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| Monday, 31 January 2005 |
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First ever woman to head leading Chamber in Lanka The election of the new President of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka last week was a landmark in the history of Chambers of Commerce in the country. The President elect Nirmali Samaratunga will go down in history as the first female to head a premier Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka. Addressing the 46th annual general meeting of the NCCSL on Friday, Mrs. Samaratunga said that she has been entrusted with the daunting task of helping the country's SME sector which was severely affected by the recent tsunami. "Now is the time for us all to rise to the challenge. The rebuilding process calls for long term planning, speedy and effective implementation, and above all transparency and accountability. As a responsible Chamber we are committed to participating in the rebuilding of the nation. We plan to focus on strengthening the business sector as a whole, nationwide, and with particular emphasis on the SME sector. The SME Disaster Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Project of the NCCSL is a first step towards achieving our objectives," Mrs. Samaratunga said. Nirmali Samaratunga is Deputy Chairperson and Joint Managing Director of her family business, Mackwoods Ltd., the second oldest mercantile organisation in Sri Lanka established in 1841. Mackwoods have the distinction of being the first member of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, as well as one of the early members of the National Chamber of Commerce. She functions as a Senior Board Member overlooking diversified business sectors such as Agriculture and Plantations, Healthcare, Industry and Manufacturing, and Information Technology. She heads two core business units of the Group, namely the Export Division and the Agri Business Division. She had her early education at St. Bridget's Convent, Colombo and thereafter proceeded to the UK where she completed her education. Professionally, she has a financial background and is a fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accounts, UK. She also holds the "Diploma Superieure de langue Francaise". She has been actively involved in the National Chamber of Commerce, activities over the past 10 years, initially as Chairperson of the Agents Committee, and thereafter as Chairperson of the Agribusiness Committee. In 2000, Mrs. Samaratunga was appointed as the Hon Secretary of the Chamber and in 2002 she was elected as Deputy President, which position she has been holding todate. She represented the Chamber on the WTO sub committee for Agriculture at regional forums. Now, she represents the Organic Products Sector on the National Council for Economic Development Export Cluster, and is also a member of the EDB Advisory Committee on Spices and Allied Products. Mrs. Samaratunga, in her capacity as Deputy President of NCCSL has represented the National Chamber at many international forums, heading the Chamber delegation to Tokyo for the Donor conference, and thereafter to Beijing as part of the Prime Minister's delegation, where she made a presentation to Chinese businessmen on Infrastructure Investment opportunities in Sri Lanka. She is also the Vice President of the BIMST-EC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Senior Vice President of Sri Lanka - Poland Business council and Council Member of the Exporters Association of Sri Lanka. Through the National Chamber Mrs. Samaratunga, has been involved with the education and training sectors as well, and is an alternate Director of the Tharuna Aruna Institute. She has also just been appointed to the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission of the Ministry of Skills Development Vocational and Technical Education. |
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