Jeevan Gnanam takes over as SLASSCOM Chairman
View(s):Newly appointed Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) Chairman, Jeevan Gnanam commenced his tenure with the announcement of an ambitious vision to rapidly grow the country’s IT industry to Rs. 5 billion by 2022.
Jeevan Gnanam
Speaking to a gathering of Sri Lanka’s most successful IT professionals in Colombo this week, Mr. Gnanam commended the vital efforts of SLASSCOM and its leadership in laying out a strong foundation for the industry to commence a rapid acceleration in its growth momentum.
“I am fortunate to stand on the shoulders of great men and women who have come before me – from Madu Ratnayake to Mano Sekaram and Arul Sivagananathan to Ruwindhu Peiris, Chris Canekeratne to Tony Weerasinghe. All of them have contributed significantly in their own right and dared to make a difference. So it is with cautious apprehension that I take over as Chairman full well knowing that these are big shoes to fill, knowing the decisions I make will have reverberations over industries and generations henceforth,” he was quoted as saying in a media release issued by SLASSCOM.
“I promise to carry this important legacy forward and explore every opportunity for SLASSCOM and the nation to grow. We are fortunate to have some of the brightest and most progressive minds in the country behind SLASSCOM and as a nation, I think we can see that the opportunities are almost palpable, and I believe in my core that our Rs. 5 billion target is achievable by 2022,” he stated.
Mr. Gnanam also called for greater utilisation of existing and future Free-Trade Agreements (FTA) to build bridges and deepen regional integration between public and private sectors. Similarly, he also called for greater regional integration within Sri Lanka by encouraging local companies to set up satellite operations in Tier 2 cities or towns like Negombo and Ja-ela while also exploring the possibility of selective skilled employment migration.