Globally acclaimed professionals in the management and human resources (HR) sphere will converge in Sri Lanka for brainstorming, drawing inspiration, and motivational mentoring as it hosts the 46th ARTDO conference in September. Themed “Shaping a Sustainable Future”, the conference will be held from 23 to 25 September 2019 at Hilton Colombo, making it the first time Sri Lanka has been chosen as the venue for this global event. ARTDO International, the organiser of the annual conference, which was formed in 1974, is a non-profit NGO based in Manila, Philippines. It is a global reach umbrella body with members comprising national organisations, education and training institutes, multinational corporations, public and private enterprises, and HR management specialists from over 30 countries worldwide, whose key objectives are to upgrade the standards of the human resources development (HDR) profession through a planned programme of education and skills development. “Over 20 world-renowned HR and management gurus and Numero Uno specialists in several fields will be in Sri Lanka to share their knowledge and experiences at this year’s conference, and that does Sri Lanka proud,” said current ARTDO President Attorney-at-Law Janaprith Fernando at a press conference held last week to announce the conference. “The CEO Forum at the conference is one of a kind in this kind of conferences, and the Women Empowerment and Leadership session, which is equally highly impactful and catches the global spirit, will be graced by Princess Mangkubumi of Indonesia, together with IronOne Technologies Co-founder/CEO Lakmini Wijesundera, Rita Goh from Malaysia, and Instructional Design Inc. President Koko Nakahara,” he added. “Also, top-notch legal professionals will address legal practitioners in a session resourced by Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President Kalinga Indatissa PC, Malaysian advocate T. Gunaseelan, and Dr. Harsha Cabraal PC,” Fernando further added. Anil Gammanpila (Australia) will speak at featured sessions on Leadership Styles in the Digital Age and Paul Jambunathan (Malaysia) on Applied Emotional Intelligence. Forays into exciting explorative themes in the HRD and management sphere such as artificial intelligence (AI), emotional intelligence (EI), etc., sustainability practices and environment will also be featured in the plenary and concurrent sessions, with an array of big-name resource persons being lined up. This conference was previously held in the Philippines, India, New Zealand, Fiji, Malaysia, Taiwan, Indonesia, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Egypt, Australia, the Middle East, and Sudan. Among conference highlights will be a session on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Role of NGOs chaired by World Organisation of the Scout Movement (formerly the United Nations Youth Envoy) Secretary General Ahmed Alhendawi (Jordan), featuring panellists Eric de Graaf (the Netherlands), Irving Huang (Taiwan), and Chevaan Daniel (Sri Lanka). Apart from the above, Saberi Sepawi (Malaysia), Rafique Ahmed (India), and Ade Damanhuri (Indonesia) will also conduct sessions on sales and marketing. Ranjan Kumar Mohapatra (India), Siegfried Weiser (Germany), Dr. Vinyashil Gautam (India), Sonny Leong (UK), Dr. Penelope Hood (UK), and Wilson Cheah (Vietnam) are others, recognised for their exceptional knowledge and contribution in their chosen fields, who will be sharing their insights at the conference. More information on the speakers could be accessed through the website www.46artdo.info. The conference offers an early bird registration until 31 August 2019 and thereafter, a regular conference fee for Sri Lankan participants. The organisers expect several overseas participants for the parley at a time tourism needs a revival from the hit suffered by the Easter Sunday attacks. The main sponsor of the event is People’s Bank, joined by hospitality partners Hilton Colombo and Jetwing Events and Strategic Insurance Brokers (SIB).