Access celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, having become one of Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerates since beginning operations as the sole agent for Konika photocopiers in the country back in 1989. The company has steadily grown in capacity and diversified into many areas over the past 30 years, contributing significantly to the growth of the country’s economy. Today, with an employee base of approximately 6000, Access operates in the fields of engineering, telecommunications, water, healthcare, education, property development, automotive, power and renewable energy. The company has also expanded its global footprint by taking on projects in the Maldives, Africa and the Middle East, and most recently setting up an office in Myanmar. Sumal Perera, Chairman, Access Group, “Access began operations in 1989 with a 07 member team, a license to sell Konika copy machines, and a desire to actively contribute to the growth of the country’s economy. We have faced and overcome many challenges over the years, only to emerge stronger and more determined to achieve our goals and contribute positively to the development of our nation. Throughout all this, our biggest asset has been our people. I am proud to say that at least twenty percent of our staff has been with us for over 15 years.” “Many who started out as sales personnel at the inception of the company have now risen through the ranks. We have learned that investing in the development of our employees and empowering them to grow, not only improves the performance of the business, but also plays a key role in retaining the right talent. That is one of the strongest pillars of our 30-year success,” added Mr. Perera. Access has celebrated many milestones throughout its history, with the most significant being constructing and operating two business towers in the heart of Colombo, building two of the main flyover bridges in the city, investing in Ninewells hospital which is the country’s leading private medical facility for women and children, investing in Horizon University – a tertiary education institute and being recognized and being awarded by the United Nations “Water for Life”. The company has more recently ventured into the real estate sector, and is currently in the process of constructing 1500 apartments across the island. Access is also looking at expanding its presence in the education, automotive and healthcare sectors with a number of projects and collaborations in the pipeline. Furthermore, the organization is exploring opportunities in developing nations such as Kenya and Ghana, where there is potential to deploy projects and systems that have already been successfully implemented in Sri Lanka. “We have come this far as a business because we have never been satisfied to remain where we are. We constantly look for new opportunities, be it new industries to invest in, new technology, new international investors to partner with or new countries to expand our business into. We keep moving forward, learning from our experiences, adapting to changes in the economic and political environments and always putting the wellbeing of our customers and employees at the forefront,” Mr. Perera further added. Access currently consists of 21 companies, operating in eight industries. The company has successfully secured and completed a number of major projects for infrastructure development in Sri Lanka. It has the franchise for many global brands such as Jaguar Land Rover, Porcelanosa Group, Hansgrohe SE, Isuzu, GE, Samsung and Zhenhua Port Machinery Company (ZPMC). The organization is focused on consolidating and strengthening its existing enterprises, while aggressively pursuing new opportunities in different fields and in new markets.   Caption: Access Group Chairman Sumal Perera