Sri Lanka’s emerging corporate leaders in panel discussion at Axiom Revolution conference

The future leaders of the Sri Lankan business sphere are set to gather at “The Axiom Revolution” learning conference, organized by the Association of Human Resource Professionals Sri Lanka (HRP). To be held on 18th of May at Water’s Edge, the learning conference is a prelude to the HRM Awards 2012 and will feature a Young Leaders’ Forum entitled “Sri Lanka:  Facets of the Future”.

The Young Leaders’ Forum will take the form of a panel discussion between Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama, Chairman of the SLPA, Jonathan Alles, Deputy CEO of HNB PLC, Vidyani Hettigoda, Director of Hettigoda Group, and Eassuwaren Subramaniam, Deputy Chairman of Eswaran Bros. Ltd. on the role of talent-enablers in today’s rapidly-evolving corporate environment. With a plethora of expertise in different fields, this panel will explore every angle of the future of HR in Sri Lanka.

In addition to being the youngest-ever Chairman of Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Dr. Priyath B. Wickrama is also the Project Director of Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port Project. He is known for introducing world-recognized procedures and systems to ensure the commitment and loyalty of employees supported by technology to compete with any developed port in the world, including the SLPA’s Human Resource Information System (HIRS).

With 25 years of banking experience including over 15 years overseas, Jonathan Alles is not only the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hatton National Bank PLC but also a Director of Sithma Development Ltd., Acuity Partners Ltd. and Acuity Stockbrokers Ltd. He has an MBA from the University of Stirling in Scotland and is an Associate Member of the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka.

With several years of work experience in the UK, Vidyani Hettigoda has been with the Hettigoda Group, marketers of the renowned Siddhalepa brand pioneered by her father Deshabandu Dr. Victor Hettigoda, since 1996. She is also currently the Chairperson of the Women’s Chamber of Industries and Commerce (WCIC) and the Vice Chairperson of the SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneur Council (SCWEC).

An alumnus of Oxford University, Subramaniam Eassuwaren is committed to transforming his 67-year-old family business into a sustainable global business company, having already made Eswaran Bros. the first carbon-neutral tea company in the world. He is an ardent supporter of sustainability-related causes and is a founding director of the Conservation Carbon Company which specializes in using financial mechanisms to create unique solutions to Sri Lanka’s environmental problems.

The session will be moderated by Rukmal De Silva, CEO of Wild Drift, the adventure-based management training specialists who use experiential learning to improve the dynamics and performance of corporate teams. “As business models shift gears to prepare for the future, it is vital to re-examine the perspectives on attracting and enabling talent,” said Rukmal De Silva. “The Young Leaders’ Forum will examine a fresh, local perspective on talent enablement in relation to strategy, leadership and innovation from the point of view of top decision makers. The participants of this panel discussion are going to be amongst the most eminent business leaders in the country in the near future, and will be sharing their views regarding the roles of talent-enablers in mobilizing human potential and driving the bottom line.”

“The singular factor in the triple bottom line concept – profit, people, planet – that creates the competitive advantage for sustainable growth is people. It is for this reason that the HRM Awards Learning Conference aims to take a holistic view of people shaping the future of business” stated Ms. Chiranthi Cooray, Chairperson of the Axiom Revolution – HRM Awards Learning Conference 2012. She further elaborated that the content of the learning conference is relevant to business leaders, not just to the HR fraternity, and encouraged professionals of all disciplines to participate in the event.