Zee WION Global Innovation & Leadership Summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka on 2nd May

Senior political leaders, ministers, diplomats and business figures from India and Sri Lanka will gather in Colombo on 2 May 2026 for the Zee WION Global Innovation & Leadership Summit, an event that is designed to deepen bilateral cooperation amid growing economic and cultural links between the two neighbours. The summit, hosted by Zee Media Corporation at the Cinnamon Grand hotel, carries the theme of innovation and leadership at a time of changing global order. It comes at a time when India and Sri Lanka are expanding trade, tourism and investment partnerships following high level engagements including Indian PM Modi's visit to the country in April 2025 & Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake's India visit in December 2024.

High-level Sri Lankan government figures are scheduled to deliver keynotes: Governor Hanif Yusoof on foreign investment, Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe on industry and entrepreneurship, Prof Ruwan Chaminda Ranasinghe on tourism, and Deputy Minister Arun Hemachandra on foreign affairs. Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Santosh Jha will speak on the “civilizational bond” between the two countries.

2 key panel focuses on Media and business engagements. It features Nistar Cassim, Chief Editor of Daily FT, Bruno Divakara of SL VLOG, and Umair Wolid, co-founder of Newswire. The subsequent sessions explore India-Sri Lanka trade ties, fiscal discipline, capital opportunities and skill development. Business leaders including Krishan Balendra (Chairman, Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and John Keells Group), Santosh Menon (President, Lanka India Business Association) and Nimal S Cooke (Senior Board Member of the Capital Maharaja Organization Group (CMG))will speak alongside Indian wealth experts, Zee Business' Anil Singhvi and Gurmeet Chadha.

An opening keynote from Sri Lanka's main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa on the “Blue Economy” in the Indian Ocean will be made. Harsha de Silva, current Member of Parliament (MP) for the Colombo District, will also deliver a key address.

Zee Media Corporation will be led at the summit by its CEO, Mr Raktim Das, who will deliver the Opening Address during the evening session. Joining him is Mr Manish Seth, Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Zee Media, along with Mr Prasanna Raghav, Business Head of Innovation Studio and EVP Marketing. Zee Media, India’s largest news network, has previously organised similar summits in London, Mauritius and Vietnam. The Colombo edition aims to position Sri Lanka as an attractive destination for Indian investors and tourists while focusing on dialogue on a range of issues like innovation, enterprise and cross-border collaboration.

The event will bring together distinguished Indian entrepreneurs as “ambassadors” for Sri Lanka’s tourism potential. The summit will be have Zee & WION Anchors Lavina Jethani, Siddhant Sibbal & Shivan Chanana. The summit sends a message, that the civilizational bond between India and Sri Lanka, two nations connected by history, geography and growing economic interdependence is only bound to grow with major Indian media group, Zee Media taking a lead. WION, a Zee media group channel & India's only international news channel provides that nuanced focus that no one gives, when it comes to being the international voice of the country. With bilateral trade and people-to-people ties on the rise, Zee media group can provide platforms to translate policy intent into tangible collaboration.