in 2013.

South Asia’s largest HR conference – the National HR Conference 2015 is a much looked forward to event in the HR calendar of events, and is hailed as the pinnacle of HR related activities by the HR fraternity in Sri Lanka.