Business

Managing investor perception of business confidence seen as vital for Sri Lanka

Published

5 years ago

2021/09/29

Sahan Weerasooriya

Interview with Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director Aitken Spence PLC

By Lynn Ockersz

A priority for the Sri Lankan economy is to gain monetary, financial and fiscal stability and to gradually implement policy changes rather than to expect swift changes overnight, especially for key export industries that bring forex earnings into the country. Going forward, a concerted effort should be made to improve our ranking on the Ease of Doing Business and the Logistics Performance Index (LPI). What matters in the short term is to manage investor perception of business confidence, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director, Aitken Spence PLC Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake told The Island Financial Review in the course of an interview.

The Aitken Spence Group has performed remarkably well in the 1st Quarter of this year. What are the main keys to your success?

Aitken Spence PLC made an impressive comeback in the first quarter by recording a 145% increase in Profit Before Tax (PBT) and it was driven by the non-tourism companies of the Group that includes maritime and freight logistics, renewable energy, elevator agency, money transfer services, printing and packaging, plantations, apparel, insurance and maritime education and management. The diversification of business and our international presence in eight countries, has been a main contributing factor to achieve a compelling performance amidst many setbacks particularly impacting the tourism sector.

From the onset, we have demonstrated purposeful leadership through team effort, we have relied on our collective knowledge, innovation and insight which has helped us to navigate and will continue to rise above this tumultuous environment.

Going forward, what would you recommend as the main ways in which the Sri Lankan economy could be revived?

A priority for the Sri Lankan economy is to regain the monetary, financial, fiscal stability and gradually implementing policy changes than expecting swift changes overnight especially for key export industries that bring forex earnings into the country.

In addition, to expand our export products and services. When we look at the past two decades, we notice that Sri Lanka has a low growth of exports and lack of export-oriented investment, particularly FDI when compared to other countries in the region. We must reduce red-tape, build our infrastructure, innovativeness and make crucial technology transitions as these will determine our ability to compete with other countries in the region. The success of this will also depend on proper educational and training efforts.

A concerted effort should be made to improve our ranking on Ease of Doing Business and the Logistics Performance Index (LPI). What matters in the short term is to manage investor perception on business confidence.

From a private sectors perspective, Aitken Spence is embracing business transformation and upgrading skills of our employees to better equip them for the future.

What is the current status of your palm oil sector? Have the issues surrounding this sector been cleared up?

The issues remain unresolved. We are confident that the Government will find a pragmatic solution.

What are the keys to the success of your Strategic Investments sector?

The key success has been our strategy to cautiously diversify and balance investments to be less dependent on one or few businesses which has proven to be successful especially when facing the ongoing pandemic.

Our significant investments in renewable energy which were recent additions to the portfolio has been a key success to the Group’s strategic investments sector. We introduced Sri Lanka’s first waste to energy plant that was launched this year. This project came about with a sustainable solution to the waste management problem which is a complex and long-running issue in the Colombo city. Further investments were made this year to expand our portfolio in hydropower and in line with the collective efforts of the Government and the private sector to produce clean energy sustainably.

The printing arm of Aitken Spence was the first green printing facility in South Asia and continues to raise the benchmark in the industry.

Moreover, the plantations segment provided a substantial boost to the Group’s strategic investments sector by recording its highest ever profit from inception due to its balanced portfolio of diversification. The segment commenced commercial production of four varieties of berries under the brand “Berry Much”. Another first in Sri Lanka to cultivate and market the full range of berries. The plantations segment also entered into a shareholder agreement with SIM Leisure Group to develop and operate a world-class ESCAPE adventure theme park.

What would be your main priorities in your Tourism Sector once a degree of normality has been established in the country?

To improve resilience in Sri Lanka Tourism, priority should be given to urgent matters such as working towards a recovery plan and better coordinated efforts between all stakeholders to achieve this common goal. With this in mind, a main priority for us is to ensure that our employees across four countries in the Group’s tourism sector have completed the inoculation (both doses) and even those indirectly linked to the industry. This is critical and one of the ways to restore traveller confidence.

We are also revisiting our product offerings in line with the changing thinking pattern of international tourists centred on their safety and well-being. We will focus on a more differentiated, experiential product offering and direct engagement for customers as compared to the traditional accommodation offering. In this business transformation process, we are embracing technology that captures customer needs that would further elevate customer experience and support destination Sri Lanka.

With our hotels presence not just in Sri Lanka but in the Maldives, Oman and India; we will continue to strengthen our operations in those countries and look for greater opportunities. Our hotels in the Maldives did relatively well and has certainly cushioned the blow on the Group’s tourism sector.

We are also concerned with sustaining the trained human resources within the tourism industry as with the current situation many are moving out of the industry and new entrants to the industry have substantially dropped. When the situation has improved, our concerted efforts would be to attract people into the tourism industry.

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Business

Sri Lanka’s first generative AI‑powered, trilingual insurance assistant

Published

23 hours ago

2026/07/10

Thilina Walpola

Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation General Limited (SLICGL) unveiled Beechat, the country’s first generative AI‑powered insurance assistant, heralding a milestone for Sri Lanka’s insurance industry and move towards digital services.

