Andre Fernando, a logistics and supply chain executive with more than three decades of industry experience, has been appointed Chairman of the Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association (SLFFA), the body announced this week. Fernando previously served as Vice Chairman of the association.
In a statement marking his appointment, Fernando said he was assuming the role “with great honour and a deep sense of responsibility” at what he described as an important transformation phase for the logistics industry. He set out a series of priorities including stronger adoption of technology, higher professional standards, improved operational efficiency and sustained investment in workforce development.
The SLFFA represents companies engaged in international freight forwarding, customs clearing and supply chain services, sectors that handle the bulk of Sri Lanka’s import and export flows through the ports of Colombo and Hambantota and the country’s airfreight terminals.
Fernando takes over at a difficult moment for the industry. Sri Lankan exporters and forwarders are absorbing the impact of the Strait of Hormuz disruption, which has lengthened shipping routes and pushed up freight rates and bunker fuel costs. The 44% United States tariff that takes effect on April 9 threatens to suppress apparel and rubber export volumes — the largest cargo categories handled by SLFFA members. At the same time, the UK Developing Countries Trading Scheme has opened a new window for relaxed rules-of-origin claims that the industry must operationalise.
Fernando’s stated emphasis on digitalisation tracks with broader government efforts to roll out electronic customs and port community systems, and aligns with the country’s wider push to position itself as a transhipment and logistics hub for the Indian Ocean region.
