Hayleys is Sri Lanka’s Best Corporate Citizen

  14-10-2005

The coveted Best Corporate Citizen Award 2005 was last night bagged by Hayleys Ltd., having also won two category awards.

The first runner up for the award was John Keells Holdings Ltd., and second runner-up was Slimline Ltd.

The 10 best companies that were awarded in general were (in alphabetical order) Brandix Lanka Ltd., Ceylon Biscuits Ltd., Ceylon Tobacco Company Ltd., Eagle Insurance Company Ltd., Hayleys Ltd., John Keells Holdings Ltd., Nestle Lanka Ltd., Sampath Bank Ltd., Singer Sri Lanka Ltd. and Slimline Pvt. Ltd.
 

Hayleys Chairman Rajan Yatawara receives the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce’s coveted Best Corporate Citizen award 2005 from Asian Development Bank Country Director Alessandro Pio at a ceremony last night. Ceylon Chamber Chairman Deva Rodrigo looks on.

In the category awards Hayleys Ltd., won for performances both in Environment and Community Relations. The Customer Relations title award went to Ceylon Biscuits Ltd., with Ceylon Tobacco Company Ltd., obtaining the award for the category in Employee Relations. A tie-up was seen in the Economic Performance category where both John Keells Holdings Ltd. and Sampath Bank Ltd., shared the title.

Microsoft Global Resources Regional Director Lori A. Foreman speaking on the occasion addressed the gathering on carrying out the right balance in a bid to maintain a good corporate relationship with the community.

She highlighted their role in assisting in carrying out work with volunteers from the NGO sector which they had targeted.
 

In corporate relationship building there is a necessity of meeting the demands in four separate segments such as customer value, responsible leadership, economic impact and the social impact, she said adding that there is a need to address all of these aspects.

The first copy of the Chamber’s CSR Handbook was handed over to the Chief Guest Asian Development Bank Country Director Alessandro Pio. He observed that the prime need of the hour was the continuation of the peace process and coexistence among different groups in the country. In this respect, he pointed out that the companies needed to play a role as part of their corporate responsibility taking up issues of such nature.

JKH Chairman Vivendra Lintotawela (left) recieves the first runner up award in the Best Corporate Citizen awards 2005 competition and on right second runner up Slimline’s President of the Joint Consultation Workers Council President Ms. Sanjivani receives the Company’s award. Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera.

Mr. Rodrigo asserted that there was a dire need for the companies to recognise their social responsibility by not simply identifying and conducting HIV AIDS awareness campaigns but also not to discriminate those thereby infected by such diseases within the work environment.

Chairman Convention Sub Committee Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala said that the event was to promote corporate social responsibility and highlight the achievements made by certain companies that topped the list in this respect.
 

Ceylon Chamber Secretary General/CEO Prema Cooray spotlighted the gathering on those behind the scenes in carrying out the responsibility of judging the companies that have effectively carried out CSR. He said that they had chosen 11 persons to be part of the panel of judges and therefore commended them namely Chairman of the Judging Panel Alessandro Pio, ILO’s Claudia Conjaerts , Chamber past Chairman C.P. De Silva, UNDP’s Miguel Bermio. The Evaluation team was also commended namely Dr. Saman Kelegama , Ajith S. Ratnayake , Dr. Sumith Pilapitiya Nivard Cabral, G.K.B. Dassanayaka, Dr. Uditha Liyanage and Ramani Ellepola.