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Anoji De Silva appointed WCIC Chairwoman

20 Oct 2021

During the 36th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC), Anoji De Silva was appointed as the Chairwoman on 25 September 2021. She is a chartered accountant by profession with over 30 years of experience and is a Partner at EY Sri Lanka and a council member of CA Sri Lanka. De Silva was a Board Member of the WCIC from 2019-2021 and was also the Capacity Building Leader of the WCIC. Addressing the audience of founder members, the Past Chair, and members in her maiden speech, De Silva stated: “The WCIC will continue to reinforce our vision to be the ‘think tank’, ‘voice’, and ‘platform’ empowering women to be powerful nation builders, by participating in transforming the economic growth of the nation.” She stated that they will focus on the following areas through their strategic pillars during 2021/22; active participation of the WCIC in policy advocacy to ensure the voice of women entrepreneurs and business women are considered in policy development, assist women to aspire to take on leadership roles including contribution to the country target of 30% women on boards, increase WCIC participation in assisting women entrepreneurs and skill development of women in business, and assist to create dignity of labour for women engaged in low-skilled employment such as domestic aids and caregivers. She further stated that the WCIC will also focus on monitoring their contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sub-goals which will contribute to the economic development of women in business. She also announced that the WCIC will hold its two flagship events: Women Entrepreneur Awards and Women Leadership Forum during the year 2021/22. Further, she unveiled some of the activities planned under each strategic pillar. De Silva concluded her inaugural speech by asking the members to live by the WCIC tagline, “Empower, Engage, Enrich” by “empowering yourself, empowering and engaging other women, and empowering, engaging, and enriching the economy”. Presenting her review of the year 2020/2021, outgoing Chairwoman Indrani Fernando shared the many activities conducted by the chamber despite the restrictions that prevailed due to the pandemic, and thanked the outgoing board for their contribution. The WCIC also appointed 14 women business leaders with a diverse range of experience as Board members to drive the strategy for 2020/21. Sixty-six participants attended the virtual AGM. The WCIC is the premier organisation supporting entrepreneurs and professional businesswomen. With a well-structured Board of Management and pillar teams and leaders with dedicated responsibilities, the organisation focuses on achieving its detailed objectives with a clearly defined strategic plan. Membership is open to women who believe they can contribute to society as well as benefit from the many facilities the organisation creates.


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