Exporters' Association of Sri Lanka Elects New Leadership at 29th Annual General Meeting

The Exporters' Association of Sri Lanka (EASL) elected its new office bearers and Executive Committee at its 29th Annual General Meeting, held recently with the participation of exporters, industry leaders, Heads of Mission, trade officials and representatives from across Sri Lanka's export sector.

The event was attended by the World Bank Group Country Manager for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Mr. Gevorg Sargsyan, as Chief Guest, together with Heads of Mission, trade representatives and senior members of the business community, reflecting the growing importance of strengthening collaboration to support Sri Lanka's export growth.

Mr. Nalaka Ratnayake was elected Chairperson of the Association for the forthcoming term. He will be supported by Mr. Manuje Hordagoda as First Vice Chairperson and Ms. Rozanne de Almeida as Second Vice Chairperson. Outgoing Chairperson Mr. Yohan Lawrence will continue to serve the Association as Immediate Past Chairperson.

Immediate Past Chairperson Mr. Yohan Lawrence reflected on EASL's advocacy efforts over the past year, particularly on issues affecting the export sector, including the repeal of the Simplified Value Added Tax (SVAT) scheme, trade facilitation measures and the implementation of the National Single Window. He noted that the Association had continued to engage policymakers and relevant authorities to ensure exporters' concerns were represented while advocating for reforms that enhance Sri Lanka's competitiveness in international trade.

Delivering the keynote address, Chief Guest Mr. Gevorg Sargsyan said that while Sri Lanka has made encouraging progress in its economic recovery, the next challenge is to strengthen competitiveness to accelerate growth and create more jobs. He highlighted that manufacturing value-added per worker remains less than half that of Vietnam and about one-third that of the Philippines, while Sri Lanka was the only peer economy to record negative labour productivity growth in 2024. To strengthen export competitiveness, he emphasized three priorities: lowering the cost of doing business, expanding market access and attracting higher-quality foreign investment.

Highlighting the importance of export competitiveness and productivity, Mr. Sargsyan said, "No country, particularly small country, has ever sustained prosperity by looking inward. Every success story was built on deeper integration, stronger exports and rising productivity. Sri Lanka has the ingredients that others would envy: the location, the talent, and an entrepreneurial private sector that has weathered the worst and is still standing. The task now is to turn those advantages into a more competitive economy.”

Addressing the membership for the first time as Chairperson, Mr. Nalaka Ratnayake outlined his vision for the Association and the broader export sector, calling for accelerated reforms to position Sri Lanka among Asia's most competitive and business-friendly export destinations.

He emphasised the need to fast-track trade digitalisation through the full implementation of an integrated National Single Window, improve the ease of doing business, strengthen logistics competitiveness and reduce the cost of exporting. He also highlighted the importance of export diversification, greater integration into global value chains and increasing the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), noting that a broader and more inclusive export base would contribute to a stronger and more resilient economy.

The newly elected Executive Committee comprises representatives from Akbar Brothers Pvt. Ltd, Beira Brush Pvt Ltd,  Ceylon Biscuits Limited, CIC Holdings PLC, Dipped Products PLC, Hatton National Bank PLC, Hayleys PLC, Joint Agri Products Ceylon Pvt Ltd, Lion Brewery (Ceylon) PLC, Nidro Supply Ltd, Sampath Bank PLC, Sri Lanka Export Credit Insurance Corporation (SLECIC), Tea Tang (Pvt) Ltd, Vintage Teas Ceylon (Pvt) Ltd together with representatives from the Association's member associations, bringing together a broad cross-section of expertise from Sri Lanka's export industry.

Caption: Managing Committee of the Exporters Association of Sri Lanka for 2026/2027