Yolanda Aluwihare honoured at Entrepreneur Awards Ceremony

The Women Entrepreneur of the Year Awards, the flagship event of the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce, took place at Hotel Kingsbury on Friday.

Winners were chosen from the micro, small, medium and large enterprises sectors.

Ms.Yolanda Aluwihare was honoured with the Women Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

Since President Mahinda Rajapaksa is the Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth, the Women's Chamber of Industry and Commerce decided to establish the Commonwealth Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The organisers of the Award are the Commonwealth Business Council, the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, and the International Federation of Business and Professional Women, established at the Business Forum on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth in 2011.

This Award seeks to celebrate the achievements of female entrepreneurs and business leaders across the Commonwealth.

Juliana Omalla from Uganda received the Commonwealth Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Applications were called for from all 53 countries of the Commonwealth.

The panel of judges consisted of Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Lord Marland of Odstock, Chairman of the Commonwealth Business Council, Deb Leary, President of the British Association of Women Entrepreneurs, Freda Miriklis, President of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women and Phyllis Muscat, Head of the CHOGM 2015 Task Force for Malta.

Minister of Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa and Minister of External Affairs Professor G.L. Peiris graced the occasion. Former Supreme Court Judge Shirani Tillekawardena was Chairperson of the panel of judges.

Vidyani Hettigoda and Renuka Fernando were the Co-Chairs of the Organising Committee.