BNI Sri Lanka – the local branch of the world’s largest referral networking organisation, BNI (Business Network International) – is celebrating the success of its first ever large-scale event in the country. The National Conference titled “Building a global Sri Lanka. Networking the way forward,” was headlined by Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of BNI, Dr. Ivan Misner, and BNI Global Markets President Mr. Mac Srinivasan, with an awards ceremony honouring the outstanding successes and contributions of members representing a broad spectrum of industries from across the island.
Held on Wednesday the 14th of June at the Shangri-La Ballroom in Colombo, the forum was held with the aim to raise individual professionals, local organisations and entrepreneurs, with an awards ceremony recognising members and chapters that have performed exceptionally well over the past year. As a globally recognised platform for effective networking in the international business sphere, the keynote speakers highlighted the importance of incorporating modern networking techniques for fostering long-term business relationships on an international scale. In keeping with the theme, the event also underscored how these connections can not just fuel organisational business expansion, but also promote Sri Lanka’s economic growth and global presence in a post-crisis economic landscape.
The National Conference follows the BNI CEO Forum held the previous day, where over 200 delegates were privy to an insightful panel discussion featuring an illustrious group of industry heads and moderated by BNI Sri Lanka Area Director, Glenn Lord and Daily FT Editor, Nisthar Cassim. Panellists included BNI Global Markets President Mac Srinivasan, BNI Senior Vice President of Operations Dave Collins, Sunshine Holdings PLC Group Managing Director and Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Secretary General and CEO Buwanekabahu Perera, and Brandix Chief Operating Officer of Digital Transformation, Oshada Senanayake – each of whom brought to the table their own unique perspectives and valuable expertise on how a globally connected professional network is a key driver for international business success.
For the highly successful BNI National Conference, Nippon Paint Lanka was the Platinum Sponsor, with Sri Lanka Telecom and G Trip Vietnam as Gold Sponsors, Orel IT as Silver Sponsor, and DB Automation (Pvt) Ltd. and Ecom Services Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. as Bronze Sponsor.
BNI Sri Lanka marked its return after a three-year hiatus, by two successful events during the visit of esteemed business leader and author, Dr. Ivan Misner.
Nearly four decades in operation, BNI has over the years amassed over 303K members worldwide, with a presence in 77 different countries across 10,927 chapters, and from over 300 different types of professions – having now crossed over 13.1 million business referrals and $20.6 billion in business dealings in just one year. In Sri Lanka alone, the BNI network comprises of 13 chapters across the country, with over 400 members and growing. In just the last 12 months, BNI Sri Lanka has locally passed over 26,190 referrals, generating over LKR 4.45 billion in closed business for its members.
