The 106th Annual Sessions of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) was ceremonially inaugurated by Hon. Palitha Fernando, PC, Attorney General of Sri Lanka at the BMICH on 19TH Oct 2012, Friday at 9.00 am in the presence of a large gathering of distinguished invitees, Past Presidents and members of the IESL. The IESL [...]

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The Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) looks to the future in the 2012/2013 sessions

106th Annual Sessions of the IESL inaugurated
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The 106th Annual Sessions of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) was ceremonially inaugurated by Hon. Palitha Fernando, PC, Attorney General of Sri Lanka at the BMICH on 19TH Oct 2012, Friday at 9.00 am in the presence of a large gathering of distinguished invitees, Past Presidents and members of the IESL.

The IESL is the premier body for the engineering profession in the country. It has a membership of about 15,000 belonging to all disciplines of engineering. The IESL Council headed by its President and elected from among its members for a one year period, guides the activities of the institution. They are assisted by various committees appointed for achievement of objectives keeping in-line with the vision and the mission of the institution for the relevant session.

The inaugural sessions in October of each year symbolizes the beginning of a new one-year-period under a new Council and President of the IESL and the simultaneous concluding of business of the previous Council and presidency. This year Eng. Tilak De Silva took over the Presidency of the IESL for the 2012/2013 sessions from Eng. (Dr.) Ananada Ranasinghe, the incumbent President for the 2011/2012 sessions. A special write-up on the new President is included in the boxed area within this article.

Eng.(Dr.) Ananda Ranasinghe in his welcome address traced the history of the IESL from its inception in 1906, as the then Engineering Association of Ceylon, in the North Central Province to its current status of being the premier professional body for the engineering profession in the country with a membership of almost 15,000 with IESL Centres in every province, Student Chapters in the universities of Moratuwa, Peradeniya, Ruhuna and the Open University of Sri Lanka and the first Overseas Chapter in New South Wales, Australia. He described the achievements of the last sessions as essentially consolidating and building up on the policies of the previous sessions and briefed on the progresses made towards establishing the Engineering Council Act for regulating the engineering profession, interactions with Policy Makers as regards policy matters that impact the profession, the establishment of an independent IESL College of Engineering for provision of engineering education, Continues Professional Development programmes , Provision of accreditation services, infrastructure developments of the institution, membership services, encouragement for innovation and creativity among young engineers and school children, etc.

The Chief Guest, Hon. Palitha Fernando, PC, Attorney General of Sri Lanka, in his address described the role of the Engineers in the country’s development as immeasurable. Referring to a point made by the Eng. (Dr.) Ananda Ranasinghe in his speech that the Engineering Council Act which is important for regulating the profession still lying with the Legal Draftsman , Hon. Palitha Fernando assured that he will do whatever is required for the necessary rules to be expeditiously brought in.

The inaugural session also kept to its tradition of presenting awards for best performances in various spheres of engineering in order to encourage pursuit of excellence in the profession. Thus the E.O.E Pereira Award for the best technical paper presented at the Annual Sessions 2011, the IESL Award for the best technical paper by a Corporate Member that appeared in the ‘Engineer’ Journal, the best technical paper on ‘Water’ as a theme, the MigaraRanatunga Trust Award for best Undergraduate Industrial Training Projects, the best inventions in Junior Inventor of the Year competition, etc. were some of those awards.

A special feature at this year’s Inaugural Sessions was the presentation of Engineering Excellence Awards for Organization engaged in the field of engineering. Some of the leading organizations in the field in Sri Lanka received awards in their particular sectors.

 Eng.Tilak De Silva, President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) for the 2012/2013 Sessions

The inaugural sessions of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL), held in October of each year, symbolizes the infusion of new vigour to the functioning of the IESL by the appointment of new members to its Council under the stewardship of a new President. This year Eng. Tilak De Silva, an Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer took over the Presidency of the IESL, as its 107th President, for the 2012/2013 Sessions at the inauguration of its 106th Annual Sessions held at the BMICH on 19th October 2012.

Eng. Tilak De Silva, currently the Chief Executive Officer of Sri Lanka Telecom – Hong Kong and Advisor to the CEO, Sri Lanka Telecom on Technology Strategies hails from Panadura and has humble beginnings in the village of Pinwatta. His father was a government servant. He attended Sri Sumangala College, Panadura and obtained his graduate degree in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering from the University of Moratuwa in 1983 and his MSc in Data Communications from the Brunel University, UK in 2002.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, UK, Chartered Engineer of the Engineering Council, UK, Fellow and Chartered IT Professional of the British Computer Society and Member of the Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, USA.

In a moving inaugural speech he traced his life story of facing and successfully overcoming hardships and pledged, in the same vein, to provide new dynamism to the IESL in its endeavors towards achieving its vision. Laying out a roadmap to his vision he listed out the challenges based on his observations of hitches and glitches in the functions and services of the institution. As strategies he said that he will focus on improvements to processes, methodologies and policies to achieve objectives and hence desired outcomes steering the institution to his vision of doing much more for the country through its services to the members of the institution.

The IESL is the premier body for the engineering profession in the country. It has a membership of about 15,000 belonging to all disciplines of engineering. The IESL Council, headed by its President and elected from among its members for a one year period, guides the activities of the institution. They are assisted by various committees appointed for achievement of objectives keeping in-line with the vision and the mission of the institution for the relevant session. Eng. Tilak De Silva has served in the IESL Council for almost 15yrs in various capacities including 3 consecutive years as Vice President before being elected as President Elect for the 2011/2012 Sessions.



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