The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has re-elected Krishan Balendra as Chairperson for the 2026/27 term, reaffirming his leadership as the Chamber seeks to deepen private sector engagement, strengthen export competitiveness, and expand support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The appointments were announced at the Chamber's 187th Annual General Meeting held on June 25, with British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Andrew Patrick, attending as Chief Guest.

The newly elected office-bearers include Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Sri Lanka, as Vice Chairperson, and Vinod Hirdaramani, Chairman of the Hirdaramani Group, as Deputy Vice-Chairperson.

The Board for 2026/27 also comprises Jayanthi Dharmasena, Managing Director of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd.; Kasturi Chellaraja Wilson, Chief Operating Officer and Head of APAC at 5Hour International Corporation Singapore; Shibani Thambiayah, Managing Director of Renuka Hotels PLC; Supun Weerasinghe, Director and Group CEO of Dialog Axiata PLC; and Shiran Fernando, Secretary-General and CEO of the Chamber. Rohana Dissanayake, Group Chairman and Managing Director of David Pieris Motor Company Pvt. Ltd., joins the Board, succeeding Bernhard Stefan, former Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka PLC, who has relocated overseas.

Addressing members, Balendra highlighted the Chamber's achievements over the past year, noting a stronger emphasis on solutions-driven advocacy developed in collaboration with the Government, industry stakeholders, and development partners.

He said the Chamber's engagement during the Budget 2026 consultation process resulted in 18 of its recommendations being incorporated into the national budget, covering key areas such as trade facilitation, investment promotion, digitalisation, infrastructure development, and improving the ease of doing business.

Balendra also said the Chamber played an active role in addressing emerging global trade challenges, including tariff-related issues affecting Sri Lankan exports, by representing private sector interests in Presidential Committees tasked with strengthening export competitiveness and trade resilience.

Beyond policy advocacy, the Chamber significantly expanded its international engagement by strengthening bilateral partnerships across more than 20 countries while supporting over 1,800 SMEs through training programmes, advisory services, and market access initiatives.

Looking ahead, Balendra said the Chamber would continue to deepen engagement with its membership, strengthen global partnerships, enhance support for SMEs, and accelerate efforts to promote exports and attract investment. He reaffirmed the Chamber's commitment to working closely with the Government and other stakeholders to build a more resilient and prosperous Sri Lankan economy