At their AGM on Monday 12^th October, the Public Relations Association of Sri Lanka (PRASL) elected a new Executive Board to take forward the strategic direction set at the previous AGM, to pivot from its outdated publicity and events profile, and be seen as ‘The Vital Strategic Communications Discipline that Drives Initiatives and Protects Reputation”.

Nimal Gunewardena was re-elected as the Association’s President to take forward this mission together with a mix of old and new faces on the Board. In his address to members and partners, Nimal elaborated on the change that must happen to re-cast perceptions and enhance skills within the industry to be in step with a fast changing world.

Meeting Challenges in a Fast Changing World

He said that “Technology has changed media, and mainstream media is being replaced by online media with people absorbing what appears on their hand-held screens. New risks have surfaced affecting companies and their reputations. Fake news, misinformation and disinformation has increased spreading virally on social media, with the emergence of a plethora of citizen-reporters. AI has emerged as a potential helper and a threat to both jobs and perceptions in the industry.” In this context, he urged the industry to enhance their skills to become ‘Risk and Reputation Advisories’ and help companies build trust, gain a seat at the table and be valued by both the private and government sectors that had initiatives to drive and reputations to protect.

Financial Turnaround

He said that in a short period of six months, the Association had turned around losses from the past two years to generate a large enough surplus to open an interest-bearing account for the first time. He said that this was due to diligent outreach to lapsed members and new members for the collection of membership subscriptions, and a highly successful educational project.

Education as a Priority

The Association conducted a Certificate Course in Public Relations and Corporate Communications in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Press Institute featuring 16 senior industry professionals sharing their expertise and case studies across 20 different topics, which drew 19 young working adults who wished to broaden their knowledge and skills and ended with a multifaceted examination and Graduation Ceremony where a majority passed with Merit and Distinction grades. The Graduates expressed their satisfaction about the course with: 84% indicating that the course met or exceeded expectations. 100% indicated that the course was relevant to them and 74% said they would recommend the course to others.

The Course will be repeated in early 2027, and as the next level up, PRASL is planning masterclasses on specialized skills with foreign and local trainers, customized training for corporates, and a higher-level Diploma programme with local or international partnership.

Industry-Academia Collaboration

Following an on-going MOU with University of Kelaniya, PRASL participated by providing lecturers and speakers for the University’s BA (Honors) and external Diploma Programmes and their National Public Relations Summit 2026 which brought together industry and academia. The Association also provided feedback to help the University update their curricula and also facilitated Internships for students, and looks forward to collaborating with the University on international programmes and conferences and other areas.

Code of Ethics

Going forward the Association will drive a Code of Ethics it has developed for professional practice and corporate behavior and encourage its adoption by PR agencies, consultancies and corporates with the award of a prestigious Trust Mark to subscribing companies and agencies.

Government Initiatives

To demonstrate PRASL’s support for government initiatives, an evening talk on the theme of “Taking Sri Lanka to the World” was organized featuring Sri Lanka-born international visiting scholar and diplomat Prof. Patrick Mendis and a panel of three local veterans in FDI – the Port City Economic Commission Chairman, former BOI Chairman and a FDI focused private sector CEO. PRASL plans to set up a Public Affairs & Government Relations position in the future to get government sector buy-in for the use of PR.

Photo caption: PRASL’s FY26-27 Executive Board. From L to R: Rashmi de Silva, Randima Lahirunie, Aruni Perera, Dinali Ruhunuhewa, Nimal Gunewardena, Shehara de Silva, Ashan Jayatilaka, Nadiya de Lanerolle, Uma Rajamantri, Christine Seneviratne, Nevindee Amarasinghe, Anushika Kamburugamuwa. Advisors to the Board: Rezani Aziz & Ashan Kumar.