In this issue

Private money in infrastructure

Linking the deficit in infrastructure finance with private money ought to be the perfect solution to build new highways, seaports, and provide electricity and water. Such deals are now called Public Private Partnerships, and all over the world, they are a critical instrument through which governments build infrastructure.

However, PPPs are no panacea for chronic infrastructure shortages either. Alongside their many successes in middle-income and rich countries, there are also well-documented failures. While people tend to ignore successes, those that don’t live up to expectations are vilified as exemplifying the general unsuitability of private capital for infrastructure.
As it prepares to bridge the infrastructure deficit with private money, Sri Lanka should select its projects carefully. There are vast gray areas between what people view as PPPs and what constitutes privatisation. Anxieties about privatising essential services like electricity, water and transport are universal. In contrast, PPPs or the privatisation of seaports and airports aren’t as controversial as ones involving utilities and transport infrastructure almost anywhere. A lot ultimately depends on what the public has become used to.

Sri Lanka’s first successful deal, during an era before the PPP nomenclature was even established, should be a good place to start. Even more fortunately for the country, some of the key actors then are now readying to become a part of the PPP renaissance.

Echelon Magazine Description:

Intelligent Storytelling

The one thing that will define the Echelon magazine will be the quality of the storytelling. Echelon,published monthly, will cover in depth Sri Lanka’s most successful businesses, examine their winning strategiesand profile their leaders in immersive stories. Great stories are also never limited to words, and our approach includes rich photography, bold graphics and leading edge design which together will make for a compelling read.

But business doesn’t start and end in a boardroom;it extends to the golf club greens, to international travel and to pursuits that blurthe lines between commercial venture and sheer passion. The Echelon team will present the best in business and lifestyle coverage that will appeal to an exclusive and affluent readership: an otherwise hard to reach demographic.

Content will be developed by one of the most experienced and proven teams of editors, financial journalists, photographers and designers in the country.This team has already raised the bar for powerful and expertly crafted business news. Shamindra Kulamannage, will lead the editorial team.

The reputation of Echelon is being built on the separation between editorial and advertising. However we are also looking for the most creative and impactful new formats that can be applied in our magazines, iPad app as well as website to help our clients reach our audience. We are flexible and creative and we will have a solution for every single advertiser who wants to reach our audience.

We are passionate about creative results and about working with our advertisers to help them create bespoke multi platform creative solutions with our in house creative team and of course our sales team.

Echelon will be a great place to show off the products and capabilities of our clients because they will be surrounded by an editorial product that is expertly crafted, full of integrity and intelligence.