Business

EFC inspires inclusion to forge a more inclusive workplace for women

Published

2 years ago

2024/03/20

Women’s labour force participation in Sri Lanka has been declining over time. ILO has estimated that investing in policies and services to support workers with family responsibilities could generate a considerable number of jobs here at home, the bulk of which would go to women. These observations were made by the ILO Country Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives, Joni Simpson at a forum initiated by the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC) recently to mark the International Women’s Day.

Delivering her keynote address at the EFC event under the banner- ‘Inspire Inclusion to forge a more inclusive workplace for women’, ILO Country Director further noted that the EFC, is well placed to promote and introduce policies and initiatives to ensure inclusivity and gender equality in the workplace.

“The EFC views upholding equity, diversity and inclusion at the workplace as one of the priorities whilst recognizing the need for creating respectful workplaces free of discrimination for all employees. It is with this in mind that the EFC organized an event of this nature to create awareness among enterprises and to share best practices adopted by our members, for others to emulate same,” Deputy Director General, EFC, Adhil Khasim remarked.

The panel discussion which followed brought three leading corporate figures on board- Gayani de Alwis, Sandra de Zoysa and Isuru Gunasekera who shared best practices adopted by their respective companies in realising an inclusive workplace. The session was moderated by EFC’s Senior Industrial Relations Advisor, Sonali de Silva.

Vice Chairperson of Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Sri Lanka and Founding Chairperson and Advisor- WiLAT Sri Lanka, Gayani de Alwis, among her observations, elaborated on the need to capture and retain the skills of Sri Lankan women and upskill them in the already shrinking women work force and to be more vocal about opportunities available for women in non-traditional sectors.

De Alwis also made a case for changing social dynamics to which the workplace needs to be adapted. “Today migration is rampant and a lot of women need to juggle their careers while looking after ageing parents. Our policies and laws should be flexible to cater to these changing dynamics.” She also cited the need for better access to career guidance.

Group Chief Customer Officer- Dialog Axiata PLC and Director- Dialog Business Services, Sandra de Zoysa remarked that the potential for women in the digital world is enormous and the industry should be supportive of a younger generation whose expectations are different to generations before them. “We need to be constantly reminding ourselves of how we could support a gig economy and how we should cater to cross-discipline engagement which the young generation prefers.”

Noting that these are exciting times for women to be in the workforce, De Zoysa who is a pioneer woman in the country’s mobile industry noted that injecting creativity to the workplace and enabling flexible work arrangements for continuous education is vital. She also cited the recent conversations about wellness, particularly the mental health of women employees which is critical to forge not only a productive workforce but also a happy home.

Chief People Officer and Head of Group Sustainability, Enterprise Risk Management & Group Inititaives and Executive Vice President John Keells Holdings PLC, Isuru Gunasekera threw light on the best practices at his company which promote an inclusive workplace for women. He cited ‘gender clarity’, ‘shedding unconscious biases’, ‘mentoring programmes’ and ‘equal parenting’ as some of these good practices which other companies could emulate. Elaboraring on the equal parenting initiative which is considered a ‘game-changer’ which grants 100 days of maternity/paternity leave, Gunasekera remarked that it strives to champion the father’s role in child care which is often undermined.

All panelists drove home the message that reskilling the workforce to meet the emerging job demands is critical, so that the country will have the ‘right narration’ by 2030.

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Business

India-Sri Lanka Foundation’s 41st meeting signals a new era of integration

Published

22 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

High Commissioners Santosh Jha and Mahishini Colonne chaired the 41st India-Sri Lanka Foundation meeting in New Delhi, highlighting ongoing bilateral cooperation across cultural, economic, and infrastructure sectors.

By Sanath Nanayakkare

On the surface, the 41st Board Meeting of the India-Sri Lanka Foundation (ISLF) in New Delhi on August 28, 2026, was structured as a routine diplomatic engagement. Co-chaired by Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha and Sri Lankan High Commissioner Mahishini Colonne, the session formally approved a standard slate of cultural and educational projects.

However, looking closer at the broader macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape, the meeting underscored a much deeper structural alignment between the two nations. Against a backdrop of ongoing economic recovery, bilateral discussions increasingly touch upon critical areas of regional integration, investment, and infrastructure.

