Maria Fernanda Garza, the Chair, of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), arrived in Sri Lanka last evening (18). The ICC, representing 170 countries with a corporate membership of 45 million companies, is the largest and most influential business organisation globally. Only Chamber to represented in United Nations, WTO and WIPO. Her first visit to Sri Lanka will encompass meetings with business and government leaders.

Greeting her at the Bandaranaike International Airport was the Chairman, of ICC Sri Lanka, Anthony M Shanil Fernando, the Secretary Hemakumara Gunasekera and Manisha Rajanayake the Treasurer.  ICC Sri Lanka plays a significant role in trade and investment, Arbitration, and facilitation in Sri Lanka,  through its ten specialised committees that speak with authority on behalf of enterprises from all sectors present in the country including Banking, Insurance, Training and Education, Finance, International Relations and Tourism and the Agriculture, SME support, Entrepreneurship development. The Agriculture Policy and Food Safety and Supply Chain Committee, launched in 2021, aims to provide support to companies in the sector to help them navigate pressing challenges to food security. ICC also provides a platform for engagement, in Governance, Sustainability anti-corruption and advocacy in best practices.  ICC Banking committee which meets monthly and is represented by all the Banks operating in Sri Lanka, meets quarterly with Sri Lanka Customs to accelerate trade facilitation.

The ICC International Chair hails from Mexico. Maria Fernanda is the CEO of Orestia, a manufacturing home improvement solutions company based in Mexico and exports to the USMCA region, Latin America, and Asia. Throughout her career, Ms. Garza has been a dedicated advocate for small and medium-sized businesses, with a strong track record of involvement in the Mexican Employers’ Association and a four-year tenure as Vice President.

The ICC Sri Lanka Chairman is Anthony M Shanil Fernando, a corporate lawyer and Arbitrator, partner at Anton Fernando Associates Law Firm and the Chairman of World Express CMB Ltd, Asian Logistics Park Ltd, AFA Corporate Services Ltd, Ceylon Port City Corporate Services Ltd and Air Sea Logistics Ltd.  He was also a former Board Member of the Colombo Stock Exchange.

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), is present in 170 countries and focuses on key global issues such as the digital economy, sustainability and climate action, global trade, integrity, and good governance. It is the only business organisation with observer status in the United Nations and celebrated its centennial in 2019. The ICC has introduced vital tools and standards over the years, such as in Banking USCP 600, DOCDEX, INCOTERMS, ICC Court of Arbitration, ATA Carnet, Model contracts & clauses, Certificates of Origin, ICC TradeNow, Discover SME360X, ICC Centre of Entrepreneurship, ICC Agri-Food Hubs, and UCP 600 used in banks. For more information, please visit www.iccwbo.org, and to learn about ICC Sri Lanka, visit https://iccsrilanka.com.