Beechat is designed to transform the customer experience. Available through the SLICGL website (https://www.slicgeneral.com/) and customer portal, the Assistant offers customers instant access to policy information, real-time claim status updates, and insurance-related help 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

For customers, Beechat makes insurance simpler and always available. Instead of waiting in queues, calling hotlines, or being limited to business hours, customers can check policies, track claims, and receive instant answers in Sinhala, Tamil, or English, empowering every customer, whatever their language, to manage their insurance with ease.

The inclusivity ensures every customer, regardless of language preference, can engage with insurance services seamlessly. The AI‑driven platform reduces complexity, eliminates delays, and builds trust. Ultimately, Beechat transforms insurance from a process often seen as slow and complicated into a smooth digital journey that fits modern lifestyles.

The launch of SLICGL Beechat is strategically important for the organization because it strengthens its position as a leader in innovation within Sri Lanka’s insurance industry. Introducing the country’s first generative AI‑powered, trilingual insurance assistant, SLICGL demonstrates a commitment to digital transformation and technology‑driven service excellence.

The initiative reaffirms the company as forward‑thinking and customer‑centric and differentiating from competitors who still rely on traditional service models. It signals to industry stakeholders that SLICGL is setting new standards for accessibility, efficiency, and convenience in insurance.

Pioneering AI‑driven customer engagement, the company sets a new benchmark. Beechat demonstrates how technology can elevate insurance from a traditional service into a dynamic, futuristic experience, strengthening SLICGL’s relationship with the people it services. (SLICGL)

Business

‘Lanka Tractors returns with a historic Colombo 11 showroom’

Published

23 hours ago

2026/07/10

Thilina Walpola

Lanka Tractors Limited officially reopened its original showroom in Colombo 11, marking the return of one of Sri Lanka’s most recognised agricultural machinery companies and the official launch of the ACE Tractor brand in the country.

Located at 343 Olcott Mawatha, Colombo 11, the showroom was ceremonially declared open by Chief Guest Dudley Sirisena, Chairman of the Araliya Group of Companies, in the presence of Upul Jayasuriya, Chairman of Lanka Tractors Limited, Thilina Abeysuriya, Managing Director, Nishantha Yapa, Head of Business, and Rajiv Gunawardena, CEO of Asia Asset Finance PLC.

Originally established in 1971 as the State Trading (Tractor) Corporation, Lanka Tractors was restructured in 1991 and became one of Sri Lanka’s largest importers and distributors of agricultural machinery. Over the decades, the company represented internationally renowned brands including Massey Ferguson, Kubota and TAFE, earning the trust of generations of Sri Lankan farmers through quality products, technical expertise and dependable after-sales support. The reopening of its original Colombo 11 showroom, first established in 1982, marks the revival of an institution that has played a pivotal role in the mechanisation of Sri Lankan agriculture for more than five decades.

The company’s revival commenced in late 2025 through an exclusive partnership with ACE Tractors, the agricultural division of Action Construction Equipment (ACE) Limited, one of India’s leading engineering and manufacturing companies. ACE manufactures tractors, agricultural machinery, construction equipment and industrial equipment, with annual production capacity exceeding 9,000 tractors, exports to more than 37 countries, and a dealer and service network spanning over 100 locations worldwide.

Prior to the commercial launch, Lanka Tractors adopted an extensive validation programme to ensure the products were ideally suited to Sri Lankan farming conditions. Three introductory models—the ACE VEER 3000 (26 HP 4WD), ACE DI 350 NG (40 HP 2WD) and ACE DI 450 NG (45 HP 4WD)—underwent rigorous field testing across multiple agricultural regions under the supervision of ACE technical specialists. Following several product refinements based on local operating conditions, the tractors were introduced to the market in April 2026.

Business

Akurugraphy exhibition opens at Geoffrey Bawa Space in Colombo

Published

23 hours ago

2026/07/10

Thilina Walpola

The desire to communicate and be understood is at the heart of what it is to be human. In contemporary life, digital infrastructure underpins how we work, live, and share information, but the letterforms that carry our languages are rarely neutral.

Arkurugraphy, a new exhibition at the Geoffrey Bawa Space, explores the history, culture, and future of letterforms across Sri Lanka’s three official languages. Presenting the decade-long practice of Colombo-based type foundry Mooniak, it examines how decisions about the digitisation of Sinhala, Tamil, and Latin scripts impact legibility and carry deep consequences for who is seen, who is heard, and whose language endures.

Writing systems carry human thought and knowledge across time and space. Letterforms can become a form of cultural artefact, unique graphic symbols representing identity and belonging. Today, these inherited letterforms often take shape as digital fonts, their design demanding fluency across history, aesthetics, linguistics, and technical standards. Akurugraphy asks audiences to look at letterforms beyond the act of reading: to appreciate their form, trace their past, and consider the decisions that impact their future.

Akurugraphy brings together typographic specimens, archival material, and software development spanning Mooniak’s full body of practice. It is a celebration of letterforms as art and an examination of the technical and political stakes of designing scripts for the digital age. As part of the exhibition, the Geoffrey Bawa Space will host a programme of monthly talks, curatorial tours, workshops, and children’s programmes.

Akurugraphy is open Wednesday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., and will be on view until 8 November 2026. The exhibition is designed to be accessible and welcoming to all visitors. The Geoffrey Bawa Space offers step-free access and wheelchair accessible facilities. Tactile elements are available throughout the exhibition. More information is available at geoffreybawa.com/akurugraphy .