The Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association (CMTA), one of South Asia’s oldest automotive associations, recently hosted its 105th Annual General Meeting (AGM), at Hilton Residencies, Colombo. The event, which was attended by distinguished stakeholders from across the automative industry, and Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker, Mr. Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Vice Chairman of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
Mr. Thewarathanthri addressed the gathering, highlighting the fact that the automobile industry has been advocating for the creation of a Single Window platform for years, and further stated, “We urgently need such a platform to ensure the trade is tracked properly. It would streamline the automobile trade by connecting banks, Customs, importers, exporters, logistic agencies, and shipping lines. Improved compliance and reduced opportunities for fraud or errors will lead to increased tax and duty collection. “The creation of a Single Window is estimated to take about two years, with a projected cost ranging from US$ 20 million to US$ 80 million.”
He added “The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce has held discussions with Pakistan and has also received proposals from certain mature markets on this initiative, Though the government is committed to the Single Window initiative, it has not taken significant steps towards its implementation so far. Allowing trade-based money laundering to persist could have catastrophic results for the country.”
One of the main focal points of the AGM was the prevalent need to revitalise the automative industry, in the wake of the relaxation of vehicle import restrictions. The AGM saw the appointment of Mr. Andrew Perera, Managing Director, Kia Motors (Lanka) Limited, as the new Chairman for the Association, for the year 2025/2026. Additionally, Mr. Lakmal De Silva and Mr. Shalain De Dilva were nominated as Vice Chairmen of the CMTA for the year 2025/2026.
Mr. Perera who was previously the Interim Chairman of the CMTA, brings with him a fresh, future-centric agenda shaped by resilience and renewed purpose. During his address to guests and members of the association, Mr. Perera spoke extensively about the six core focus areas. He stated, “It is my firm commitment not only to preserve the CMTA’s rich legacy, but to build upon it with a renewed sense of purpose.
He further explained, “We have engaged very closely with policymakers to support the development of fair, transparent and unforeseeable regulations. We will advocate a level playing field for all our stakeholders, ensuring ethical standards, accountability and compliance across the industry. So that will be our first major key role.
Furthermore, he said, “Secondly, capacity building and talent development. As you know, all of us are facing this, the pressure of losing good talent. The talent in Sri Lanka is huge. We want to develop similar programs of what we developed with SLIM, where we organize training programs for all the sales staff in the industry. But we also want to look at extending that to technical colleges, because we see that today, one of the toughest areas to find good staff is bodywork, painters and detailing staff for our industry. So, we will look at working with all these technical colleges to see how we can bring in more talent into the industry. And that will be through collaborating with industry partners and training institutes, to help skill our youth and create employment pathways. The third one is going to be stakeholder engagement which is deepening partnerships with embassies, international trade bodies and government authorities.”
Mr. Perera also explained the intended implementation of a ‘Buy Brand New’ consumer awareness initiative and plans to work in collaboration with authorities to design and implement road safety campaigns. He also mentioned that a highlight of this year will be the upcoming CMTA Motor Show, which will be a platform to spotlight the innovation, technology and strength of the local automotive industry.
The CMTA’s 105th AGM came to a successful conclusion with a vote of thanks which was followed by an evening of fellowship.
The Ceylon Motor Traders Association, established in 1919 has consistently been at the forefront of Sri Lanka’s automotive industry. The association contributes significantly to the country’s economy and is a platform for automotive employment both locally and overseas. Closely affiliated with the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, the CMTA holds several international accreditations, and represents all automotives manufacturers via local agents, with the sole objective of safeguarding the industry and its members.
Photo Caption
Executive Committee Members – 2025/26
Seated L/R
Mr. Charaka Perera, Immediate Past Chairman; Mr. Lakmal De Silva, Senior Vice Chairman CMTA, David Pieris Motor Co Ltd; Mr. Senake Amerasinghe, CarMart Ltd; Mr. Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Vice Chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Chief Guest; Mr. Andrew Perera, Chairman CMTA, KIA Motors Ltd; Mr. Shalain De Silva, Vice Chairman CMTA, United Motors Lanka PLC; Mr. Bri Ponnambalam, McLarens Lubricants (Pvt) Ltd; and Mr. Reeza Rauf, Senok Trade Combine (Pvt) Ltd.
Standing L/R
Ms. Sayuni Tharumila, Manager, Secretariat, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce; Mr. Tarindra Kaluperuma, Stafford Motor Co Ltd; Mr. Rajitha Kariyawasam, Drive-One (Pvt) Ltd; Mr. Andre Bonthuys, Associated Motorways (Pvt) Ltd; Mr. Shaneesh Ratnaweerage, Access Motors (Pvt) Ltd; Mr. Dinesh Guneratne, IWS Holdings Ltd; Mr. Tharanga Gunawardena, Diesel & Moto Engineering PLC; Mr. Mano Atukorala, Toyota Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Rohan Casiechetty, Ceylon Motor Traders’ Association
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