Exclusive invitation-only engagement at the Ritz-Carlton DIFC brought together approximately 200 senior UAE business and diplomatic leaders to explore Sri Lanka’s role as a platform for regional growth

The Embassy of Sri Lanka in the United Arab Emirates and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, in collaboration with Colombo Port City Economic Commission and CHEC Port City Colombo Pvt. Ltd., hosted Globalisation and the Sri Lankan Opportunity – From Recovery to Relevance: Sri Lanka’s Moment in the Evolving Global and Regional Economy, an invitation-only diplomatic and investment engagement at The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre.

The forum brought together approximately 200 senior leaders from across UAE corporates and business chambers alongside Sri Lanka’s most senior diplomatic and investment representatives – among them senior executives from Sobha Realty, Binghatti, Oracle, Emirates Airlines, First Abu Dhabi Bank, JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE, IFS, Danube and Samana Developers – reflecting the depth of interest from the UAE’s leading industries in Sri Lanka’s evolving economic proposition.

Opening the forum, Prof. Arusha Cooray, Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United Arab Emirates, set the tone for a morning of substantive dialogue, speaking to the depth and durability of the UAE–Sri Lanka partnership, one built on decades of trade, people, and shared economic ambition, and affirming Sri Lanka’s commitment to taking that relationship into a new chapter defined by what Sri Lanka can offer UAE businesses seeking to grow their presence across South Asia.

The keynote address was delivered by Ghanim Al Falasi, CEO of Falak Tayyeb Platinum and Senior Vice President/Director General’s Office for of Dubai Silicon Oasis (DSO), who drew on over a decade of senior leadership experience in the UAE’s innovation and technology ecosystem to frame the question of what South Asia’s emerging platforms offer to forward-looking UAE businesses. He noted that while Dubai provides global access to capital and logistics, Colombo offers strategic access to South Asia, and that together the two cities can function as complementary platforms serving different but mutually reinforcing roles in the regional economy.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce will convene its 187th Annual General Meeting on Thursday, 25th June 2026, at 5.30 PM at The Forum, Cinnamon Life.

This year’s gathering welcomes His Excellency Andrew Patrick, High Commissioner of the United Kingdom to Sri Lanka, as Chief Guest, who will deliver the keynote address. His presence reflects the close and longstanding ties between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, and is especially fitting at a juncture when strengthening trade ties, investor confidence, and sustained economic reform remain front of mind for the nation’s business community.

Chairperson of the Ceylon Chamber, Krishan Balendra, will also address the audience, reflecting on a year of progress and setting out the priorities ahead. His remarks will provide an overview of the Ceylon Chamber’s continued push to sharpen private sector competitiveness, drive evidence-based policy advocacy, and anchor long-term economic stability.

Following the formal proceedings, members and guests are invited to a networking reception.

Ceylon Chamber members wishing to attend may register by contacting Alikie at alikie@chamber.lk / 9411 558 8805.

Sumathi Information Technologies (Pvt) Ltd (SIT), the technology arm and a subsidiary of Sumathi Holdings, has been named Sri Lanka’s only Gold Partner for networking by Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) for 2026, as enterprises face increasing pressure to modernise networks while maintaining uptime, security, and cost discipline. The recognition reinforces SIT’s position as a leading enterprise IT system integrator in Sri Lanka, supporting organisations navigating complex infrastructure decisions in a constrained operating environment.

This comes as reliable and secure network infrastructure is increasingly critical to business continuity across key sectors, including banking, telecommunications, and government. HPE’s Gold Partner status is awarded based on stringent criteria, including certified engineering capability, delivery standards, and commercial performance, offering enterprises greater assurance in vendor selection and execution.

For organisations where downtime, security exposure, and integration complexity carry direct financial implications, the presence of a locally established Gold-tier partner provides practical advantages. These include stronger access to global expertise, more structured implementation, and closer alignment between technology deployment and business outcomes.

The partnership is further strengthened by the breadth of HPE’s networking portfolio, spanning Aruba, HP Networking, and Juniper Networks. This enables SIT to support enterprises in designing integrated network architectures across campus, data centre, and high-performance environments, addressing the growing need for scalable and future-ready infrastructure.

Commenting on the milestone, S. Sivasankar, Chief Technology Officer of Sumathi IT, said, “This recognition reflects the depth of capability we have built over time and our continued focus on delivering consistent outcomes for our customers. As organisations place greater emphasis on reliability and long-term value, our role is to support them with solutions that are both robust and adaptable.”