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Thursday 27th August, 2009
A village lad reaches dizzy heights
Jayantha Liyanagamage represents Sri Lanka at the UFMaG meeting
In picture Jayantha and his family members
y meeting with Jayantha
Liyanagamage, President of
UFMaG (Universal Freight
Management Group) in Thailand, took
place on the 30th Floor of the West Tower,
World Trade Centre, Colombo.
Q: Did you ever guess that you
would one day become the President of
International Freight
Alliance/Network Group?
A: No never. I never dreamt of this as I
am a Communication man.
However, he has climbed the ladder to
success steadily and today he holds this
high position in the Logistics Industry.
M
Jayantha said that UFMaG formed
three years ago, in 2006, has now 61 members, representing 45 countries, giving the
network a genuinely worldwide coverage.
Jayantha works at Expolanka Freight Dubai as a Senior Manager. He started his
life with telex and fax machines. At that
time there were no computers or laptops.
UFMaG has appointed Jayantha as
their First President of International
Freight Alliance/Network Group and this
was the first time a Sri Lankan was
appointed to the High Post. He felt that he
has brought honour to the country.
The foremost thing he liked in his pres-
by YVONNE T. KEERTHISINGHA
ent job (in Dubai) is that the authorities
have given top most priority to this business community. Everything is found
under one roof in Dubai. Expolanka is a
Sri Lankan company which has diversified its business in several parts of the
world, including Africa, West Asia and
the Asia Pacific Region. Expolanka was
formed in 1978 as a firm exporting fruits
and vegetables to the Middle East.
Expolanka Freight Limited commenced
in 1982. The company which began operations with a staff of just 10, has now more
Jayantha Liyanagamage
than 2700 in its employ.
Q: What can you say about yourself
Jay?
(Jayantha is using his short name Jay
for the benefit of his foreign partners)
A: I am a typical villager who was born
in a village called WENNAWATTA in
Wellampitiya.
He studied at Siddhartha Central
College. He came upto to A/Levels - but
kept on rising and rising as it was his
ambition to get to the top of the ladder.
Q: Well, coming to your family - as
is the usual custom in villages to consent to a proposal marriage? Was it so
with you?
A: Ha ha, it was a hide and seek game.
A kind of a Hangi Hora - Hora Police!
Q: That is interesting. Did you run
around trees trying to hide from this
one and that?
A: Well it did not turn out that bad as
my parents and her parents had nothing
to say - they said it is best when they said
nothing at all - I’m quoting from the
famous song - “you say it best when you
say nothing at all,” so with things turning
tiggerly boo the nuptial knot was tied in
1982 according to Buddhist traditions Poruwa and all rituals. Now Jayantha and
Janaki the two J’s have a son and two
girls, son Madhawa - girls Yasendra and
Mindula - and they are a very happy family.
Good luck!