ADVERTORIAL

Sri Lanka true ‘Wonder of Asia’

‘Sri Lanka – the Wonder of Asia’, a promotional event organized in Beijing, was held recently. It was organized by the Sri Lankan Embassy recently at the China World Hotel.

The tag-line for the evening was “The emerging wonder of Asia”.

Organized to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of the Independence of Sri Lanka and the 53rd year of Establishing Diplomatic Relations with China, the evening attracted a very distinguished gathering of closer to 500 persons representing Ministers, foreign Ambassadors, top ranking Government officials, persons

dominating the travel trade, the business community and the entrepreneurs.

The chief guest on the occasion was Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Zhi Jun.

While congratulating Sri Lanka, for the success achieved in eradicating terrorism from her soil, he pledged China’s continuous support for economic development and building a mutually beneficial partnership between the two countries.

Ambassador Karunatilaka Amunugama said, that for the first time in almost three decades, Sri Lanka is not under the shadow of terrorism and that the 62nd anniversary is celebrated with a great sense of oneness and pride.

In the context of bilateral relations, he spoke of the time honoured partnership and the friendship between the two countries which had been nurtured under the care of leaders of both countries and the assistance extended by the Chinese Government in protecting Sri Lanka’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Ambassador also wished China a successful launching of the Expo 2010 in Shanghai in May and the Asian Games in Guangzhou in October this year.

He reiterated that Sri Lanka looked on with much anticipation to participate in these two events.

Ambassador Amunugama said that the promotional exercise in Beijing certainly enriched the efforts of the Tourism Promotional Authority to position Sri Lanka as the Destination to Visit in 2011 among the Chinese traveller.

Set against the Sigiriya rock, one of the most prominent tourism attractions of Sri Lankan history, the dancers of the Channa-Upuli Performing Arts Foundation and the troupe of Ravibandu Vidyapathy captivated the attention of the audience. The Chefs of Mount Lavinia Hotel catered for the evening.

The foyer area of the China World Hotel, was decorated to promote Sri Lanka as a key tourist destination in Asia, simultaneously focusing on her strengths for trade and investment promotion. The photographic exhibition captioned “Sri Lanka – Love at first sight” promoted the country as a wedding destination capturing through the lens of the Chinese photographers visiting Sri Lanka on familiarization tours, the beauty and the exotic nature of the country. In blending with this touristic theme, were the trade displays created by the commercial section of the Embassy, displaying a couple of booths in showcasing Sri Lanka’s targeted export items to China such as Ceylon tea in different flavours etc.

DFCC launches ‘Mindstar’

A new reality TV show:

DFCC Bank at a media conference made the official launch announcement of its latest endeavour, a TV Reality Show. The press conference to launch this new show titled ‘MindStar’ was held at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo and was attended by DFCC Bank Chief Executive Officer Nihal Fonseka and DFCC Vardhana Bank Chief Executive Officer Lakshman Silva.

DFCC Bank’s initiative to treat Sri Lankan TV viewers to a high-quality reality quiz show is with the long term view of building a knowledge-based society. DFCC MindStar is expected to entertain whilst appealing to the mind, and is also expected to raise the bar and set a positive trend among local TV shows.

MindStar revolves around contestants answering a series of challenging yet interesting questions and winning incremental sums of money for their efforts. While this process is expected to entertain audiences it will also increase their exposure to new and interesting information. DFCC Bank has an extensive track record of helping aspiring Sri Lankans succeed in the business arena. This initiative is important to the Bank as well as for the country as it sets out to build a workforce with a thirst for knowledge and creativity.

The Bank’s new brand ambassador Ravindra Randeniya will be the host of DFCC MindStar. Randeniya, a popular actor on the silver screen and extensively known beyond it, will bring his experience as an entertainer and presenter to help create an exciting television experience.

DFCC Mind Star is a unique reality TV show. Not only will it provide entertainment, but it will also help expand young and old minds alike. It gives me great joy to add MindStar to our many other corporate responsibility initiatives.

We are also quite proud to have Ravindra Randeniya on board as a brand ambassador. I’m sure he will be very successful in strengthening our brand image,” said DFCC Bank Chief Executive Officer Nihal Fonseka.

Apart from the competition on-screen, viewers at home will also have a chance to participate in MindStar and win prizes.

DFCC Bank has organized an SMS-based quiz competition, which will award valuable prizes for couch-contestants.

MindStar will run for a 30-week period, featuring 180 contestants in total. Eligibility to appear on the show will depend on the performance of the applicants at the initial aptitude tests, which will be held once registration close on the March 23.

