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BBDO Lanka continued its ‘Force For Good’ campaign and overall commitment to Sri Lanka by contributing to the Commonwealth Business Forum which was held in Colombo 12-14 November at the Cinnamon Grand by adding its name to the list of key sponsors. It also launched www.bbdoforchogm.com, a website to provide information to the participants about its Force For Good initiatives.
The Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) is the premier business event in the Commonwealth bringing together heads of government, ministers, and top business leaders from around the world. This year’s event witnessed the largest number of participants in the history of the event: 1,450 delegates, including 640 from over 90 countries.
BBDO Lanka MD Santosh Menon said, “We were delighted that the Commonwealth Business Forum was being held in Sri Lanka. Last year we hosted the CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) delegation that visited Sri Lanka and promoted Sri Lanka as an investment destination. This year too we wished to make our own contribution to business in Sri Lanka as part of our Force For Good initiative, and became one of the key sponsors of the CBF.”
CBF 2013 was jointly organised by the Government of Sri Lanka and the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC) and formed part of the overall Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that was held in Sri Lanka 15-17 November. The Forum was opened by President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa and addressed by Heads of State and global business leaders. Sri Lanka is one of the eight founder member nations of the modern Commonwealth.
Major global business event
CBF 2013 was a major global business event, coming at a critical time as the developed world continues its efforts to secure recovery from recession, tackle the challenges of maintaining open markets, and when emerging markets are enjoying a greater prominence on the world stage than ever before. The Forum was a key event in developing stronger partnerships between governments and business to ensure that the Commonwealth plays its part in promoting sustainable growth to the benefit of the whole of global society.
The CBC provides leadership in increasing international trade and investment flows, creating new business opportunities, promoting good governance and corporate social responsibility, reducing the digital divide and integrating developing countries into the global market. In fulfilling its mission, CBC strives to provide a bridge between the private sector and governments, between emerging markets and developed markets and between small businesses and international private sector. CBC’s goal is to achieve economic empowerment for shared global prosperity through the enhancement of private sector contribution to social and economic development.
“The CBF 2013 theme of ‘Partnering for Wealth Creation and Social Development; The Commonwealth, Indian Ocean and SAARC’ is in consonance with the policy of the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ to ensure that all communities reap the dividends of economic growth. The Commonwealth Business Forum would play a significant role in encouraging pan-Commonwealth trade and investment, and would also ensure that substantial economic dividends would accrue to Sri Lanka,” Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma, was reported as saying, at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth People’s Forum.
Platform for Sri Lanka
Commonwealth Business Council Chairman Dr. Mohan Kaul stated at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Business Forum 2013: “This event will provide a platform for Sri Lanka to showcase its business community to the world. I have no doubt that this event will lead to subsequently increased investment in Sri Lanka. We have set ourselves an ambitious target with regards to investment in Sri Lanka and I am confident that this will be easily achieved. Sri Lanka has come far since the end of the conflict and it is testament to the business leaders in this country that it has not been left behind in any way in the so-called Asian growth miracle. In fact, in many ways, Sri Lanka has been the vanguard of development in the continent and according to an international bank is likely to be the second fastest growing economy in Asia.”
In conclusion, BBDO Lanka MD Santosh Menon added: “I think this is a fantastic opportunity for everyone. Delegates from the Commonwealth and further afield got the opportunity to see the amazing potential for business in Sri Lanka, the business community was able to expand their networks and we were able to help support the vision of the State. It has been an inspiring week for all.”
