First Ever Woman President of FCCISL Gets International Recognition

The decades of women leadership of Mrs. Shirley Jayawardena in the Sri Lankan private sector and in the South Asian business spheres has been appreciated at an international forum recently. It is no wonder that owing to her relentless service in the socioeconomic area for over 35 years was recognized with the prestigious ‘Priyadarshini Lifetime Achievement Award’ presented at the 6th International Conference for Women Entrepreneurs held from 23rd to 25th of March 2022 in New Delhi, India, organized jointly by the Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs, Ministry of MSME, Government of India and the Institute of Studies in Industrial Development (ISID).
She became the First Ever Women President of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) after decades of service in the Sri Lankan and South Asian chamber movements. She used to be the President of the Central Province Women’s Chamber of Small Industry and Commerce and Senior Vice President of the Central Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry whilst being the Senior Vice President of FCCISL. She has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Central Province for a long period of time. She is the Chairperson of Wisewel Lanka Pvt. Ltd, Managing Director of Media Vision Pvt. Ltd, a Director of Agritech Enterprises Pvt. Ltd, and a Partner of Algotec Systems Ltd.
Proving her leadership in the international chamber movement along with her leadership at the national level, she became the Vice Chairperson of SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs
President FCCISL, Shirley Jayawardena, receiving the ‘Priyadarshini Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 6th International Conference for Women Entrepreneurs held in New Delhi, India.
Council (SCWEC) and the Vice President of South Asia Women’s Development Forum representing Sri Lanka at these South Asian platforms. She is also an Executive Member of the World’s Federation of Women’s Chambers and the SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Being a woman business leader at these national and international forums, Mrs. Shirley has rendered a remarkable service for the empowerment of women entrepreneurs, youth-led business ventures, startups, MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises), agri-businesses, etc. Apart from her leadership at the business community, she has been active in social development projects being the First Ever Woman President of the Lions Club of Senkedagala and the Additional Cabinet Secretary of Lions International District 306C1. She has also served as a Director of the Indo-Sri Lanka Cultural Association for several years.

President FCCISL, Shirley Jayawardena, receiving the ‘Priyadarshini Lifetime Achievement Award’ at the 6th International Conference for Women Entrepreneurs held in New Delhi, India.

Mrs. Shirley was invited as a Speaker and a Panelist at the 6th International Conference for Women Entrepreneurs. At the conference, focusing on ‘Leveraging E-commerce and Digital Platforms for Women-led MSMEs’ she addressed the gathering. At the conclusion of the conference, Mrs. Shirley was presented with the prestigious ‘Priyadarshini Lifetime Achievement Award’. This award was named after Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi, a remarkable female political leader who became the 3rd Prime Minister of India. The award was established in 1995 under the chairmanship of Small Industries Corporation, MSME Ministry of the Government of India, Small Industries Development Bank of India, Department of Women and Child Welfare and the Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs. This award, since its inception, has been presented to outstanding women entrepreneurs in Asia.