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Monday Feb 16, 2026
Monday, 30 April 2012 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Cheranka Mendis
Postgraduate Institute of Management Alumni (PIMA) Platinum Honours 2011 held on Friday recognised the contributions of Ramal Jasinghe, Anura Siriwardene and Dr. L.J.A. Peiris for their outstanding performance in their respective careers.
Jasinnghe is the Director/CEO of Asian Alliance Insurance, and Peiris is the Managing Director of Royal Fernwood Porcelain whilst Siriwardene is the Secretary to Ministry of Coconut Development and Janatha Estate Development. He is also the Past Chairman and CEO of Independent Television Network and Secretary to Ministry of Cooperatives and Internal Trade.
An annual event identified as the flagship program of the PIMA, the award looks for trailblazers in the industries who are PIM graduates and reward them with the recognition award.
With the core vision of the program being to recognise the nations thought leaders, the Platinum Honours 2011 held at the Cinnamon Lakeside concentrated on the theme of ‘setting the pace for challenges ahead.’
Sri Lanka Inventors Commissioner Deepal Sooriyaarachchi, delivering the key note address at the event noted that to identify challenges and solutions one must be observant. However to be observant an individual must be quite, he said, which is a skill that needs to be developed within.
“You should learn to respond, not react.” Reflecting on the theme for the night, Sooriyaarachchi posed the question of how one should face the challenges in today’s fast paced world.
PIMA Platinum...
“Are we using our past experiences and knowledge to meet the new situations and will it work? When we were juniors in our careers we could relate to the experiences of our bosses. However today it is a completely new generation. It is a time where parents are deemed illiterate if they cannot read their children’s SMSs.”
Urging to ‘start thinking,” he noted that during early days (when men were uncivilised persons) when faced with a challenge the option was fight or flight, with their survival at stake. “Even though we have come a long way since then, this instinct is the same – fight or flight.”
Sooriyaarachchi stressed that one should look at challenges with a fresh mind to respond to challenges without merely reacting. When looking at things with a fresh mind new aspects of the problems can be observed which would help in the process.
“To be observant you must be silent. Silent is a skill that needs to be developed. To be silent is to be sensitive. This way one can respond to challenges without just reacting,” Sooriyaarachchi said.
The Platinum Honours were judged by a panel led by led by Dr. Wickrama Weerasooria and comprised Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri, Eardley Perera and Bradley Emerson. Weerasooria noted that the recipients were chosen on a unanimous choice.
