INSEE Ecocycle General Manager Sanjeewa Chulakumara clinched the award under the category of Enhancing People Performance and Finance and Reporting Manager Hemamali Senaratne won in the category Aligning Organisation Vision.

Human Resource Development is an important core value at INSEE Cement. The company was able to demonstrate that it motivates its personnel to achieve excellence and realise their true potential when two top performers in the company shone at the Great Manager Awards 2017 organised by the Colombo Leadership Academy.  

INSEE Ecocycle General Manager Sanjeewa Chulakumara clinched the award under the category of Enhancing People Performance and Finance and Reporting Manager Hemamali Senaratne won in the category Aligning Organisation Vision.  Both the winners were completely unaware that they had been nominated by the HR Dept. of the company until the winners were announced, and had the surprise of being presented with the award at the awards presentation.  

Chulakumara, who won the award for his ability to enhance the performance of his team, recalled how he was able to fulfil his dream of working for a multinational company and joined INSEE Cement as a Customer Service Officer.  He rose rapidly up the corporate ladder and within 10 years he was appointed to the ExCo. His skill was in selecting and grooming people. “The company has invested a lot on me.  It is my second university.  They gave me the freedom and trusted me and that unleashed my ability to reach my full potential,” he said.

In return Chulakumara works with sincere dedication.  Married with a son aged 7 years, he explained that his wife, who was in the university with him and also excelled in her studies, is happy as a teacher so that she has the time to devote to their child, without aiming to achieve success in the corporate world. “She is patient and understanding whenever I work long hours,” he said.

Senaratne, in contrast, is a truly independent lady who joined the company as a management trainee and developed her career to the senior management position within a 10 year span, managing diverse challenging projects in the finance field. “I get bored without challenges,” she confessed. “I am appreciative of the opportunities I have got at INSEE Cement - for example, attending workshops in Europe that provided relevant and contemporary training in my area of specialisation. This helped to build my confidence and empowered me to plan my career in cross-functional team management. I am honoured to be part of Sri Lanka’s number 1 cement brand - INSEE is my pride.”  She was able to spend one year in Singapore working for the regional internal audit team, enabling her to gain valuable international exposure to best business practices across the Asia Pacific region.  

“We take great pride in grooming our people and Sanjeewa and Hemamali are fine examples of how our dynamic culture motivates and inspires our people to achieve excellence,” commented Siam City Cement (Lanka) Organisation and Human Resources Director Prasad Piyadigama.