POSITIONING SRI LANKA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

SRI LANKAECONOMIC

SUMMIT

10th - 12th July 2012Cinnamon Grand - Colombo, Sri Lanka

Commerce

The

ChamberCeylon

of

POSITIONING SRI LANKA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

SRI LANKAECONOMIC

SUMMIT

Commerce

The

ChamberCeylon

of

Enhance your knowledge on government plans to develop the Sri Lankan economy and progress in implementation of plans

Opportunity to meet and network

Ascertain potential sectors and projects for investment in Sri Lanka

Opportunity to clarify your concerns with key government officials and industry leaders

KEY BENEFITSTO PARTICIPANTS

FOR WHOMChairmen & CEOs, Directors, Senior Managers, Managers,

Executives, Management Trainees, Foreign Investors

Senior Government Officials & Academics

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, with over 173 years of service to the nation and business community, is the premier forum for business in Sri Lanka.

Working closely with 38 Trade, Product and Service Associations, 21 Bilateral Business Councils and through its network of 20 regional chambers, the Ceylon Chamber serves as

the gateway to a world of business opportunity.

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

THE CEYLON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE presents

SRI LANKA ECONOMIC SUMMIT 2012

Sri Lanka Economic Summit, the flagship annual event of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, will be held from 10th to 12th July, 2012 in Colombo, under the theme “Positioning Sri Lanka in the Global Economy”.

Sri Lanka is a lower middle income economy with a per capita of US$ 2,836. The ambitious vision set out for the country by its leadership of achieving above 8% average growth in the medium term necessitates the country to adopt an outward looking development strategy.

Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports were estimated at 17.8% of GDP in 2011 and with annual services exports averaging around 3.5% of GDP, total exports for 2011 is estimated at around 21.5% of GDP. Sri Lanka’s socio-economic situation requires that it expands its overseas markets for goods and services to enhance its economic growth to reach the targeted level and thereafter to sustain it at such levels.

Similarly, with relatively low national savings of around 25% of GDP and with foreign direct investment at under 2% of GDP, Sri Lanka must attract more foreign investments to increase the total investments to the desired levels.

In the context of changes in the global economy, with slow recovery of the western economies and Asia gaining ground, the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce believes that it is apt to review Sri Lanka’s positioning in the Global economy, at the Sri Lanka Economic Summit for 2012. The Summit will have several technical sessions on opportunities in the emerging markets, branding, skills and productivity development, ease of doing business etc which are fundamental for Sri Lanka in the medium to long term and help Sri Lanka to better position itself in the global economy. Ministers, key Government officials and private sector leaders- both local & overseas, will discuss strategies on positioning Sri Lanka in the global economy at the Summit

Positioning Sri Lanka in the Global Economy

Opening Ceremony of the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2012Tuesday, 10th July 2012

6.00 – 10.00 pm Inaugural Session

Welcome AddressMr Susantha Ratnayake

Chairman, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

“Are there lessons for Sri Lanka from the experiences of the SAARC countries?” Guest Speaker

Mr Gurcharan DasAuthor, Columnist & Management Consultant

Chief GuestHon Dr Sarath Amunugama

Senior Minister & Presidential AdvisorRepresenting His Excellency, The President of Sri Lanka

“Emerging Global & Regional Prospects and the Benefits of Regional Co-operation”

Keynote Address byDr Kalpana Kochhar

Chief Economist - South Asia, The World Bank

followed by Reception & Fellowship

Plenary Sessions & SpeakersDAY 1 (Wednesday, 11th July 2012)09.00 – 11.00 am Plenary Session 1Sri Lankan Economy in perspectiveSri Lankan economy retained the growth momentum in 2011 with a GDP growth rate of 8.3% mainly suppor ted by the industr y and service sectors. A greater upsurge was evident in investments with Private sector investments rising by over 2% of GDP. Both indicators moved in tandem with the Government’s targets of enhancing investment and growth. However, an overvalued exchange rate and low interest rates led to acceleration of impor ts and widening of the trade deficit in the lat ter half of last year. The currency was defended by use of external reserves. The worsening external payments position and dwindling reserves necessitated the Government to introduce extensive policy changes. These together with fur ther weakening of the world output growth will lead to a moderation in growth and investment in the current year.

