At the SLASSCOM Annual General Meeting 2025, outgoing Chairman Nishan Mendis delivered a powerful review of the year that was — a period marked by recalibration, rebuilding trust, and positioning Sri Lanka’s knowledge and innovation industry on a global stage.
Addressing an audience of industry leaders, policymakers, and partners, Mendis reflected on the challenges faced at the onset of his tenure. “Sri Lanka was emerging from an unprecedented economic crisis. Investor confidence was fragile, market sentiment was low, and the global narrative around Sri Lanka lacked inspiration,” he stated. “But instead of simply acknowledging these challenges, we confronted them head-on — with decisive, coordinated action.”
Strategic Vision: USD 5 Billion by 2030
Mendis emphasised SLASSCOM’s overarching goal of positioning Sri Lanka as a global hub for technological innovation and excellence, with the ambitious target of becoming a USD 5 billion export industry by 2030. This vision, he explained, guided every initiative — from advocating for progressive policy reforms to expanding Sri Lanka’s footprint in international markets.
“Our focus was on reshaping unfavourable narratives, fostering global partnerships, attracting foreign investment, and empowering our talent base,” he said. “When Sri Lanka needed us the most, our industry showed up — with vision, unity, and results.”
Policy Advocacy and Key Wins
Recognising the significance of 2024 as an election year, SLASSCOM made policy engagement a strategic priority. The organisation presented a comprehensive policy framework to Presidential candidates, outlining key reforms to fast-track the Digital Sri Lanka 2030 vision.
A notable success was SLASSCOM’s advocacy for reducing the proposed 30% corporate income tax for the services sector to 15% and expanding personal income tax brackets — a policy shift that enhanced Sri Lanka’s competitiveness.
Nation Building and Global Engagement
Mendis underscored SLASSCOM’s role as a catalyst for national progress. “Nation building is not the sole responsibility of governments — industries must willingly embrace it. In uplifting the nation, we uplift our industry, and in strengthening the industry, we build a future-ready nation,” he remarked.SLASSCOM also contributed actively to multiple high-impact advisory and consultative platforms, various committees and taskforces and sectoral roundtables where its Board Members actively engaged.
Global Trade & Investment
Through initiatives like the Industry Ambassador Programme, where six distinguished industry professionals were appointed across key regions such as USA, UK, Australia and UAE. and Global Referral Programme, SLASSCOM sought to expand international market access and strengthen Sri Lanka’s global image. Notably, a strong presence at the NASSCOM Technology and Leadership Forum in Mumbai paved the way for closer collaboration with India’s tech ecosystem and the positioning of Sri Lanka as an “India+1” destination.
Building Talent and Capacity
To counter the effects of the mid-tier brain drain, SLASSCOM launched the Middle Manager Development Programme, nurturing new managerial talent across member companies. Initiatives such as the Academia Immersive Programme was focused on bridging the gap between education and industry by placing university lecturers within our member companies for a short period. Additionally SLASSCOM co-led the launch of AI Clubs in 100 schools, and the expansion of the Future Careers BRIDGE and Tech Kids platforms.
SLASSCOM AI Asia Summit became a catalytic force in positioning SLASSCOM as a thought leader and enabler in AI and emerging tech among the general business fraternity.
Highlighting the impact of these programmes, Mendis said, “If Sri Lanka is to thrive as a global digital hub, it won’t be through volume — it will be through the strength and quality of our talent, especially in this AI-driven era.”
Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Women in Tech
The past year also witnessed a surge in entrepreneurial and innovation-focused initiatives. The Xcellerate Programme, Startup Compass, and the National Ingenuity Awards (SNIA) 2025 created a platform for high-potential startups and tech-driven ideas. SLASSCOM’s MoU with the World Summit Awards further enabled SNIA winners to compete and win on the global stage.
On gender parity, Mendis highlighted initiatives such as STEM4HER, Hack Like a Girl, Fast-forward 4.0, She Exports, Bring out the Leader in you and the Women in Tech Conference, all designed to inspire and empower women to pursue leadership roles and entrepreneurial ventures in the tech sector.
Sustainability and Industry Well-being
SLASSCOM accelerated its sustainability agenda, encouraging over 25 companies to adopt Tier 1 ESG reporting standards while also launching the ESG Industry Dashboard which aims to provide a unified view of progress and transparency in sustainability reporting. SLASSCOM also provided tailored ESG mentoring to over 13 startups supporting them in better data collection and reporting.
A Future-Focused Legacy
As he concluded his address, Mendis expressed gratitude to the SLASSCOM Board & General Council, Past Chairs, industry stakeholders, volunteers and his colleagues at Deloitte for their unwavering support.
“SLASSCOM has become more than an industry chamber. We are a catalyst for national transformation,” he said. “The road to a USD 5 billion industry is not just an aspiration — it is a mission. Together, let us build the future we aspire to see.”
With these words, Nishan Mendis handed over the leadership baton to incoming Chairperson Shehani Seneviratne, expressing confidence that the organisation’s transformative journey would continue with renewed vigour.
4 Key Takeaways
1. Strategic Vision for a USD 5 Billion Industry by 2030
SLASSCOM is committed to positioning Sri Lanka as a global hub for technological innovation and excellence, with a clear roadmap to achieving USD 5 billion in export revenue by 2030.
2. Policy Advocacy and Competitiveness
Through proactive engagement with policymakers, SLASSCOM secured key policy wins, including the reduction of corporate income tax for the services sector from 30% to 15%, strengthening Sri Lanka’s global competitiveness.
3. Talent Development and AI-Driven Growth
To counter the effects of brain drain, SLASSCOM launched initiatives such as the Middle Manager Development Programme, Academia Immersive Programme, AI Clubs in 100 schools, and the Future Careers BRIDGE, Tech Kids platform to build a globally competitive workforce.
4. Innovation, Startups, and Women in Tech
SLASSCOM fostered entrepreneurship and inclusion through the Xcellerate Programme, Startup Compass, and the Women in Tech agenda, empowering women leaders and nurturing high-potential startups to thrive in global markets.
