Business
Nestlé Professional fosters Sri Lanka’s talented chefs via Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition
Offers four scholarships from the Swiss Hotel Management School
Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Competition is an island wide culinary competition conducted by Nestlé Professional Sri Lanka, in collaboration with Chef’s Guild of Lanka, to nurture new talent in the hospitality industry, which is imperative to prepare itself for the expected tourism boom. As the B2B arm of Nestlé Lanka, Nestlé Professional endeavours to work together with food service professionals by offering solutions that address unique business challenges and opportunities to grow and succeed. Towards this end, the company partnered with the Swiss Hotel Management Academy which is among the top 3 hospitality schools in the world, with A. Baur & Co. (Pvt) Ltd. being its local affiliation partner.
Accordingly, two scholarships were awarded to the winners of the Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition, with a further two scholarships awarded to two outstanding students at The Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM). These scholarships were handed over by Nestlé Professional to the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA) at an event held on 9 January 2023, with the participation of distinguished guests – Chief Guest, the Swiss Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Dominik Furgler; Chairman of Chef Guild of Sri Lanka, Gerard Mendis; President of Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA), Asela Wevita; MD/CEO of A. Baur & Co., Rolf Blaser; Chairman Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management (SLITHM), Shirantha Peiris; Chairman Sri Lanka Tourism Bureau, Chalaka Gajabahu and Jason Avanceña, Managing Director, Nestlé Lanka.
Addressing the gathering, Jason Avanceña, Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka said, “Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry, which is an important driver of the economy, experienced many setbacks over the past few years. As such, we are happy to be able to extend our support by fostering the country’s food service industry with not only the best quality solutions offered via Nestlé Professional, but also with platforms such as this. As a company that is committed to unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of lives, we have stood by our stakeholders for over 115 years regardless the circumstances and we are proud to collaborate with like-minded organizations in this journey of doing good for Sri Lanka. Congratulations to the winners of the Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition and the recipients of the scholarships!”
Sharing his thoughts, Chairman of Chef Guild of Sri Lanka, Mr. Gerard Mendis said “We have a massive challenge in training over 1,000 chefs across the island due to the brain drain the industry is facing currently. In such a backdrop, I’m happy that Nestlé Lanka took the bold initiative of sponsoring this worthy initiative of preparing young apprentice chefs to upskill, benefitting the tourism industry.”
“The Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduate Association is delighted to be a part of this noteworthy programme. The scholarships awarded by Nestlé Professional will surely help our students upskill themselves, ultimately leading to the betterment of hospitality sector of Sri Lanka” said Asela Wevita – President, Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association.
Driven by its purpose of ‘unlocking the power of food to enhance quality of life for everyone, today and for generations to come’, Nestlé has nourished generations of Sri Lankan families with high quality food and beverages from early childhood to old age. Having started its operations in Sri Lanka in 1906, today, Nestlé has become an integral part of Sri Lankan lives and contributes to the livelihoods of more than 25,000 Sri Lankan dairy and coconut farmers and out growers and provides direct employment to over 800. The company manufacture over 90% of its products sold in Sri Lanka locally at their state-of-the-art factory in Kurunegala, employing strict safety and quality controls.
Business
Affairs of Sri Lankan Airlines could be turned around using local expertise – former CAA chair
The financial affairs of national carrier Sri Lankan Airlines could be turned around along with the fortunes of Mattala Airport, using local management expertise without divesting these assets, former chairman CAA and veteran travel and tourism expert Upul Dharmadasa said.
“Sri Lanka has experts and knowledgeable persons to develop Sri Lankan Airlines into a viable entity. But when it comes to the debt restructuring process the government should absorb the losses to salvage our national carrier, former chairman Civil Aviation Authority Upul Dharmadasa told The Island Financial Review.
Speaking on Mattala Airport Dharmadasa said that during the Covid 19 pandemic he spearhead the airlines’ operations to bring more than 138,000 Sri Lankans back into the country. “At that time Mattala Airport functioned as a second international airport and it assisted the government in managing Covid patients in a more systematic way, he said.
Dharmadasa added: ‘Further, Mattala Airport’s 12 anniversary falls today. It falls on the government to develop it as the second international airport. It could attract large aircraft.
“We need to deploy proper and qualified persons to streamline the entire process.
“I have been in the airline industry for more than four decades. The number of airline arrivals in the country and departures from it have come down considerably after Covid 19 pandemic.
“In this scenario, Sri Lankan Airlines should focus on launching new flights to US and Canada. Together they account for more than 1.4 million Sri Lankan diaspora members who fly to Sri Lanka.
“Sri Lankan Airlines should resume Rome flights as well, which is a lucrative market. Apart from that Sri Lankan Airlines should focus on new destinations, wherein they could sell tickets and attract huge revenue to the airline.
“The airline should have 25 aircraft to offer uninterrupted services to air travelers but at present it has only 23 aircraft.”
By Hiran H Senewiratne
LOLC Al-Falaah, Sri Lanka’s leading provider of alternate financial solutions, proudly announces the launch of ‘Al-Falaah Wakalah Future-Cash’, a pioneering Shariah-compliant alternative for Factoring, Invoice & Cheques discounting facility, designed to transform business financing. This ground-breaking financial solution empowers businesses to elevate and realize future cash flows in real-time, while maintaining adherence to ethical financial principles. Setting a new benchmark in Sri Lanka’s Islamic financial services sector, this initiative strengthens LOLC Al-Falaah’s commitment to innovation and excellence in the alternate finance arena.
Unlike conventional Factoring, which relies on interest-based returns against receivables, LOLC Al-Falaah’s ‘Wakalah Future-Cash Today’ product is structured under the ‘Wakalah-Bil-Istithmar’ concept, ensuring full compliance with Islamic economic jurisprudence. Through this model, LOLC Al-Falaah provides capital infusion into business operations in exchange for a pre-determined Anticipated Profit Return (APR), eliminating interest-based transactions. Businesses are appointed as agents to deploy these funds within their operations, with surplus earnings allocated as a performance incentive. This structure enhances financial discipline, promotes transparency, and encourages ethical business practices.
The introduction of this pioneering facility is particularly timely as Sri Lanka transitions towards economic recovery and long-term stability. Shiraz Refai, Head of Alternate Financial Services at LOLC Al-Falaah, emphasized the significance of this initiative: “As Sri Lanka embarks on a path of economic resurgence, businesses require the right financial instruments to capitalize on emerging opportunities. As a trailblazer in the alternate financial services sector, LOLC Al-Falaah has identified a critical gap in the bills-discounting and factoring industry. The launch of LOLC Al-Falaah’s ‘Wakalah Future-Cash Today’ product presents a strategic solution that enhances liquidity and working capital efficiencies while adhering to Islamic financial principles.
City Cycle Industries Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd, a leading provider of sustainable mobility solutions and renowned for its household brand Lumala, has been honored with the Best National Industry Brand award under the Large-Scale Other Industry Sector at the recent National Industry Brand Excellence Awards 2024.
Organized by the Sri Lanka Technical Development Board under the Ministry of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development, the award ceremony was held on 21 February at Eagle Lakeside and saw the participation of distinguished leaders from diverse industry sectors. The vent was graced by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya as the Chief Guest.
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