The Colombo Business Analytics Forum (CBA Forum) returns on 27 October, marking its third consecutive year, with a story this time that’s as much about the people gathering under one roof as the program itself.
Organised by the Society of Business Analytics (SOBA) under the Department of Decision Sciences, Faculty of Business, University of Moratuwa, CBA Forum began as a student-led initiative connecting technology-seeking and technology-providing organisations. This year’s edition is presented by WIA as the Title Partner, whose backing supports the forum’s biggest edition yet. Last year’s edition brought together more than 80 companies and over 150 participants across industries ranging from banking and finance to healthcare and cybersecurity. This year, organisers are aiming higher, with over 200 company representatives and 80-plus participating companies expected to attend a jump that reflects how much traction the forum has picked up since its first edition.
This year’s theme, “AI to ROI: Unlocking Value Beyond Intelligence,” centers the forum’s discussions on turning AI adoption into practical, measurable business value. The agenda is built around three connected ideas innovating with AI, enabling it through trusted data and governance, and transforming organisations through people and culture all pointing toward the same question companies are increasingly asking: how does any of this actually pay off.
The headline addition is keynote speaker Chief Adviser to the President of Sri Lanka on Digital Economy and Chairman of the ICTA Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya. A telecommunications leader for close to three decades including leading Dialog Axiata and later serving as CEO of Telecommunications Business at Axiata Group he stepped down from that role in January 2025 to take up his current position shaping the country’s digital economy agenda. His presence brings a national policy perspective to a forum that has traditionally focused on industry and academic collaboration.
Alongside the keynote, the day will feature a panel discussion bringing together voices from across industry to dig further into the forum’s themes, giving the program a more conversational, cross-sector dimension beyond the main address.
Ahead of the main event, CBA Forum will run a Pre-Forum Week from 5-21 October, with workshops and engagement sessions building up to the main day. The forum itself will be held at the Pavilion at the Edge, Waters Edge.
At its core, the forum serves as a collaborative hub enabling networking between diverse industry sectors, knowledge sharing, new partnerships, and long-term conversations that continue well beyond the day itself. It remains organised by a committee of undergraduates, are minder that the forum’s growth has never come at the expense of who’s actually running it. The full speaker and panel lineup is expected to be announced closer to the event.
