Sri Lanka made history with the successful conclusion of the Teen Business Summit ’25 Powered by The Business School and StartX, the country’s first national-scale business summit exclusively for teenagers, held at the Iconic Temple Trees on the 22nd of June. The summit brought together teens across the island for a powerful day of inspiration, real-world exposure, and hands-on learning.
The event was conceptualized to help teenagers “Discover Their Passion. Design Their Future.” Offering deep insight into entrepreneurship, corporate readiness and power to be anything.
Transformative Panel Discussions with Top Leaders
The summit featured two back-to-back, high-impact panel discussions:
- The Real Corporate Life: Be Corporate Ready Featuring
- Mr. Jehan Perinpanayagam – CEO of Informate (JKH), Senior Vice President – John Kells Holdings, Immediate Past Chair of ACCA & SLASSCOM
- Mr. Shamal Gunawardene – Chief Operating Officer of CEAT Kelani Holdings (Pvt) Ltd & Former Director – Sales and Commercial Coca-Cola Beverages
- Mr. Surath Chandrasena – Group Finance Director of MAS Holdings, Gold Award for Chief Financial Officer of the Year at the AICPA & CIMA – JXG Pinnacle Awards 2025
These industry giants shared their personal career journeys and the evolving expectations of the corporate world, providing actionable advice for youth aspiring to enter top firms.
- Start Bold. Start Young: The Startup Mindset Featuring
- Mr. Joel Tilekeratne – Founder & CEO of CARNAGE and Fitness Island
- Mr. Janik Jayasuriya (Celeste) – Founder & CEO of Celeste Daily
- Mrs. Nayomi Handunneti – Founder of The Siren and Elixir Ceylon.
A new generation of Sri Lankan entrepreneurs who started early and built standout brands. The panel encouraged youth to embrace innovation, take calculated risks, and believe in the power of starting young.