It was all winners and no losers at the first ever Chamber Competition and Service Recognition Awards Ceremony organized by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and held recently in Colombo.

The chief guest for this unique event was Tariq Sayeed, President, SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry according to a FCCISL press release. Mr Sayeed said this awards competition is a timely initiative, which serves as a stimulator to uplift the chamber movement in Sri Lanka. He believed conferring awards to regional chambers in Sri Lanka for the projects, initiatives taken in different categories is a good way to acknowledge the most acclaimed projects undertaken by these chambers.

FCCISL President Nawaz Rajabdeen said this was a historic occasion in the Chamber movement in Sri Lanka and said that his mind goes back to early 2005 where they organized a similar event after he took over the Presidency of FCCISL to felicitate and recognize all Past Presidents and Donors of FCCISL.
He said that the Chamber Competition is historic as it captures a number of milestones in the development of chamber movement in Sri Lanka. He said that for the first time in the history FCCISL recognizes pioneers of regional chamber movement in Sri Lanka in one platform.

The following awards were made on the final results of the FCCISL Chamber Competition 2008: Best Advocacy Initiative – 1st runner up – American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka; 2nd runner up – Matale District Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

Best SME Development Project – Matara District Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1st Runner up, Central Province Women’s Chamber of Small Industry and Commerce and 3rd runner up, Wayamba Chamber of Commerce and industry.

Best New Membership Recruitment Project – Ampara District Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 1st runner up, Chamber of Commerce and Industries Trincomalee District and 2nd runner up, Puttalam District Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

Best Skills Development Project – Institute of Personnel Management, 1st runner up, Anuradhapura District Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture and 2nd runner up Gampaha District Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture.

Best CSR Project – 1st runner up, Sabaragamuwa Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Best Unconventional Project for SMEs – Kilinochchi District Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Best Public Private Partnership Project – Sri Lanka Gem & Jewellary Association and 1st runner up, Chamber of Commerce and Industries Trincomalee District.

Winners of the inaugural Chamber Competition and Service Recognition Awards – Service Recognition Awards – FCCISL were: Nihal Rangala, Director HRD and Industrial Relations; S.W.B. Wijekoon, Manager, Technical; Chaminda Kumara, MIS Officer; Ms G K Ghamali Nilakshi, Programme Coordinator and Ms Samanthi Perera, Executive Secretary.