NCE awards ceremony on Sept 30

by Rohana Jayalal

The NCE Awards Ceremony 2016 will be held on September 30 at the Hilton Colombo and the closing date for applications is July 15. Hard copies of applications could be obtained at the Secretariat of the Chamber and online at its website www.nce.lk, said the President of the National Chamber of Exporters, Sarada M de Silva at the launch to mark the issue applications for the Annual Export Award Ceremony 2016 at the Hilton Colombo.

He said the NCE is the only private sector Chamber which serves Sri Lankan exporters who make a vital contribution to the economic development of Sri Lanka.

The NCE provides a range of services to support exporters. The culmination of these services is the Annual Export Awards ceremony to recognise and reward the achievements of our exporters in the international marketplace and enhance their achievements.

There will be several Special Awards this year to recognise the contribution by people and organisations which have a direct bearing on exports from Sri Lanka, de Silva said.

Chamber Secretary General and CEO, Shiham Marikar said the Chamber had conducted this event annually over the past 23 years without a break.

It has assumed national significance over the years, and is a looked forward to event in the business calendar of Sri Lanka attended by over 750 participants comprising the cream of the business community, State officials, diplomats and other invitees, Marikar said.

Gold, Silver and Bronze trophies and medals will be presented to exporters of products and services and service providers to exporters who have achieved excellence in their sectors.

Special awards will be presented to the Most Innovative Exporter, Best Sri Lankan Brand Exporter, the Most Value Added Exporter, Best Exporter to Emerging Markets, the Best SME Exporter, and Best Woman Exporter. The Chamber will also present several special project related awards and activity related awards.

The awards are designed to motivate and encourage exporters to achieve higher goals in the international marketplace. Winning an export award enhances the visibility of an export enterprise in overseas markets and enables new customers, investors and donors to have an edge over its competitors, he said

The National Chamber of Exporters has over 500 member companies across all product sectors, and important services sectors and service providers to exporters such as freight forwarders and couriers. The membership includes some of the biggest export houses in Sri Lanka and many SME exporters. They contribute more than half of the export earnings of Sri Lanka, and also provides employment to a substantial number of people.