Business

Mark and Comm backs Sri Lanka’s National Public Relations Summit as Platinum Sponsor

Published

3 months ago

2026/07/2

Thanzyl Thajudeen, managing director, speaking at the NPRS 2026

Mark and Comm (Pvt) Ltd, Sri Lanka’s boutique strategic PR and communications agency named Rest of South Asia PR Agency of the Year 2025 by Campaign, served as Platinum Sponsor of the National Public Relations Summit 2026 (NPRS 2026) held on 18 June and organised by the Department of Mass Communication at the University of Kelaniya.

The summit brought together academics, practitioners, media executives, and government communicators to examine the current state of PR education and professional practice in Sri Lanka. The occasion marked a decade since the University of Kelaniya introduced PR and Media Management as an academic discipline, the first state university in the country to do so.

Mark and Comm has spent the past several years arguing, publicly, that the PR industry in Sri Lanka cannot strengthen itself by staying inside its own conversations. The agency’s managing director Thanzyl Thajudeen, who was instrumental in connecting Sri Lanka with the rest of the world in the PR sphere through representation of PRCA, the world’s largest PR body, was also among the panelists discussing the practice, following an invitation from the head of the department, Senior Lecturer Dr. Manoj Jinadasa.

Thajudeen, a Fellow of CIPR and Chartered PR Practitioner, is the only senior PR agency leader in Sri Lanka to sit on the PRCA APAC Board and CIPR International Committee, including the PRCA Education Advisory Board and Membership Committee, and previously on the PRCA Council and CIPR Professional Standards Committee.

His panel session, titled “Is PR Dead, or Did We Just Stop Defining It?”, began with how over 80pct of all AI citations now trace back to earned media according to Muck Rack’s Generative Pulse Report whilst paid and advertorial content accounted for just 0.3 percent, arguing that if a story cannot earn a journalist’s attention, an AI engine will not find it either. The discipline has not shrunk. It has moved upstream.

He also cited Burson’s Global Reputation Economy report, published earlier this year, which put the financial value attached to corporate reputation across publicly listed companies at USD 7.07 trillion, with companies carrying strong reputations delivering closer to 5pct additional annual shareholder return. “Reputation is no longer a soft metric. It is a hard asset with a price,” Thajudeen told the summit audience. “If PR is dead, someone forgot to tell the balance sheet.”

Mark and Comm was the first PR agency in Sri Lanka to connect with PRCA APAC and conduct annual agency surveys and webinars with local and regional PR heavy-weights, and the first to advocate for the media industry through its State of Journalism Report formally presented to the Ministry of Mass Media earlier last year. “We keep pitching to newsrooms this strained without advocating for them. We are mining a resource we never put anything back into. This has to stop. There’s no PR without journalism,” said Thajudeen.

On the local PR industry, he was equally direct. Clients still chase behind coverage volume or prominence rather than counsel. Crisis plans exist on paper but not in practice. Graduates are trained to write press releases when they should be learning to advise a CEO. “Agencies compete on rate cards, rarely on strategic judgement,” he said, drawing from international benchmarking data that showed corporate reputation and strategic consulting as the fastest-growing service lines globally, ahead of media relations.

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Business

Rs 160 million + diesel discrepancy at Lakvijaya power plant prompts probe

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Lakvijaya power plant in Norochcholai.

By Ifham Nizam

A Rs.160 million-plus diesel discrepancy at the Lakvijaya power plant in Norochcholai has triggered an internal investigation, raising questions over the handling of public funds and the controls governing fuel purchased for electricity generation.

The discrepancy surfaced during an internal audit of diesel supplied to the plant from the Kolonnawa and Sapugaskanda fuel terminals, according to senior officials familiar with the inquiry.

The audit has identified five transactions—two in December 2025 and three in January 2026—in which diesel recorded as delivered to the plant allegedly could not be fully accounted for in its physical stocks.

The investigation is now examining whether these were isolated discrepancies or part of a longer-running practice.

One transaction under scrutiny relates to January 16, when records reportedly showed that 10 diesel bowsers had arrived at the plant. Investigators subsequently found indications that the fuel stock corresponded to only nine bowsers.

A storekeeper responsible for the relevant fuel operation has reportedly been temporarily removed from those duties pending the investigation.

A senior official said investigators were reviewing historical records amid indications that similar discrepancies may have occurred over a longer period. If established, the financial exposure could therefore exceed the Rs.160 million currently identified.

