Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) has always been a forerunner in establishing new connections for Sri Lankan IT companies sector to reach world markets. The chamber recently hosted a webinar introducing the SLASSCOM Global Referral Programme (GRP) to initiate mutually beneficial business relationships between local companies and Australian-Sri Lankan professionals.
“In our aggressive journey of realising SLASSCOM’s vision to grow the IT and BPO industry to generate revenue of USD 5 billion in exports, it is essential that we look for opportunities in global markets, and what better way than to work on building relationships with professional Sri Lankan ex-pats who are able to connect us to the world,” shared SLASSCOM Chairman Channa Manoharan.
The introductory note was delivered by Consul General Lakshman Hulugalle who emphasised that the time was right to get trade, investors and investments into the island – a feat that will be fully endorsed and supported by the Consulate. Consul (Commercial) M.M.Abdul Raheem, added that SLASSCOM’s GRP was ideal for matching local companies with Sri Lankan IT and BPO professionals Australia to grow and develop the sector.
In his address Chief Digital Economy Officer of ICTA Anura De Alwis spoke of ‘Digital Transformation for a Prosperous Sri Lanka.’ “We have a goal of working with foreign missions as well as Sri Lankans living abroad, and this GRP is very much aligned to ICTA’s digital economy and national agenda” he averred. He also discussed the five main pillars of digital economy strategy and the initiatives planned: technology industry development, startup nation, tech diffusion, capacity building and regional cluster development.
Co-Head of the SLASSCOM Global Trade and Investment Forum Shehan Selvanayagam discussing the Global Referral Programme in detail explained : “We are building a model to connect the overseas Sri Lankan community with local IT/BPO businesses and get them introduced to potential clients not only just by establishing connections but cementing them with a monetary incentive to ensure mutual benefits to the parties involved.SLASSCOM will act as the facilitator, oversee the process where when a referrer gets a lead in the respective market, provide profiles of referral companies to the referrer for them to select the most suitable company. The value addition will include arranging networking opportunities for companies and referrers such as webinars, visits and events. Once an introduction is made, the association will follow up with both parties to track progress.
The final segment of the webinar was carried out by SLASSCOM Vice-Chairperson Ashique M. Ali who spoke on ‘Uncovering a hidden gem – Developing a US$ 5 billion industry in Sri Lanka’ discussing how latest industry trends to capitalise on. “The global business landscape is moving away from cost businesses and are looking to future proof their businesses, mainly fuelled by technology adoption especially in emerging technology areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things,Blockchain and Cyber Security,” he said, “and we are focusing on building accelerators and Centres of Excellence around these areas.”
He further noted: “With the pandemic, we’ve seen a much higher technology adoption, and this is creating more demand for our industry. There is also the addition of de-risking – we’ve had inquiries even from supply countries like Malaysia, Philippines and Brazil where they are looking at establishing a footprint in Sri Lanka to serve their global clients continuously even if their territories are affected.”
The webinar was conducted by SLASSCOM in tandem with the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Sydney and Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) on 3 March, and was attended by an engaging audience comprising Sri Lankans living and working in Australia.
Source: https://nation.lk/online/slasscom-launches-global-referral-programme-in-australia-70994.html