By Elishya Perera
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (CU)_Nathaniel Rothschild, a senior member of the Rothschild banking dynasty, visited Port City Colombo on Thursday (Jan 14), as part of a brief business tour to the island.
He was accompanied by Sri Lankan born British politician and former EU parliamentarian Niranjan Deva Aditya, and corporate sector veteran Rajan Brito.
The delegation was welcomed by several senior Port City officials, including Executive Project Director Raja Edirisuriya. During the visit, the delegation was briefed on the Port City Colombo project and its future developments.
Rothschild was highly impressed by the project, and the senior management of Port City Colombo expressed their willingness to continue dialogue with the world-renowned financier for possible future cooperation.
Nat Rothschild is the eldest son of Baron Rothschild and heir to his father’s title and business interests, and is also the chairman of London-listed manufacturer Volex, which manufactures charging cables for electric cars. His business interests include Port Montenegro, an exclusive marina and yachting project in the Mediterranean, offering waterfront residences, luxury shops and high-end events.
Port City Colombo is expected to be a premiere residential, retail and business destination in South Asia, spanning 269 hectares, with an integrated resort, a marina, luxury hotels, grade A offices, medical facilities, educational facilities and much more. The project is made up of five zones, namely, a financial district, an international island, central park living, the marina and island living.
Late last year, the first agreement for Port City Colombo, for US$1 billion, was signed between China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) and LOLC, one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in Sri Lanka. During the first quarter of this year, the Sri Lankan government is expected to introduce the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) law to govern the project.