A consistent policy framework that can also address the weaknesses of the macroeconomic environment in the countr y is a prerequisite to at tract good investments and sustain investor confidence. This session will review the current macroeconomic position in Sri Lanka and deliberate the policy framework that is desired for future economic progress.

Keynote SpeakerDr P B Jayasundera - Secretary to the Treasury & Secretary, Ministry of Economic Development

PANEL DISCUSSION Dr Koshy Mathai - IMF Resident Representative for Sri Lanka & MaldivesMr Rajendra Theagarajah - Managing Director/CEO, Hatton National Bank PLCDr Hans Wijayasuriya - Group Chief Executive Officer, Dialog Axiata PLCDr Indrajit Coomaraswamy - Former Deputy Director, Secretary General’s Office, Commonwealth SecretariatDr Saman Kelegama - Executive Director, Insitute of Policy StudiesMr Alois Hofbauer - Managing Director, Nestlé Lanka PLC

Moderator: Mr Faizal Salieh - Managing Director, Amana Investments

11.00 – 11.20 am Tea break

11.20 - 1.00 pm Plenary Session 2Moving beyond conflictThe end of a long period of conflict brings for th many factors that need to be addressed. It ranges from rehabilitation of the people who were engaged in/af fected by the conflict and providing them the facilities, mindset and training to get back to a normal life, engaging the securit y forces who were involved in defense in a productive and fruit ful manner to responding to the oppor tunities to invest in the countr y by creating the necessary investor friendly environment. The multitude of issues that arise in a post conflict situation is not easy to manage and requires time. Failure to address these adequately and speedily can result in agitation from the public and drive away potential investors.

The Government has addressed many of the above issues to a great extent but some issues remain. The objective of this session is to listen to exper ts from other countries that have had similar experiences and ascer tain what lessons could be drawn and adopted in Sri Lanka.

Keynote SpeakersHE Williams Nkurunziza - High Commissioner, High Commission of the Republic of RwandaDr Rohan Gunaratne - Head, International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research

PANEL DISCUSSION HE Prof Piotr Klodkowski - Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, Embassy of the Republic of PolandA nominee from the Ministry of External AffairsHE Geoffrey Quinton M Doidge - High Commissioner of the Republic of South Africa Mr Deva Rodrigo - Past Chairman, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

Moderator: Mr Harin Malwatte - Secretary General/CEO, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

1.00 – 2.00 pm Lunch

Plenary Sessions & Speakers2.00 – 3.30 pm Plenary Session 3Opportunities in Emerging MarketsThe past few years have seen a slowdown in economic activit y in the advanced economies which has been demonstrated by low or negative output growth, rising unemployment, rising fiscal deficits & indebtedness leading to even debt crises in some European economies. On the contrary, emerging economies in East Asia, the BRIC economies, etc, have been progressing steadily, enhancing their share of world output and trade. Sri Lanka’s dependence on advanced economies remains significant. More than half of our expor ts are destined to the United States and the European Union.

With the emerging economies expected to play a more dominant role in the global economy in the future, Sri Lanka needs to focus more at tention on the emerging market economies by identif ying oppor tunities to diversif y our expor ts to these markets and strengthening investments. A keynote address will be made on the oppor tunities in the emerging markets and thereaf ter Sri Lankan investors who have successfully ventured to emerging markets will share their experiences in investing in these markets.

Keynote SpeakerDr Razeen Sally – Association Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy

PANEL DISCUSSION Mr Rizvi Zaheed - Managing Director, Hayleys Agriculture Holdings LtdMr P D Fernando - Director General, Department of Commerce Mr Kushan Kodituwakku - Managing Director, Orange Electric Mr Ashroff Omar - Chairman, Brandix Lanka LtdMr Hanif Yusoof - CEO, Expolanka Holdings PLC

Moderator: Mr Ariththa Wickramanayake - Precedent Partner, Nithya Partners

3.30 – 3.45 pm Tea break

3.45 - 5.15 pm Plenary Session 4Branding Sri LankaBeing a developing countr y with a small domestic market of 20 million people, it is imperative for Sri Lanka to look towards expor ts to achieve high economic growth rates. The intense competition in the global market requires expor ters to use diverse strategies to penetrate new markets and thereaf ter retain market share. The restriction of the size of the domestic market imposed through low income levels and small market size does not facilitate domestic producers to invest in mass scale generic production units. Thus producing niche products targeted at high-end expor t markets is the more feasible option to enhance our expor ts. Branding has become increasingly impor tant in the expor t of niche market products.

