Mohamad Hameez Appointed President of Sri Lanka–Canada Business Council

The 34th Annual General Meeting of the Sri Lanka–Canada Business Council (SLCBC) of The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce was held on Thursday, 24th July 2025.

The AGM was graced by His Excellency Eric Walsh, High Commissioner for Canada to Sri Lanka and Maldives as the Chief Guest, who delivered an inspiring keynote address, emphasizing the importance of sustained bilateral engagement and economic cooperation between the two countries. Several senior diplomats of the High Commission also participated in this event.

The Council elected Mohamad Hameez, Chairman / Managing Director of Spillburg Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, as President for the 2025/2026 term. In his address, Hameez thanked the membership for their trust and paid tribute to the outgoing President and team. He outlined a focused vision for the coming year, including expanding SLCBC’s presence across Sri Lanka and prioritizing collaboration in key sectors such as education, financial services, renewable energy, agriculture, tourism, and technology. Planned initiatives include a delegation visit to Canada, exploring a Single Country Exhibition in 2026, and launching discussions around an agriculture-based R&D facility. He also set a target to grow the membership base to 200 by the next AGM.

Outgoing President Priyantha Chandrasekera, reflecting on the Council’s accomplishments and steady growth over the past three years. He noted that SLCBC’s membership has now grown over 120 and counting, with a remarkable improvement in financial performance compared to previous years. He also highlighted the Council’s success in expanding its activities beyond Colombo and strengthening engagement with both Sri Lankan and Canadian stakeholders.

M Irshad Razack, Managing Director of Global Academy of Further Education was appointed Senior Vice President, and Sajith Rajapaksa, Managing Director of Samson Rubber Products (Pvt) Ltd was appointed Vice President. Hiran De Silva, Director of Asian Institute of Business and Science (Pvt) Ltd was named Treasurer. Priyantha Chandrasekera, Chairman of Thames International (Pvt) Ltd will serve on the committee as Immediate Past President.

The ten companies were elected to serve on the Council’s main executive Committee are Acentura (Pvt) Ltd, Aitken Spence Travels (Pvt) Ltd, ASG International Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Aspect Trading (Pvt) Ltd, BOV Capital, FAB Foods (Pvt) Ltd, Maliban Biscuit Manufactories (Pvt) Ltd, Mway (Pvt) Ltd, Regulated Immigration Consulting Services (Pvt) Ltd, and Travel Outlook (Pvt) Ltd.

A special subcommittee was also appointed to spearhead focus areas such as Membership Development, Women Entrepreneurship, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Members of the subcommittee include Honcee Sanjeev from DFCC Bank PLC, Thiruvel Murugan from Ningbo Marketing Company (Pvt) Ltd, and Emil Kronemberg from ECD Global (Pvt) Ltd.

In recognition of his longstanding contribution to the Council Jay Ong of Prima Ceylon Limited was unanimously conferred the title of Honorary Member, alongside Lionel Silva, Chairman of Lidechsi Group of Companies who will continue to serve in that capacity. Members also approved the appointment of KPMG as the Council’s auditors for the financial year 2025–2026.

The meeting concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Senior Vice President M Irshad Razack. The Council looks forward to a dynamic new term under the new leadership with a strategic approach with a strong lineup of activities aimed at further strengthening Canada–Sri Lanka economic cooperation and creating value and further opportunities for its members.

• Further details regarding membership of the Council could be obtained from the Secretariat of the Sri Lanka – Canada Business Council of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, No. 50, Navam Mawatha, Colombo 2. E-mail: [email protected] or Tel.: 011-5588861, 5588800.