The Ceylon National Chamber of Industries (CNCI), Sri Lanka’s premier industrial chamber, hosted the ‘CNCI Achiever Awards 2026’ at Cinnamon Life, City of Dreams, Colombo, on October 15, in collaboration with the Ministry of Industries and Entrepreneurship Development.
The annual flagship event recognises and rewards outstanding Sri Lankan industrialists for their remarkable achievements and excellence across the manufacturing and service sectors.
A total of 129 Gold, Silver, Bronze and Merit awards were presented across Extra Large, Large, Medium, Small and Micro categories, recognising excellence at both provincial and district levels.
The event brought together a distinguished gathering of over 500 participants, including leading corporate industrialists, senior government officials, foreign ambassadors, diplomats and sector representatives.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Entrepreneurship Development Chathuranga Abeysinghe, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Addressing the gathering, Minister Abeysinghe highlighted the vital role of emerging businesses in shaping the nation’s economic future.”A micro-level enterprise of today can become a giant business in a few years if it progresses on the correct track,” said Minister Abeysinghe. He assured attendees that the government will rapidly implement new initiatives to support Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) with expansion, innovation, and entry into new markets. He added that the CNCI remains a critical partner in fostering an enabling environment, particularly for the SME sector.
CNCI Chairman Pradeep Kahawalage emphasised the perseverance behind Sri Lanka’s industrial success.”Behind every award presented tonight is a story of resilience—small workshops that grew into national giants, and local innovators who became global pioneers. Their success stories are the true legacy of CNCI,” Kahawalage noted, while thanking the CNCI team for their continuous efforts in raising domestic standards to international heights.
Deputy Chairman and the Chairman Internal Panel of Judges Amila Sugathapala, presenting the evaluation process, highlighted that the “Application to this award go through a very stringent judging process covering 14 areas and consist of an Internal and External Panel, led by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura and ably assisted by officials of key government and private institutions”.
The proceedings concluded with the Vote of Thanks delivered by CNCI Secretary General Major General (Retd.) Samantha Wickramasena, who expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone whose dedication and support made the grand event a resounding success.”
Source: Daily News
