At the recent meeting of the Global Advisory Council of the Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC), held at Pewterers’ Hall in the City of London, Eshana De Silva, Group Chairman of Esna Group, and Sarva Ameresekere, Group Chairman of George Steuart & Co., were formally appointed to the Council.

Chaired by Lord Marland of Odstock, with Lord (Hugo) Swire as Deputy Chair and contributions from Chief Executive Rosie Glazebrook, the meeting brought together senior figures from government, business, and civil society across the 56 Commonwealth nations. Discussions focused on CWEIC’s evolving programme of work, recent initiatives, and the strategic direction of its global partnerships.

Esna Group and George Steuart & Co. have also joined CWEIC as Strategic Partners, further strengthening the Council’s global business network.

The meeting saw strong participation from companies with a presence in Sri Lanka, including Eshana De Silva of Esna Group; Sarva Ameresekere of George Steuart & Co.; and Thilini Ekanayake, Chief People Officer at Shoretree Group.

CWEIC has an official mandate from the Commonwealth Heads of Government to facilitate trade and investment throughout the 56 Commonwealth member nations. The role of CWEIC is to use the convening power and trusted network of the Commonwealth, which is led by His Majesty The King, to drive trade and investment.

A special committee meeting was recently held at the Ministry of Ports and Civil Aviation to accelerate the implementation of an electronic gate system project, funded through a grant from the Japanese government.

The meeting brought together key stakeholders, including Deputy Minister of Ports and Civil Aviation Janitha Ruwan Kodithuwakku, Deputy Minister of Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Sunil Watagala, Secretary to the Ministry Senior Professor Kapila C. Perera, Acting Chief of Staff of Japan Kamoshida Naoki, Head of Mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Christine Parko, and representatives from the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Airports, Customs, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The committee reviewed the current progress of the e-gate system installation and explored practical steps to expedite the project. Discussions also focused on identifying potential challenges and implementing context-specific adjustments to ensure timely completion.

The electronic gate system aims to modernize border control infrastructure and improve efficiency in passenger processing at key ports of entry in Sri Lanka.

Three young Sri Lankan talents have received recognition in Forbes’ prestigious 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025. 

This annual list honours 300 notable individuals under the age of 30 across various sectors in the Asia-Pacific region. 

The Sri Lankans included in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia list for 2025 are;

• Nikin Matharaarachchi (Social Media, Marketing & Advertising)

In 2021, Nikin Matharaarachchi founded Synapse AI Labs, a Sri Lanka-based company behind the AI-powered social listening tool-Kommon Poll. This tool provides businesses with marketing insights by analyzing keyword performance across multiple online platforms, including news sites, blogs and social media. Kommon Poll was also credited by the John Keells X (JKX) startup accelerator and open innovation program in 2022.   

• Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna (Retail & Ecommerce)

Yanika Amarasekera-Siyaguna, an alumna of UC Berkeley and Imperial College London, founded Silver Aisle, Sri Lanka’s first-ever wedding registry, in 2019. Expanding beyond weddings, this e-commerce platform now offers gifts for various occasions as well as experiences in dining, vacation, packages and lessons in horse riding, golf and pottery. In 2023, she also appeared as an independent director of LB Finance, one of Sri Lanka’s largest finance firms. 

• Charith N Silva – The Arts (Art & Style, Food & Drink)

Well-known among the youth of Sri Lanka, Charith N Silva has built a reputation through his cutting-edge videos that showcase him preparing mouthwatering dishes from around the world.

With over 600 videos, his YouTube channel, ‘Wild Cookbook’, launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, played a significant role in directing him in his journey of success. Today, ‘Wild Cookbook’ has become one of Sri Lanka’s largest YouTube channels with over 10 million subscribers. His restaurant, Wildish, opened in November 2024, in Colombo, and also takes part in his reputation as an outstanding individual. 

Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2025 list :   https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2025/asia/