This session will have a keynote address highlighting the impor tance of branding and strategies for branding Sri Lanka. It will be followed by a panel discussion where Sri Lankan entrepreneurs having established brands in foreign markets will speak of their experiences and strategies.

Keynote SpeakerMr David Haigh - CEO/Founder, Brand Finance

PANEL DISCUSSION Mr Merrill Fernando - Founder, MJF GroupProf Uditha Liyanage - Director, Postgraduate Institute of ManagementDr Nalaka Godahewa - Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism Development AuthorityMr Ajay Amalean - Managing Director, MAS Corporate Solutions & Retail IndiaMs Otara Gunawardena - CEO, ODEL PLC

Moderator: Mr Ruchi Gunawardena - Managing Director, Brand Finance Lanka

Plenary Sessions & SpeakersDAY 2 (Thursday, 12th July 2012)9.00 – 10.30 am Plenary Session 5Skills & Productivity to compete in the Global MarketRegaining peace af ter three decades of war has opened an array of oppor tunities to invest in all three key segments of the economy. All investments require human capital in various forms ranging from managerial, technical to operational levels. The moderate pace of growth experienced in the past and slow progress in education and labour reforms have not provided the countr y with a human resource base that is capable of meeting the skills requirements of varied investors. Moreover, the high propor tion of workforce that has migrated for employment and permanent residency and the ageing population, have fur ther contracted the availabilit y of skilled and productive human capital.

Whilst the countr y needs to urgently implement reforms on education and labour if the fruits of peace are to be derived optimally, many initiatives have already been initiated to develop skills at sectoral levels. The session will discuss the initiatives that are underway and identif y additional steps required to improve the qualit y of human capital available in the countr y for Sri Lanka to accelerate economic development.

Keynote SpeakersHon Prof Tissa Vitharana - Senior Minister for Scientific AffairsDr Nisha Arunatilake - Research Fellow, Institute of Policy Studies

PANEL DISCUSSION Mr Ravi Peiris - Director General, The Employers’ Federation of CeylonProf Lalith Gamage - President/CEO, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology Mr Vish Govindasamy - CEO, Watawala Plantations PLC & Group MD – Sunshine Holdings PLCMr Amal Nanayakkara - General Manager (Training), Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt) LtdMr Mano Sekaram - CEO, 99X Technology Mr Sumal Perera - Chairman, Access International (Pvt) Ltd

Moderator: Dr Anura Ekanayake - Past Chairman, The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce

10.30 – 10.45 am Tea break

10.45 – 12.30 pm Plenary Session 6Ease of Doing Business - Sri Lanka ranked 89 - Fact or Fiction?Sri Lanka’s rank in the World Bank Doing Business Repor t improved over the last two years. Out of 183 countries, Sri Lanka’s rank moved from 110 to 98 in 2011 and to 89 in 2012. Of the ten indicators used to measure ease of doing business two indicators; that of protecting investors and trading across borders, have shown notable improvements. Others have shown lit tle change with some showing a slight improvement or deterioration. The Government has taken an initiative to improve Sri Lanka’s ranking as global indices are of ten used by international investors to make an initial assessment of the countr y. While no ranking system is per fect and the same counts for the assessment of Ease of Doing Business, what is more impor tant is actual progress in reforms to have a material improvement in the regulatory framework and systems to ease business processes.

The session will have senior Government of ficials and Private sector leaders who will update the audience on reforms in progress and discuss what other measures are required to fur ther simplif y the systems and processes to do business.

