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Monday, 10 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Informatics Group which is a pioneer in the ICT sector consists of hardware and system integration, software, education and agriculture arms.
The Informatics Institute of Technology (IIT) which is the education arm of the Group and a brainchild of Dr. Wickramasinghe has been credited to be Sri Lanka’s first private higher education institute which awards world renowned British degrees in the field of ICT and Business.
Dr. Wickramasinghe said that he had dedicated his life to the ICT sector in Sri Lanka and his work at Informatics has played a pivotal role in empowering the industry.
“Today Information Communication Technology has evolved rapidly with new technological innovations being introduced every day. I am proud to say that we have kept up with the new trends in technology and as a country we have made great progress in the ICT sector,” he said.
“We started Informatics 31 years ago with the vision to empower the ICT sector. Back then people in Sri Lanka were cynical of ICT. But they soon realised the value of ICT. In order to strengthen the workforce in the ICT sector in Sri Lanka we need an ICT literate workforce and we strived to achieve that objective. With this in mind we established IIT. As of now, IIT has produced over 3000 graduates and has awarded nearly 600 scholarships,” he said.
“We have been able to shape and empower the progress of many industries in Sri Lanka through technology. The next goal for Sri Lanka’s ICT industry is to become a hub and all companies working in the ICT industry should work towards achieving that goal,” he said.
Dr. Wickramasinghe has also held the position of Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka and the Chairman of the Insurance Board of Sri Lanka. In 2007, he was appointed as the Chairman of Bank of Ceylon. During his tenure as Chairman of Bank of Ceylon, the bank had achieved a record Rs. 1 trillion asset base and Rs. 20 billion profit as of 2012, which was seven times more than what it was prior to him taking office.
Dr. Wickramasinghe is also the founder President of the British Computer Society, Sri Lanka Chapter. He is also a member of the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Service Companies, SLASSCOM – the unified national ICT/BPO industry association advisory board.
This year the INFOTEL exhibition showcased nearly 300 stalls that were dedicated for software, hardware, ICT education and training, mobile computing, systems integration, computer gaming and emerging technologies. INFOTEL is South Asia’s oldest ICT exposition and this was the 13th edition of the exhibition.
