IT exports rose to $600 mln in 2013 from $213 mln in 2007
View(s):SLASSCOM, the IT and Knowledge industry body which plays a catalyst role with aggressive plans to capitalize the opportunities for Sri Lanka in 2013/2014, has elected its fifth Board and General Council consisting of key industry leaders and decision makers to drive this year’s vision.
New additions to the Board includes industry veteran and CEO of 99x Technologies Mano Sekaram coming in as Director and Vice Chairman while up and coming industry figures such as Indaka Raigama-CEO of Navantis, Sri Lanka and Virendra Perera -COO of Brandx Mercury Asia (Pvt) Ltd come in as new directors, according to a SLASSCOM media release.
Newly elected Chairman of SLASSCOM and Senior Vice President and General Manager Virtusa, Madu Ratnayake said that the industry has made significant progress over the last five years.
Picture shows seated (from left): Jayantha de Silva – Director and Vice Chairman (Vice President South Asia and Managing Director Sri Lanka (IFS); Madu Ratnayake – Chairman (General Manager/Senior Vice President (Virtusa); Mano Sekaram- Director and Vice Chairman (CEO, 99x Technologies); Sujiva Dewaraja – Chairman Emeritus (Executive Vice President/Head of IT Sector, John Keells Holdings). Standing (from left): Sandra De Zoysa –Director (Group Chief Customer Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC); Ruwindhu Peiris- Director and General Secretary (Director, Stax Inc); Virendra Perera –Chief Operating Officer, Brandix Mercury Asia (Pvt) Ltd; Dr. Arul Sivagananathan – Director and Treasurer (Managing Director, Hayleys Business Solutions International); Indaka Raigama – Director (Chief Executive Officer -Navantis Inc-Sri Lanka); Anuradha Tennakoon- Director (Director, Motorola Solutions Lanka Pvt Ltd); and Decca F C Fan - Director (Managing Director, HSBC Electronic Data Processing).
“Our export revenue grew from US$213 million in 2007 to an estimated $600 million in 2013 (up 182 per cent). Total employment grew from 33,000 in 2007 to an estimated 67,000 employees in 2013 (up 100 per cent), and the number of companies in the industry grew from 170 in 2007 to over 220 in 2013. This is a tremendous growth from any stretch of imagination and is a result of a concerted effort from industry, academia, government and many other stakeholders,” he said.
The government, recognizing the potential of IT/BPO as a thrust industry, supported and enabled this growth in many ways. Competitive tax incentives, the President’s backing with a number of national initiatives including Year of English & IT in 2009, Knowledge Hub Initiative, Setting up of a Ministry of IT are some of the clear indications of the President’ support, Mr. Ratnayake said.
ICTA with its ICBP program made a significant impact in multiple areas to bootstrap the growth during the last five years, EDB with its focus on taking Sri Lanka to the global market supported many market development activities, and BOI with encouraging inward investments. “In both government and private education, IT/BPO was made a priority to achieve the staggering 100 per cent growth in employment numbers during this time,” he said.
“We also witnessed the emergence of a vibrant startup eco system with several angel funding initiatives and major mentor network led by SLASSCOM member companies.
We witnessed a marked increase in new tech ventures starting up compared to the beginning of 2007. As we look back, it’s clear that our billion dollar shared aspiration helped to catalyze all the stakeholders to achieve this tremendous growth. It helped to create a network of collaborators and build an energetic team at SLASSCOM,” he added.
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