Presentation by Mr C J P Siriwardena - Assistant Governor, Central Bank of Sri Lanka

PANEL DISCUSSION Dr Priyath Wickrama - Chairman, Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA)Dr Neville Gunawardene - Director General of CustomsMr Reshan Devapura - CEO, Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA)Mr Ajith Gunawardena - Deputy Chairman, John Keells Holdings PLCMr Dinesh De Silva - Shipping Manager, Unilever Sri Lanka LtdMr Sunil Wijesinha - Chairman/Managing Director, Dankotuwa Porcelain PLC Mr Rajitha Kariyawasam - Managing Director, Haycarb Ltd

Moderator: Ms Savithri Rodrigo - Media Consultant

12.30 – 1.15 pm Lunch

Plenary Sessions & Speakers1.15 – 3.30 pm Plenary Session 7Investing in Sri LankaThe Government’s development framework envisages to raise average GDP growth to above 8% in the medium term and it is estimated that annual investments would have to increase to about 35% of GDP to sustain growth at the envisaged level. With Public sector investments having to be restricted to 6-6.5% of GDP, the remainder has to be generated by the Private sector. In 2011 Private sector investments was estimated at 23.7%. The Government introduced substantive reforms to the taxation structure in Sri Lanka with the national Budget for 2011 which was intended to simplif y the tax system and ease businesses. With the 2012 Budget several tax incentives have been introduced to encourage investments. The Board of Investment has also been restructured recently. There has been significant investor interest with re-establishment of peace and the session is intended to discuss oppor tunities for investment.

Presentation by Ms Premila Perera - Partner/Head of Tax, KPMG Sri Lanka

PANEL DISCUSSION Mr M M C Ferdinando - Chairman/Director General, Board of Investment Sri Lanka Mr Lakshman Jayasekara - Director General, National Physical Planning Department Mr Hiran Cooray - PATA Chairman, Jetwing Hotels LtdMr Krishan Balendra - Chairman, Colombo Stock ExchangeMr Hussein Esufally - CEO, Hemas Holdings PLCMr Stefan Huber - CEO, Holcim (Lanka) LtdMr Deshal de Mel - Senior Economist, Hayleys PLC

Moderator: Mr Sujeewa Mudalige - Deputy Leader & Head of Markets, PricewaterhouseCoopers

3.30 – 3.45 pm Tea break

3.45 – 5.00 pm Plenary Session 8Positioning Sri Lanka in the Global EconomyThe Chamber has been inviting young parliamentarians and business leaders to the last session of the Economic Summit in the past few Summits. This practice will be followed this year as well. This gives them an oppor tunit y to air their views on key economic issues af fecting the countr y and for the audience to pose questions and express their suggestions on creating a bet ter environment for business to grow.

PANEL DISCUSSION Hon Wasantha Senanayake MPHon (Dr) Harsha De Silva MP Hon Bimal Ratnayake MPHon Sunil Handunnetti MPHon M A Sumanthiran MPHon Udaya Gammanpila - Minister of the Western Provincial Council

Moderator: Mr Mano Tittawella - Chairman, Copyline Group & APEX Consultancy Services (Pvt) Ltd

REGISTRATION FEE

LOCAL PARTICIPANTS

FOREIGN PARTICIPANTS

Single participant (Member company)@ LKR 20,000/- (including local taxes)

Single participant (non-Member company)@ LKR 22,000/- (including local taxes)

For 3 or more bookings@ LKR 18,000/- (including local taxes)

Single participant@ USD 250/-

ACCOMMODATION

Will make own arrangements

Required to be arranged by the Organisers

Single room Double room

EXCURSION TOUR

Will participate and details are required

Will not participate. Details are not required

METHOD OF PAYMENTDetails, as required, will be forwarded in due course

Cheque

Credit Card

Telegraphic Transfer

AIRFARE

A concessionary rate on routes serviced by SriLankan Airlines will be negotiated for confirmed participants (deadline: 10th June 2012)

Thank you for your response.The Chamber Secretariat will contact you soon, with complete details.

Closing date for registration: 6th July 2012

POSITIONING SRI LANKA IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY

SRI LANKAECONOMIC

SUMMIT

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