As a road-map for 2023, the Annual General Meeting of the European Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ECCSL) was held on on 7th of October 5.30 pm onwards at Galadari Hotel with the participation of Board of Directors, member representatives, foreign delegates, advocates and business leaders. 

Mr. Hatem Rajabdeen, Managing Director of Future Fibres Lanka (Pvt) Ltd was elected as the President and Mr. John Wilson, Managing Director of John Wilson Partners was elected as the Vice President of the Board. Mr. Rajabdeen previously held the position of Vice President of the Chamber and Mr. Wilson was a Director and the In-house Legal Counsel & Advisor of ECCSL, prior to their new appointments. The Annual General Meeting 2022 also saw a new female representative joining the Board of Directors, with the appointment of Ms. Roshani J Moraes, Chief Executive Officer of Link Natural Products.

Ms. Moraes joining the ECCSL Board of Directors demonstrates ECCSL’s goal to promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the upcoming financial year. The new President Mr. Rajabdeen assured members of the European Chamber’s commitment to having a Board with considerable female representation in the upcoming months. 

Members were delighted to hear that the ECCSL is geared to carry out a heightened level of activity and participation in the upcoming year, to connect its members with relevant stakeholders in Europe to facilitate effective business relations. 

Two new Strategic Committees, namely Information & Communication Technology and Gems and Jewelry are to be added to the five existing Strategic Committees. It was also announced that more in-person events will be held in the upcoming year.

As Sri Lanka’s voice and window to business with Europe, the ECCSL shoulders a huge responsibility in national development and bilateral trade. With the newly appointed 2022/2023 Board of Directors, the ECCSL is looking forward to an exciting year, encouraging and supporting a healthy business partnerships between Sri Lanka and Europe. 

Following the AGM, the ‘European Networking Cocktails’, an exclusive networking evening, was held which was open to both members and non- members. This was an excellent opportunity for companies to meet senior people from a wide range of business, to support new connections and opportunities to grow their businesses. The event was graced by representatives of European Missions in Sri Lanka, Trade Organisations and other professional partner organisations. The guests enjoyed refreshments, a light dinner and good company signifying the end of another memorable event of ECCSL.