SRI LANKA SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT 2026 TO BRING GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY VOICES TO SRI LANKA
Sri Lanka has been through a lot. The last few years have tested businesses, families, and institutions in ways few of us expected. And yet, through that difficulty, something else has emerged too — a growing recognition that the way forward can’t just be about recovery. It has to be about building something better, more resilient, and more accountable than what came before.
That’s the spirit behind the Sri Lanka Sustainability Summit 2026, themed “Reimagining Sri Lanka’s Responsible Future.” Organized by the Sri Lanka Brand Forum, under its Sustainable Brand Initiative, the summit is being convened with Commercial Bank of Ceylon as Title Partner, to bring together local commitment and global expertise around one important conversation: how responsible business and sustainability can contribute to a more resilient, accountable and sustainable future in Sri Lanka.
A community dedicated to strengthening Sri Lanka’s brand and creating meaningful conversations about the country’s future is brought together by the Sri Lanka Brand Forum. The Forum is expanding this conversation into the area of sustainability and responsible business through the Sustainable Brand Initiative, recognising that long-term progress of the country is intimately linked to how organisations lead, use resources, treat people, and contribute to communities.
As Rohan Somawansa, Co-Founder of Sri Lanka Brand Forum, puts it: “Sri Lanka has shown remarkable resilience in the face of adversity. The next step is to turn that resilience into responsible action across the way we lead businesses, care for our resources and create opportunities for our people. In order to ask the right questions and contribute to creating a future we can be proud to pass on to the next generation, we want to bring together local commitment and global expertise through this Summit.”
It’s easy to talk about sustainability in the abstract — targets, frameworks, reports. But for Sri Lanka, this isn’t abstract at all. Responsible business and sustainability directly affect livelihoods, employment, communities, competitiveness and the country’s long-term growth. It’s about the farmer whose livelihood depends on a stable climate. The worker whose job depends on a company’s ethics being more than words on a wall. The young graduate deciding whether to build a future here or elsewhere. The small business owner trying to compete globally while doing right by their community.
The Summit’s Chief Guest Address, to be delivered by a leading figure from the public and private sector, will speak to exactly this — framing responsible business and sustainability as central to Sri Lanka’s economic and social future. The address will reinforce the importance of how organisations treat people, resources and communities, and how these responsibilities connect to sustainable growth.
The Sri Lanka Sustainability Summit 2026 will feature four global keynote speakers, each bringing a distinct perspective on responsible business, sustainable growth and meaningful impact.
- Shankar Venkateswaran — Co-Founder & Managing Partner, ECube Investment Advisors; former Head of Sustainability, Tata Group. He opens the day exploring what it actually takes to build a responsible corporation — not just policies, but leadership and culture that hold up under pressure.
- Dr. Ravi A. Fernando — Chairman & CEO, Global Strategic Corporate Sustainability; Executive in Residence, INSEAD Sustainable Business Initiative. He brings a human, marketing-rooted perspective to why sustainability matters to how brands are built and trusted.
- Dr. Shraman Jha — Chief Executive Officer, Hindustan Unilever Foundation. He makes the case that sustainability isn’t a cost to growth — it’s what makes growth last.
- David Galipeau — Founding Partner, SDGx.io; formerly with the United Nations. He closes the keynotes by looking honestly at where capital, technology, and impact need to meet — creating meaningful outcomes for people and communities, not just balance sheets.
The keynote speakers’ combined experience in corporate sustainability, investment, brand strategy, social impact, development and responsible growth offers participants insights relevant to Sri Lanka’s businesses, policymakers, communities, and future workforce.
As Rohan reflects, “We’re not claiming to have all the answers. We’re committed to asking the difficult questions, together, and developing solutions that can help build a future we can be proud to hand to the next generation. Bringing respected global voices into a Sri Lankan conversation allows us to challenge our thinking, share perspectives and move from commitments to meaningful action.”
This Summit isn’t meant to be another conference people attend and forget. It’s meant to be a room where people who care — about this country, about doing business the right way, about leaving something better behind — can be honest with each other. In addition to exploring how sustainability may be incorporated into strategy, culture, and decision-making, it is designed as an action-oriented forum for professionals and leaders seeking to convert sustainability commitments into significant decisions and results.
If you’re a business leader wondering how to lead with integrity in uncertain times, a policymaker shaping what comes next, an entrepreneur, investor, academic, sustainability professional, brand or marketing professional, or simply someone who believes Sri Lanka deserves a future built on more than short-term thinking, this conversation is for you. For registrations, contact registration@srilankabrandforum.com
