The IFS Toastmasters’ Club fourth installation ceremony

The IFS Toastmasters Club celebrated its fourth installation ceremony of its executive committee recently at the IFS premises in Colombo. The IFS Toastmasters Club was founded in 2008 as a corporate club (Club #1244213) under Division H, District 82 of Toastmasters International and it consists of members from the Colombo office.

IFS is a Swedish public company (OMX STO: IFS) founded in 1983 that develops, supplies, and implements IFS Applications, a component-based extended ERP suite built on SOA technology. The company has 2,000 customers and is present in more than 50 countries including Sri Lanka. 

The installation ceremony was a colorful event with performances and speeches from club members to a gathering of many eminent toastmasters and distinguished guests.

The Chief Guest for the evening was Vice President IFS South Asia and Managing Director IFS Sri Lanka Jayantha De Silva, who made an insightful presentation titled From Operational Thinking To Strategic Thinking, aimed at stimulating strategic thinking in order for the younger generation to take on the challenge of leadership in the growing knowledge economy of the country.

TM Chundika Ariyawansa, ACB, CL, the Division H Governor and the Guest of Honour that evening delivered a captivating speech aligned with the Toastmasters International slogan Where Leaders Are Made with an ingenious comparison of the roles of an executive committee of a toastmasters club to the CXOs of an organisation.

The new club president TM Michelle Jayaranjan presented the club’s theme Creatively Collaborate for the coming year and thanked the out-going president TM Udeni Gnanaweera, CC, CL for her wonderful work as club president, who is now the Secretary of Division H. The previous year was a phenomenal year for the IFS Toastmasters Club with it achieving the status of Select Distinguished Club for the first time in its history. TM Reza Seedin the current Vice President Membership brought much honour to the club when he became the Division H winner at the Impromptu Speech Contest, and went on to  represent IFS Toastmasters Club at the District 82 contest at Ovation 2011, at the Infosys Campus in Mysore, India. The IFS Toastmasters Club also assisted Division H to conduct a Speechcraft program for Eurocenter DCC, with TM Dhanik Weerathunga acting as coordinator.

Kick starting the new year of 2011/2012 the club won the Smedley Award. This would hopefully be the first of many achievements to come this year as members and the committee embark on their journey of becoming better speakers and leaders.