The Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC) is sharpening its focus on helping women entrepreneurs move beyond business creation towards sustainable growth, as it expands its membership, partnerships and advocacy footprint.
WCIC Chairperson Gayani de Alwis, concluding her second tenure, highlighted the Chamber’s efforts had increasingly centered on creating pathways for women to translate entrepreneurial ambition into viable enterprises and, importantly, build those businesses for the longer term.
“Ultimately, our impact is not measured by the number of programmes we conducted, but by the women whose businesses grew, whose voices became stronger, whose horizons expanded and whose contribution to the economy became greater,” she said addressing the WCIC 41st Annual General Meeting (AGM) held on 22 September for which the Chief Guest was Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives Isabelle Martin.
The focus has included a special initiative for female university students with an entrepreneurial mindset, regional chapter initiatives in the Northern Province, capacity-building programmes and the inaugural ‘Beyond Ramp Up’ workshop.
The Chairperson said these initiatives were designed to move women “from aspiration to enterprise, and from enterprise to sustainable growth”, signaling a broader focus on strengthening the progression of women entrepreneurs beyond the initial stages of business formation.
WCIC recorded a 20 percent increase in membership during the period with membership crossing 460 and expanded its ecosystem through a series of strategic partnerships.
Internally, WCIC moved to strengthen its governance framework, revising its Articles of Association to ensure regulatory compliance and introducing a Code of Conduct and Board self-assessment. Clearer organisational roles, job descriptions and performance targets were also introduced as part of efforts to strengthen accountability and professionalise its operations.
Reflecting on her tenure, the Chairperson said the period had been about building a stronger, more connected and professionally governed organisation, while converting its wider ambitions into tangible opportunities for women in business.