Emphasising the need to create a more business-friendly environment for foreign investors seeking investment opportunities in Sri Lanka, Ambassador of the United States to Sri Lanka Her Excellency Julie Chung hailed the Sri Lanka USA Business Council (SLUSABC) of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce as a critical voice in advising the Government on how to reform the business environment.

Speaking at the 06^th Annual General Meeting of the SLUSABC, Ambassador Chung said that with US foreign direct investment in Sri Lanka ‘stagnant at about $ 13-17 million per year since 2015’, the SLUSABC is a primary engine for growing trade and investment in terms of expanding the economic partnership between the two countries.

President of the SLUSABC, Sanji De Silva, CEO - Bileeta (Pvt) Ltd. who was re-elected for the year 2022/23 said the Council will continue to focus on facilitating trade between Sri Lanka and the USA, with a focus on ICT and agri-exports, as well as engaging with USAID-initiated projects to assist the Small and Medium Enterprise sectors in Sri Lanka.

The Council’s Executive Committee for 2022/23 comprises Vice Presidents - Charithra Hettiarachchi, CEO, HVA Foods PLC and Randeewa Malalasooriya, CEO, CBL Natural Foods (Pvt) Ltd., Treasurer - Tilak Gunawardana, CFO, MAC Holdings (Pvt) Ltd. and Immediate Past President Asanka Ratnayake, Group Director, Hayleys Advantis Ltd. Newly appointed committee members include Sashan Wirasinghe, Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Limited; Channa Gunawardena, Expelogix (Pvt) Ltd; Farhath Amith, Fanam International (Pvt) Ltd; Asitha Karunaratne, Haycarb PLC and Revanke de Silva, Heritage Teas (Pvt) Ltd.

Further details regarding membership of the Council could be obtained from the Secretariat of the Sri Lanka – USA Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, No. 50, Navam Mawatha, Colombo 2. E-mail: dinithi@chamber.lk or Tel.: 011-5588861, 5588800.