Commercial Bank together with the Women’s Chamber of Industry and Commerce (WCIC), conducted a webinar for women entrepreneurs to help them adapt to the requisites of the ‘new normal’ following the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar was part of the Bank’s ongoing efforts to empower women in busi- ness, and an extension of its knowledge sharing and educational sessions designed for this period of social distancing.
Commercial Bank has been consistently aiming to offer Entrepreneur Skills Development Programs to enable its SME and Micro customer segments to remain competitive and this webinar was focused on offering pandemic specific advice to the women entrepreneurs in these segments.
Topics covered in the webinar included ‘Managing your money,’ ‘Making your supply chain resilient,’ ‘COVID-19 is just another hurdle’ and ‘self- confidence is all you need.’ The webinar also discussed ways on how to get financial assistance from the bank, in- formation on the release of loan funds and subsequent monitoring involved to ensure beneficial utilization of these funds and information on how to make the best use of the COVID-19 loan schemes launched by the Bank for both the SME and Micro business sectors.
The Bank also briefed par- ticipants on the reduced lending rates offered in response to the adverse effects of the pandemic on businesses. The webinar, which included a question and answer session was delivered through Zoom. A video of the forum is cur- rently hosted on the Bank’s website, Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Sandra Walgama, Deputy General Manager Personal Banking, Commercial Bank commenting on the webinar said: “Commercial Bank has always been committed to the principle of equal opportunity in its dealings with customers, but we recognize that there are still challenges that are specific to women entrepreneurs, and the Bank continues to address this issue as a priority. The unprecedented economic and social challenges created by the pandemic make webinars of this nature a need of the hour to create awareness of the Bank’s pandemic related sup- Celebrating more than 70 years of business, Toyo Tires is a global brand recognized for its attributes such as innova- tion in engineering and design, quality, performance, as well as excellent service. Combined, the Toyo group of companies has development, manufacturing, testing, distribution, and marketing operations through out USA, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Oceania. Toyo tire is ranked among the top ten largest tire manufacturing companies in the world. G C Roche & Company, subsidiary of Douglas & Sons (DSL) is the sole distributor for TOYO tires in Sri Lanka. Toyo is a technology focused global brand with an extensive product lineup ac- claimed for exceptional performance and quality. Tire products are for passenger vehicles, large vehicles such as SUVs, CUVs and pickup trucks as well. All tire types have gained popular world wide acceptance over many years and has established a longstanding OEM partner- ship with renowned Japanese motor companies. Popular consumer product lines offered by Toyo Tires include Proxes® (for high performance passenger cars, light trucks and race cars) and Open Country® (for light trucks and SUVs). Toyo Tires had announced that it will establish a new R&D Center, the first European technology development site, in Germany (Willich, North Rhine-Westphalia).The center is planned to begin operation with an objective of building a strong technical foundation in Europe by strengthening the capability of product development, corresponding to the ‘movement’ of next generation mobility. With the establishment of the center, Toyo will have technology development sites in the United States, Japan and Europe respectively. Toyo will enhance its capability of development among the current R&D centers and the new European center by combining and sharing knowledge and information collected. Toyo has further improved ultra high-performance tires with spiral winding and a rim flange protector. Using high elongation steel cord and belt defender technology allows Toyo to extend its endurance than any other manufacturer and aggressively developing and promoting Nano Energy to achieve the goal of fuel efficient tire that rolls smoothly on dry roads and stops safely on wet roads. port programs, build business acumen specifically needed for tough times, and to reassure our female customers of our continued commitment to them.” The resource persons for the webinar included: Anoji De Silva, Management Consultant; Tusitha Kumarakulasingam, Business/Marketing Consultant and Transformation Catalyst; Gayani de Alwis, Founding Chairperson, (WiLAT) Women in Logistics and Transport Sri Lanka & Immediate Past Chairperson, (CILT) Chartered Institute of Logistics & Trans- port; and Nayana Karunaratne, Hairdresser/Beautician and Trainer. Vinod Pillai, SME Officer – Development Credit Department, Commercial Bank also participated.
The moderator was Kamalini Ellawala, the Bank’s Senior Manager Women Banking. Participants received financial and non-financial advice from qualified, prominent figures in the industry.
They had the opportunity to interact live with the Bank of- ficials, further strengthening the relationship between the Bank and customer segment.