The investigation is comparing fuel-terminal dispatch records, tanker movements, plant-entry records, receiving documents and physical stocks to establish exactly how much fuel was dispatched, received and accounted for.

That audit trail will also be critical in determining who authorised, received and certified the disputed consignments, and whether established controls were followed.

Relevant documents were reportedly transferred from Norochcholai to the company’s Colombo head office on September 26 for further examination, with electricity-sector security personnel assisting in the transfer.

The internal audit has also reportedly uncovered expired chemical stocks worth several hundred thousand rupees in the plant’s stores. Investigators are examining whether further inventory-management irregularities occurred.

The matter was also reportedly taken to the Puttalam Police Special Crimes Investigation Unit on September 26.

When contacted by Puttalam-based journalist Hiran Priyankara Jayasinghe for The Island Financial Review, Lakvijaya Power Plant Manager Nalaka Kumara confirmed that an investigation was under way but declined to provide further details.

The financial issue is direct: if the plant paid for diesel it did not receive, public-sector funds were spent without the electricity sector receiving the corresponding fuel.

Business

Sri Lanka Food Processors Association holds 29th Annual General Meeting

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

The Sri Lanka Food Processors Association (SLFPA) successfully convened its 29th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on September 23, 2026, at the Water’s Edge Hotel, Battaramulla. Bringing together key industry stakeholders and member organizations, the event served as a platform to review milestone achievements from the 2025/2026 term and outline strategic priorities for the nation’s food and beverage processing sector.

At the AGM, the new Executive Committee for 2027/2028 was appointed, comprising: Honorary President Aruna Senanayake C.W. Mackie PLC Imme. Past President Thusith Wijesinghe Trans Continental Packaging & Commodities (Pvt) Ltd.

President Elect Nadishan Guruge Meadlee Trading Co. (Pvt) Ltd.

1st Vice President Damitha Perera Forbes & Walkers Commodity Brockers (Pvt) Ltd.

2nd Vice President Rasika Seneviratne Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC 3rd Vice President Deepal De Alwis Neochem International (Pvt) Ltd.

Honorary Secretary Amila Weerasinghe Nestle Lanka Limited.

Asst. SecretaryDineth Alahakoon Country Style Foods (Pvt) Ltd.

Honorary Treasurer Sameera Jayathilaka Westmann Engineering Company (Pvt) Ltd.

Asst. Treasurer Niroshan Dalpethado C D De Fonseka & Sons (Pvt) Limited. In addition to the above office bearers, the following ten Executive Committee Members were appointed:

Sanjeewa De Silva Unilever Sri Lanka Limited Sheran De Alwis MA’S Tropical Food Processing (Pvt) Limited

Thusitha Ekanayake Anods Cocoa (Pvt) Ltd.

Vijitha Govinna Plenty Foods (Pvt) Limited Ms. Praharshi Wickramasekara International Commodity Exports (Pvt) Ltd.

Sanjeewa Niroshan SGS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. Kushan Amarasinghe Finagle Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

Rangajeewa Hettiarrachchi Fonterra Brands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd.

Harindra Abeyrathna Vision Technologies International (Pvt) Ltd. Thilina Weerasekara Ceylon Cold Stores PLC

The event was proudly supported by key industry partners, with SGS Lanka (Pvt) Ltd serving as the Platinum Sponsor. Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd. and Nestlé Lanka Ltd. joined as Gold Sponsors, Ceylon Agro Industries – Prima as the Silver Sponsor, while Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services (LECS) and Hero Nature Products (Pvt) Ltd., supported as Bronze Sponsors.

The proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Hony. Secretary Deepal De Alwis, followed by cocktails and a fellowship networking session, providing an opportunity for members to connect and strengthen industry ties.

Business

Uber brings the ‘business class of back seats’ to Sri Lanka with Uber Black

Published

13 hours ago

2026/09/30

Sahan Weerasooriya

New premium ride option expands Uber’s portfolio from affordable Moto and Tuk rides to premium on-demand travel

Uber announced the launch of Uber Black in Sri Lanka, bringing its premium ride experience to the country for the first time. Designed as the “business class of back seats,” Uber Black combines premium vehicles and highly-rated drivers for riders looking for greater comfort, quality and a more elevated travel experience.

The launch comes as demand for premium products and experiences grows across Sri Lanka, with consumers seeking greater choice and quality in their everyday experiences. Uber Black brings this choice to on-demand mobility, whether for an airport journey, an important business meeting, a special occasion or simply when riders want to travel in greater comfort.