Hidden talent among Sri Lanka women entrepreneurs
With vast challenges and difficulties faced by women in the country, there is a segment of the local female population who are more focused on business and determined to be as competitive as men. The fear of women being second to men is fading away with more educated and inspirational women coming forward in business.
On the sidelines of the 4th Women in Management Professional and Career Women Awards 2013/2014 held at the Taj Samudra in Colombo last week, Rohantha Athukorala, a member from the judging panel, said, “The women in Sri Lanka are afraid to come out of the shell to be awarded for the achievements they have made to the economy of the country. It is they who would be driving the economy of the country in the future”.
He also said that Sri Lanka’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is essentially run by women and the economy is driven by them as well. Women bring in Rs. 4 billion revenue from apparel exports, Rs. 1.5 billion from tea and Rs. 7 billion from foreign employment. It’s time that more corporate ladies give leadership to social causes in the country, he noted.
Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, Minister of Child Development and Women Affairs Sri Lanka Tissa Karalliyadda and the High Commissioner of Canada Shelley Whiting were present at the event. Ms. Whiting told the Business Times that the initiative taken by the Women in Management (WIM) to organise the awards not only from Colombo but also from the rural areas is immense. “We always encourage the women to become more active in what ever the business they are involved in. What barriers do they have and what is preventing them from coming up?” she questioned.
The awards were categorised into Human Resources, Banking and Finance, Marketing, Defense and Civil, Advertising, Corporate Communications, Media, Information Technology, Arts and Aesthetics, State Sector Government Corporation, Economists, Outstanding Non-Profit Organisation, Woman for Women Award and many more.
UPFA MP Sudarshini Fernandopulle, WIM Chairperson Sulochana Sigera, Economic Development Minister Basi Rajapaksa and Canadian High Commissioner Shelley Whiting listening to a presentation. Pic by Susantha Liyanawatte