It would be mandatory for all participants to have a DFCC Vardhana Bank savings account with a minimum balance of Rs. 10,000. Registration forms will be available at all DFCC Bank and Vardhana Bank branches and will also be published in the newspapers.

Chaaya Blu Trincomalee opens in May

John Keells Hotels heralds burgeoning of East Coast Tourism:

Following the announcement of their planned investment of Rs 500 million towards revamping and refurbishing their hotel in Trincomalee late last year, the John Keells Hotels Group has well poised itself to herald the burgeoning of East-Coast tourism in Sri Lanka.

The hotel property formerly known as Club Oceanic Trincomalee, a member of the John Keells Hotels Group, is in the process of transformation and is scheduled to reopen in May 2010 with a new and unique ambience as Chaaya Blu Trincomalee.

Under the watchful eye of renowned architect Channa Daswatte, the investment promises a vibrant new appearance that will enchant its guests. Designed according to a retro chic theme, the resort will be decorated with denim trimmings, cut cement, rattan and more, promising an experience that complements the rich marine offerings of the seas of Trinco, or the ‘Blu’ as ancient seafarers would have called it.

Located on the North-Eastern corner of the island, Trincomalee is home to the fifth largest natural harbour in the world.

In recent times this region has been developing at a rapid rate and is focusing on capitalizing on its magnificent location, gorgeous beaches and crystal clear waters which have the potential to make Trincomalee another dream destination in Sri Lanka.

Joining the Chaaya Resorts and Hotels circle, Club Oceanic Trincomalee is to celebrate its grand reopening with its new name, Chaaya Blu Trincomalee.

Nestled on a location which provides access to all the unique features of the area including the azure waters and sun kissed beaches of Uppuveli, Chaaya Blu Trincomalee is to offer a perfect escape for those in search of serenity.

Travellers will also be able to engage in a variety of activities that are presented by the rich marine offerings of Trincomalee.

Kent Ridge training for Model Project Team

Kent Ridge conducted an Outdoor Training Workshop combined with whitewater rafting recently for the Lean Project team of Avery -Dennison Lanka (Pvt) Ltd a subsidiary of a Fortune 500 company, specialized in manufacturing garment accessories exporting to Europe. Apart from local participants, five lean experts from Germany, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh also participated in this training.

“You’ve done an outstanding job! Thank you so much for your flexibility and the top professional deployment. It’s all about people and you helped us surfing the best in us,” said Avery Dennison Corporation Director - Enterprise Lean Sigma Europe, Middle East, Asia and South Africa Bernard Lewan, who himself was a participant.

The parent company has chosen Sri Lanka’s plant as a model factory to propagate the Lean Manufacturing concept across their other factories in Asia. Most of the activities revolved around team building and building trust and respect which was the key in making this lean project team.

ICCS sets up new institutional framework

The Board of Management of the Institute of Chartered Corporate Secretaries of Sri Lanka (ICCS) under its President, Prof. M.T.A. Furkhan is establishing the required institutional framework to commence its professional examinations in Sri Lanka in mid September this year. It is also proposed to award fifty scholarships to students who achieve the highest marks at a special scholarship examination scheduled for March 29 at the Polytechnic Examination Hall in Colombo 6.

Prof Furkhan said, “The most important feature is that unlike in the past when Sri Lankan students faced British examinations based on British laws and British Corporate Governing practices, the new ICCS syllabi have been very carefully designed to ensure that the new examinations are completely based on Sri Lankan laws and Sri Lankan practices.” The comprehensive scope best suited for Chartered Corporate Secretaries are in the fields of Accountancy, Law, Corporate Governance and Practice, Human Resource Management, Taxation, Economics, and Business Management, all based on local law and circumstances.

This is a historical change after nearly a century of the UK based Chartered Secretaries Examinations conducted in Sri Lanka.

Prof. Furkhan said that with this significant change, students will no longer have to pay considerable fees in Sterling Pounds which was a drain on the foreign exchange reserves of the country.

ICCS has also introduced a very appropriate and novel paper on a subject (hitherto unavailable to students) titled Capital Markets and Regulations based on the local Capital Market and local relevant regulatory provisions. In future, a candidate qualifying as a Chartered Corporate Secretary will be fully conversant with the Sri Lankan Capital Market, its terms, its players, its nuances etc., and very importantly the rules and regulations of the local Registrar of Companies, the Colombo Stock Exchange and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Further details could be obtained from [email protected]