Dr. Athukorala Guest Speaker at today’s SKAL EGM

Skål, the only international professional organisation of tourism leaders around the world promoting global tourism and friendship, has invited award winning marketer Dr. Rohantha Athukorala, Chairman of the Sri Lanka Tourism Promotions Bureau and the Commissioner General Sri Lanka for World Expo 2015, to be the Guest Speaker on the theme ‘Our Competitive Advantage’ at the Colombo Chapter EGM which is to be staged at Galadari Hotel, Colombo under the leadership of President Dushy Jayaweera.

The first club of SKAL was founded in 1932 in Paris by travel managers, following an educational tour of Scandinavia. The idea of international goodwill and friendship grew and, in 1934, the Association Internationale des Skål Clubs was formed with Florimond Volckaert as its first President, who is considered the “Father of Skål”.

Dr. Athukorala, a Doctorate recipient from the elite industrial Asian University AIT and MBA from PIM-University of Sri Jayewardenepura, with a 15-year tenure in British multinationals like Reckitt Benckiser, is a ‘Best Student’ awardee of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He is an alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education and served the United Nations-UNOPS for a five-year tenure where Sri Lanka won the coveted Best Project Globally for the year 2013.

He served the Government of Sri Lanka as the Chairman of Sri Lanka Export Development Board where he quit serving the Government in 2005 to uphold financial governance. On an honorary basis he serves the Sri Lanka Tea Board – Marketing for the last six years to date and during the war time, the Government Peace Secretariat where he was Directing Economic Affairs for the Northern Province until the cessation of hostilities in May 2009.

Skål International today has approximately 17,000 members in 400 clubs throughout 80 nations. Most activities occur at local level, moving up through National Committees, under the umbrella of Skål International, headquartered at the General Secretariat in Torremolinos, Spain.

Skål International is governed by an Executive Committee of six members, elected by delegates to an annual General Assembly, held during the World Congress, hosted by a different country each year. This allows members first-hand observation of the travel and tourism potential around the world.