AmCham urges business leaders to make cybersecurity a boardroom priority

Cybersecurity must move beyond the IT department and into the boardroom, business leaders were told at SeCure 2026, a high‑level forum hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham Sri Lanka) in partnership with Standard Chartered.

Gathering over 100 senior executives, the event underscored how cyber threats are becoming faster, smarter, and more sophisticated, demanding stronger governance, executive preparedness, and cross‑industry collaboration. 

With keynote insights from Standard Chartered’s Chris Fleming and an interactive “Mystery Box Cyber Challenge,” participants were urged to treat cyber resilience as a defining business challenge of the digital era.

Full statement of AmCham Sri Lanka on SeCure 2026

Business leaders urged to strengthen organizational resilience as cyber threats become faster, smarter and more sophisticated

This was the central message delivered at SeCure 2026: Strengthening Organizations Against Tomorrow’s Threats, hosted by the American Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka (AmCham Sri Lanka) in partnership with Standard Chartered Sri Lanka. The forum brought together more than 100 senior executives gathered to explore the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape and the practical steps organizations must take to strengthen resilience. 

With opening remarks by Bingumal Thewarathanthri, Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Sri Lanka, setting the context for the morning’s discussion, the executive breakfast forum featured an insightful keynote by Chris Fleming, Executive Director and Head of Client & Third-Party Security at Standard Chartered, followed by the highly engaging Mystery Box Cyber Challenge, an interactive gamified learning experience that challenged participants  to think critically and make decisions under pressure. The event concluded with an expert panel discussion featuring Chris Fleming, Roger Norton, Executive Director and Head of Transaction Banking at Standard Chartered Sri Lanka, and Dinuka Perera, Deputy Chief Executive Officer at LankaPay (Pvt) Ltd, moderated by Chinthaka Dunuwille, Senior Partner Solution Sales Lead for AI Workforce : Sri Lanka, Maldives and India at Microsoft and an AmCham SL Board Member. 

Participants commended the forum’s practical and interactive approach, describing it as one of the most engaging cybersecurity awareness events they had attended. 

Throughout the morning, speakers reiterated that cyber threats have evolved dramatically over the past few years. Artificial intelligence enables criminals to create increasingly convincing phishing campaigns, sophisticated deepfake scams and highly targeted social engineering attacks, lowering the barriers for cybercriminals while increasing the risks faced by businesses of every size. 

Speaking at the event Chris Fleming said “It was a privilege to join over 100 business leaders in Sri Lanka for SeCure 2026 and to see the level of engagement around one of the defining business challenges of our time. Cyber resilience is no longer solely a technology issue — it is a boardroom priority that demands strong leadership, informed decision-making and close collaboration across industries. During the conference we shared practical insights that delegates can apply within their own organisations, and I’m proud that Standard Chartered could partner with AmCham Sri Lanka to help strengthen cyber resilience across the country’s business community.”

Across the opening remarks, keynote and panel discussion, a clear message emerged: cybersecurity can no longer be delegated exclusively to technology teams. As cyber incidents become more disruptive and financially damaging, Boards and executive leadership teams must understand their responsibilities, ask the right questions and be prepared to make critical decisions quickly should an incident occur. Building resilience today requires strong governance, executive preparedness and a clear understanding of organizational risk alongside continued investment in technology. 

Another recurring theme was the growing importance of third-party and supply chain security. Organizations increasingly rely on external vendors, service providers and digital platforms, making cybersecurity a shared responsibility across the wider business ecosystem. Leaders were encouraged to evaluate cyber risks at the earliest stages of vendor selection and ensure security is embedded throughout procurement and third-party management processes. 

The discussions also highlighted the importance of maintaining strong payment controls and governance. While sophisticated attacks continue to grow, many successful frauds still exploit weaknesses in business processes rather than technology itself. Organizations were encouraged to strengthen payment verification procedures, maintain independent validation processes, reinforce maker-checker controls and continuously test employee readiness to respond under pressure. 

Another important takeaway was that the first 60 minutes following a cyber incident are often the most critical. Organizations should have clear incident response plans, executive decision-making protocols, reliable backup and recovery capabilities, access to specialist incident response expertise, and regular crisis simulations to ensure they can respond effectively when an attack occurs. 

The panel also explored Sri Lanka’s rapidly evolving digital payments landscape, noting that maintaining public trust requires closer collaboration between businesses, banks, payment infrastructure providers, regulators and law enforcement agencies. As fraudsters become more coordinated and move stolen funds across multiple institutions within minutes, stronger information sharing and ecosystem-wide cooperation will be essential to improving prevention, detection and recovery. 

Commenting on the success of the event, Sandun Hapugoda, President of AmCham Sri Lanka, said:

“SeCure 2026 demonstrated exactly why cybersecurity must become a strategic business priority rather than simply a technology discussion. Through our partnership with Standard Chartered, we were able to bring international expertise together with local industry insights, giving Sri Lankan business leaders practical knowledge they can immediately apply within their own organizations. The overwhelming feedback from participants reaffirmed the importance of creating platforms that move beyond theory and equip leaders with the awareness, confidence and practical tools needed to build more resilient organizations.”

By bringing together international expertise, industry collaboration and practical executive learning, SeCure 2026 reinforced AmCham Sri Lanka’s commitment to helping the private sector navigate emerging business risks while fostering stronger leadership, governance and resilience in an increasingly digital economy. (Newswire)

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