Neela Marikkar, Renuka Weerakoon, Dilshan Wirasekera, Farzana Baduel and Rishini Weeraratne
The American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham SL), in collaboration with Wijeya Newspapers Limited, successfully concluded its forum titled “Narrating Sri Lanka’s Story: How Strategic Communications Can Fuel Investment, Talent and Global Partnerships.” The forum convened senior business leaders, policymakers, media representatives, and communications professionals for a timely dialogue on the role of strategic storytelling in Sri Lanka’s economic recovery and long-term global positioning. The discussion underscored how clear, credible, and consistent national narratives can strengthen investor confidence, unlock export potential, and build durable international partnerships in an increasingly competitive global landscape.
Delivering the keynote address, Ms. Farzana Baduel, CEO and Co-Founder of Curzon PR (UK) and President-Elect of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR UK), emphasized the need for Sri Lanka to articulate its economic value proposition with greater confidence and coherence. She noted that effective narratives, anchored in reform, capability, and ambition, are as critical as policy measures in attracting foreign direct investment and building global trust.
"As AmCham Sri Lanka, our role is to convene business, policymakers, and global voices to help shape a credible and compelling narrative that builds investor confidence, attracts talent, and strengthens international partnerships"
Highlighting export-led growth as a central driver of job creation, Baduel pointed to strong opportunities across manufacturing, digital services, agribusiness, and tourism. She identified Sri Lanka’s competitive strengths, including its high-quality human capital, STEM capabilities, English-language proficiency, and differentiated agricultural products, while stressing the importance of targeted investment in digital infrastructure, skills development, and strategic branding to move up the global value chain.
Tourism was identified as a major growth lever, with significant potential in high-value segments such as wellness, MICE, experiential travel, and nature-based tourism. Improved connectivity, destination development, particularly in the North and East, and a coherent global positioning strategy were cited as essential to achieving ambitious tourism targets in the coming years.
Neelika and Farzana
The forum also highlighted the importance of fiscal consolidation and policy stability in enabling public investment in infrastructure, as well as the need for stronger public-private collaboration to mobilize capital, drive innovation, and sustain competitiveness. The role of development partners in supporting reform efforts and private sector-led growth was recognized as a key pillar of Sri Lanka’s recovery journey.
The keynote was followed by a high-level panel discussion featuring:
- Neela Marikkar, Chairperson and Managing Director, Dentsu Grant Group and Director, AmCham SL
- Ms. Renuka Weerakone, Director General, Board of Investment of Sri Lanka
- Mr. Dilshan Wirasekara, Managing Director and CEO, First Capital Holdings PLC
The panel was moderated by Ms. Rishini Weeraratne, Editor of The Sun (Daily Mirror) and HI!! Online, Head of Social Media at Wijeya Newspapers Limited, and Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR, UK) Ambassador for Sri Lanka.
Panellists shared practical insights on how organizations, and the country as a whole, can better align strategy, policy, and communications to strengthen investor confidence, expand exports, and attract global partnerships.
Commenting on the forum, Ms. Farzana Baduel said
“It was an honour to address AmCham Sri Lanka and engage with such an accomplished audience of business leaders, policymakers, and communications professionals. Sri Lanka stands at a pivotal moment where the quality of its economic narrative will be as critical as the strength of its reforms. The country has genuine competitive advantages, but these must be communicated with clarity, consistency, and confidence. When government, business, and media align around a coherent national story, it becomes a powerful catalyst for attracting investment, unlocking partnerships, and accelerating growth.”
Reflecting on the collaboration, Ms. Rishini Weeraratne stated
“We were pleased to collaborate with AmCham Sri Lanka on a forum that brought together diverse voices around a shared purpose. As media professionals, we recognize the responsibility and opportunity we have to help shape narratives that are accurate, forward-looking, and globally resonant. Today’s discussion reinforced the importance of partnership between business, policymakers, and media in telling Sri Lanka’s story with credibility and confidence.”
Reaffirming AmCham SL’s commitment to high-impact dialogue, Mr. Sandun Hapugoda, Country Manager, Sri Lanka & Maldives at Mastercard and President of AmCham Sri Lanka, commented:
“Today’s conversation reaffirmed that Sri Lanka’s recovery and long-term competitiveness depend not only on sound policy and reform, but on how clearly and confidently we communicate our strengths to the world. As AmCham Sri Lanka, our role is to convene business, policymakers, and global voices to help shape a credible and compelling narrative that builds investor confidence, attracts talent, and strengthens international partnerships.”
The event concluded with a shared recognition that Sri Lanka’s next phase of growth will be shaped not only by reform and performance, but by how effectively its story is told, with authenticity, ambition, and confidence, by both the public and private sectors.
