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| Sunday, 16 March 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Indira Senanayake Kulatilake : Leading from the front by Carol Aloysius
Sri Lanka's hitherto marginalised group of businesswomen could soon become one of the most powerful voices in the country's economy. When that happens, the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) will emerge as the leading organisation for advancing the interests of all businesswomen in Sri Lanka, says the latest recipient of the 'Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the world for 2003' award, Ms Indira Senanayake Kulatilake. Since being elected Chairperson of the WCIC last October, Kulatilake has been working tirelessly to achieve her goal of giving local women entrepreneurs pride of place in the local business community, through the WCIC. As she says,"Our members represent a broad spectrum of business interests. Women entrepreneurs can come to us at any time for assistance to set up their businesses, write a feasibility report, and get our advice on how to obtain loans or about the kind of securities or guarantees needed to get these loans. If our members are not available, we can put them in touch with other specialists in the field". To bring these women entrepreneurs into the mainstream of business, she hopes to set up a Business Clinic Unit within the Chamber sometime this year. Of the many projects undertaken by the WCIC to date, Kulatilake counts the numerous trade fairs and exhibitions held at national and international levels as being "most helpful to our local businesswomen. These trade fairs have given these women a window to the world and instilled confidence in themselves", she says. She is currently looking for new ideas to expand the dimensions of the WCIC. "We are looking at the welfare of the girl child. In fact, we have now set up a foundation for the girl child. We plan to enhance the health of girl children and give them career guidance as well. We are also looking at how we can improve the lives of rural agricultural women by bringing them into the mainstream business through various agricultural projects". WCIC history Tracing the history of the WCIC, which is a non-profit and non-governmental organisation and perhaps the only fully-fledged women's chamber in Asia, she recalls how it was spawned by a small group of women with their own business enterprises 17 years ago. Over the years, this organisation of female entrepreneurs had produced a large number of successful businesswomen, starting with the founder members who are now recognised names in the fields of printing, travel, tourism and agriculture among other things, she told the Sunday Observer in a recent interview. Kulatilake and another eminent WCIC member, Janet Balasuriya, recently had the rare privilege of joining this distinguished succession of outstanding businesswomen when they were selected out of a group of 40 candidates worldwide as 'Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World for 2003' by the Star Group, which showcases the lives of the world's most successful businesswomen to show the true potential of women. Kulatilake is justifiably proud of her latest achievement. She believes it is due to her hundred per cent commitment to the goals she set for herself early in life. She confesses that, "Even though I was not actively encouraged to work as my parents were old fashioned, I was always interested in setting up a business of my own since the time I was in school. Most of what I learnt about business is self taught as I was always on the lookout for something innovative". Chewing-gum She remembers the time when Sri lanka did not have chewing-gum and bubble-gum and how she had decided to make these two products herself. "I looked up the Encyclopedia Britannica and tapped the Sapodilla tree in our garden. I discovered that it could produce chewing-gum with a milk flavour. I also discovered that the bread fruit tree could turn out bubble-gum. Of course my experiments were only consumed by the home folk and school friends, but it was a start." When she ran out of pocket money, this enterprising schoolgirl taught herself to crochet and sold several of her hand-sewn products. She then turned her creative energy into greeting cards - reproducing imported hand-drawn humorous cards which she brought down from abroad since they were not available in Sri lanka at the time. Then when the art of batik and tie and dye became the rage of fashion conscious women, Kulatilake went back to her favourite teacher, the Encyclopedia Britannica to learn the secret of this art. Having mastered the art, she was soon selling her creations at home and abroad. Just before she married, she turned her creative energy into farming. "I began cultivating mushrooms, selling them to a night club for Rs 80 a pound, a princely sum at the time" she recalls with justified pride. Career on hold Marrying in 1971, this once active businesswoman put her career on hold, opting for the roles of housewife and mother for nine years. It was only in 1980 that she once again ventured out into the field of business with the blessings of her husband and set up Uni-Tag, a manufacturing company that specialises in woven labels with brand names for the export market. It was a time when Sri Lanka had just started manufacturing garments for export, she recalls. With support from her husband and family, she obtained her first loan from the DFCC and bought two shuttle looms. "I learnt label weaving from the Japanese engineers who came here to set up the looms, in just two weeks. I had to learn to design the label on graph paper, to warp and weave, apart from dealing with all the teething problems all by myself. It was an uphill task, but I had no regrets, and was happy I was able to pay off our loans to the DFCC on time". In 1989, she inherited her father's business, Exchange and Finance Investments, which was originally a finance company which later developed to airline representation. Today, this company represents three international airlines - Cathay Pacific Airways, Alitalia and Kenya Airways - of which one, Eurofly-Alitalia Group, is online. Future plans "To keep improving my products and services, and most importantly, to encourage potential women entrepreneurs to set up their own businesses." Advice to women entrepreneurs "Have a vision and a goal and pursue it with single-minded dedication till you finally achieve it." |
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