Among the key areas attracting attention are post-civil war reconciliation efforts and administrative milestones in the Northern Province.

Discussions in diplomatic circles continue to focus on the progressive release of state-held lands back to civilian inhabitants, alongside the anticipated finalization of provincial council elections to support local governance frameworks.

In the economic sphere, commercial integration remains a central theme as Sri Lanka stabilizes its foreign exchange reserves.

Recent financial dialogues in Colombo were seen exploring mechanisms such as transacting in Indian Rupees (INR), aligning with wider regional efforts to facilitate bilateral trade settlements and mitigate foreign currency pressures. Financial institutions, including the State Bank of India, continue to support these bilateral trade facilitation mechanisms.

Cooperation in the energy sector is also progressing through key joint ventures aimed at harnessing renewable resources. Proposals such as the 200MW solar power project in Sampur, developed via a partnership between NTPC and the Ceylon Electricity Board, highlight ongoing efforts to diversify national power generation. Discussions concerning cross-border grid interconnections further reflect strategies to enhance regional energy security and optimize renewable capacity.

At the same time, ongoing reviews of project tariffs – such as those involving renewable initiatives by firms like Adani Green Energy – demonstrate the government’s focus on balancing capital investments with domestic economic interests.

As the ISLF marks decades of supporting bilateral cultural exchanges through hundreds of initiatives, the overarching partnership between New Delhi and Colombo continues to evolve. Navigating these complex frameworks of trade, energy, and development remains essential as Sri Lanka charts its economic future within the South Asian region.

Business

Sysco LABS named one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces for 2026

Published

22 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

At the far left and far right, respectively: Ruchini Weerawardena, Senior Manager – Talent Management and Development, and Tashiya Jayatilaka, Team Lead – People Operations accepting the award on behalf of Sysco LABS.

Sysco LABS, the Global Innovation Center of Sysco, has been named one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces at the Women-Friendly Workplace Awards 2026, marking its highest recognition at the awards to date.

The recognition represents an important milestone in Sysco LABS’ ongoing journey to build a workplace where women are supported not only to enter and participate in the technology industry, but to develop, progress and build meaningful long-term careers.

Held recently, the 2026 awards organized by Satynmag continued a six-year journey of recognizing and encouraging organizations to move beyond intention towards meaningful and measurable progress for women at work. This year’s awards placed particular emphasis on a defining question for women-friendly workplaces: beyond representation, how far are women able to go?

This win also reflects a progression in the company’s recognition journey at the Women Friendly Workplaces Awards. Following an “Honorable Mention” in the 2023 edition of the ceremony while winning a special award for “Best Women in STEM Project” in 2025, 2026 marks the first time Sysco LABS has been recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s Most Outstanding Women-Friendly Workplaces.

Business

CCPI-based headline inflation accelerates in August 2026

Published

22 hours ago

2026/09/2

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Colombo Consumer Price Index (CCPI, 2021=100) based headline inflation (year-on-year, Y-o-Y) increased to 8.0% in August 2026 from 7.3% in July 2026, primarily due to the statistical base effect in food inflation. Meanwhile, food inflation (Y-o-Y) increased to 8.5% in August 2026 from 6.3% in July 2026, contributing mainly to the increase in headline inflation, while non-food inflation (Y-o-Y) decelerated to 7.7% in August 2026 from 7.8% in July 2026.

On a month-on-month basis, the CCPI increased by 0.28% in August 2026. This increase was mainly driven by the food category, which contributed 0.20 percentage point, largely owing to the increase in prices of Milk Powder, while the non-food category contributed a marginal 0.07 percentage point.

Meanwhile, core inflation (Y-o-Y) accelerated to 5.1% in August 2026 from 4.4% in July 2026.

According to the inflation projections made at the monetary policy round in July 2026, headline inflation is expected to remain above the target of 5% in the near term, before easing and stabilising around the target over the medium term, supported by appropriate policy measures. These projections are conditional, among other assumptions, on the expectation that the effects of the tensions in the Middle East and their spillovers will be temporary and gradually dissipate.