Chandana Amaratunga
President
Dear JASTECA Member,
It gives me great pleasure to be taking over as the 15th President of JASTECA. I take this opportunity to thank the outgoing President and the executive committee of JASTECA, the Chairman and the Board of Directors of JTHL for unanimously appointing me to this position.
My association with JASTECA began in 1997 when I participated in the Program for Sri Lankan Entrepreneurs known as PSRE 10 which was my first exposure to Japanese management concepts. I have subsequently visited JAPAN and gained a wealth of knowledge owing to the partnership between JASTECA and AOTS Japan. The JTHL board members have been steady pillars of JASTECA and have tirelessly built the association to what it is now, I too am thankful for their guidance and support over the years and look forward to the same during my tenure as president.
I strongly believe in the vision and mission of JASTECA and pledge to focus my efforts to build cultural, business and trade relationships between Sri Lanka and Japan, whilst contributing to the economic and social development of our country. Japanese concepts such as 5S and Kaizen have always been the foundation of JASTECA with the 5S Awards program being one of the most sought-after and prestigious manufacturing & service sector excellence awards in Sri Lanka.
We are delighted to witness Sri Lankan organizations which have over the years implemented and greatly benefited from Japanese management programs and exposure to Japanese industry best practices. We recently had the pleasure of facilitating a visit to MAS KREEDA Vaanavil factory where H.E witnessed the practical implementation of Japanese LEAN Management Systems introduced through JASTECA.
My dear friend and schoolmate Dian Gomes who is no stranger to JASTECA will deliver the keynote address this evening. He is a pioneer in implementing Japanese Management in the apparel industry both in Sri Lanka and overseas. Thank you, Dian, for accepting our invitation.
The induction of this new executive committee will no doubt bring in innovative thinking and experience in varied fields where we hope to further expand JASTECA’s portfolio in transforming business management through AI-IoT, Lean management, strategic CSR projects and cultural activities, to name a few. The membership will be happy to hear that the popular scholarship programs to Japan with AOTS will recommence soon. JASTECA’s unique portfolio of Japanese Language Education Association [JLEA], JASTECA Institute of Management [JIM], Madam Kiyoko Ogawa Scholarship Program, and 5S/Kaizen/CSR competition will also be revamped as we look to heralding in a new age and take JASTECA to even greater heights.
We also hope to widen our communication outreach through digital media. In fact, one of our most recent projects was the digitization of our membership database which the team can attest was no mean feat. We now have over 1300 JASTECA return trainees registered. Indeed, it's good to see all of you this evening.
In my 20 years at JASTECA, I have had the pleasure of interacting with many of you. Maintaining cordial relations with officials of the embassy, AOTS, Alumni Associations, JICA and JETRO has been a privilege. Last but not least our JASTECA return trainees have made immense contributions to their respective industries and companies and I invite all of you to collaborate closely with JASTECA to take our journey forward.
Thank You / Arigato gozaimashita