The Commonwealth Enterprise and Investment Council (CWEIC) announced the appointment of Niro Cooke to its Board. Cooke, a respected Sri Lankan professional, is at present the youngest Board member appointed to the statutory board of the CWEIC.
CWEIC is the Commonwealth’s business network. Founded in 2014, it has over 90 business and government Strategic Partners from 27 countries and territories. CWEIC’s mandate is to facilitate trade and investment through the 54-member nations of the Commonwealth and it does so via strategic partnerships with some of the Commonwealth’s largest and most innovative businesses.
Niro Cooke is an entrepreneur at heart and a Group Director on the Main Board of The Capital Maharaja Organization, Sri Lanka’s largest privately-owned conglomerate. He is actively involved in facilitating inward investment and developing large scale government infrastructure and energy projects in Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
On the CWEIC Board, he will join luminaries such as Lord Marland, Chairman of the CWEIC and formerly the Minister for the Department of Energy and Climate Change and Trade Envoy for Prime Minister David Cameron from 2011-2014.
With Lord Marland’s leadership, the Board provides strategic guidance to direct the CWEIC mandate and work, which includes hosting the Commonwealth Business Forums, facilitating more business within the Commonwealth, working closely with Governments, and building close relationships with key investor nations outside the Commonwealth.
Chief Executive of CWEIC, Samantha Cohen, said: “We are delighted to welcome Cooke to the CWEIC Board. Members of our Board represent CWEIC’s network of Strategic Partners and work on their behalf with governments and businesses across the Commonwealth. Cooke’s extensive business experience and expertise will enhance the value we offer to our membership.”Niro is an advocate for sustainable development and says that his vision is to transform the Sri Lankan economy into a competitive and sustainably industrialized one that adds value to the supply chain regionally and globally.
“Being appointed to the CWEIC Board is a true privilege. As a Sri Lankan, I hope to supplement the Board’s strategic vision with fresh perspective on what Commonwealth nations like ours truly require to become globally competitive.”
CWEIC will host the Commonwealth Business Forum next year alongside the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Rwanda, with the event due to bring together business and political leaders from across the Commonwealth.
