Ceylon Chamber Re-elects Chairperson Krishan Balendra at 187th AGM
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce announced the re-election of Chairperson Krishan Balendra and the election of its Board for the Year 2026/27 at the Chamber’s 187th Annual General Meeting on June 25. High Commissioner of Britain to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Andrew Patrick, attended as Chief Guest.
The 2026/27 office-bearers are Chairperson Krishan Balendra, – Chairperson John Keells Holdings PLC, Vice Chairperson Bingumal Thewarathanthri – CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, and Deputy Vice-Chairperson Vinod Hirdaramani – Chairman, Hirdaramani Group. Jayanthi Dharmasena – Managing Director, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd., Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson – Chief Operating Officer, Head of APAC – 5Hour International Corporation Singapore, Shibani Thambiayah – Managing Director, Renuka Hotels PLC, Supun Weerasinghe – Director/Group CEO – Dialog Axiata PLC, and Shiran Fernando – Secretary-General and CEO will serve as Board Members. Mr. Rohana Dissanayake – Group Chairman and Managing Director of David Pieris Motor Company Pvt. Ltd. will also join the Board, replacing Mr. Bernhard Stefan – Managing Director – Nestlé Lanka PLC, who relocated overseas.
In his remarks, Mr. Balendra noted that over the past year, the Chamber adopted a more solutions-oriented approach to advocacy, focusing not only on identifying challenges but also on developing constructive recommendations in collaboration with government, industry stakeholders, and development partners, with this approach yielding stronger results. “Through our engagement in the Budget 2026 process, eighteen recommendations proposed by the Chamber were incorporated into the national budget, covering areas such as trade facilitation, investment promotion, digitalisation, infrastructure, and improving the ease of doing business. This builds upon the strong momentum established in previous years and demonstrates the value of evidence-based, constructive engagement.
The Chamber also contributed to addressing emerging global trade challenges, including tariff-related issues affecting Sri Lankan exports. By representing private sector perspectives in Presidential Committees, we supported efforts to safeguard export competitiveness and strengthen trade resilience.”
Beyond advocacy, it significantly expanded its engagement footprint, strengthening bilateral partnerships across more than twenty countries, and supporting more than 1,800 SMEs through training, advisory services, and market access initiatives.
He added that over the next year, the Ceylon Chamber is committed to deepening engagement with members, strengthening global partnerships, enhancing support for SMEs, and accelerating efforts to promote exports and attract investment, and is committed to working with the Government and stakeholders to ensure a resilient and prosperous Sri Lanka.