Humble beginnings to be the best now

At the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka (AAT) Conference, the highlight was the Panel Discussion on Own Success Stories where leading entrepreneurs shared their humble beginnings to become the best today.

The Laugfs Group Chairman said that coming from the rural school of Pinnawela Central and being a decendent of a farmer family today he owns a multinational company with an annual turnover in excess of fifteen billion with subsidiaries in Singapore and Australia.

He shared his vision that every shopper at Laugfs Supermarket will shortly be owning a share of the company when the IPO is launched and he will acquire the stake that shell owns in the LPG business of Sri Lanka.

Some of the accolades won include the most respected business( Nation Mindedness) first position in 2009 and the National Business Excellence Award 2009 -Winner (Diversified Group) and Entrepreneur of the year to name a few.

To the pointer by Session Chairman Rohantha Athukorala if Sri Lanka sign the CEPA agreement, Wegapitiya strongly objected. He said it will be detrimental to the country and it should in fact never be signed.

This year's nominee for the world famous World Business Woman of the Year award, Otara Gunawardene who owns the iconic lifestyle store brand in Sri Lanka Odel, shared her success story how she started selling clothes off a boot of a car with a start off capital of just Rs 5,000. Today it is the most sought after high end retail store that is in key towns across the country being the first department store to go public.

She yet remembers the day that her father registered a company and said to make something out of her life.

Today, she has done proud of this statement with Odel being a must visit to any visitor that comes to Sri Lanka while owning a haute couture fitness centre branded Otone and a top end clothing for fitness while also owning the first celebrity Jewellery line Otara.

To the pointer by Athukorala on the challenges of doing a retail business in Sri Lanka commented Gunawardene that imported shoes costs are very high due to duty structures in play and she hoped the November budget will address this.

Nippolac Group of Companies Chairman and Managing Director Raja Hewabowala hailing from Rahula College explained how he started his business by selling paint manufactured in his home in just one outlet in Matara.

Today its one of the most diversified company's winning a multitude of awards such as Entrepreneur of the Year, Industrial Excellence award and many citations from Presidents and Prime Ministers of Sri Lanka.