Daily FT-ICC recognise ‘Most Admired Leaders’ for outstanding contributions 

From left: Ashok Pathirage, Rohini Nanayakkara, Sumal Perera and Shiromal Cooray – Pix by Ruwan Walpola  

The awards ceremony of the annual ‘Most Admired Companies of Sri Lanka 2021’ organised by the Daily FT in partnership with the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) and The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) was held yesterday in a hybrid format at BMICH and virtually. 

Apart from 10 Most Admired Companies and five honourable mentions, five eminent business leaders of Sri Lanka were also recognised under the ‘Most Admired Leaders’ awards category.

Chief Guest was the Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, whilst Guest of Honour was Colombo Mayor Rosy Senanayake with Ceylon Chamber of Commerce Chairman Vish Govindasamy as special guest.

Veteran banker and first female General Manager of an Asian bank Rohini Nanayakkara was recognised as a Most Admired Leader for outstanding contribution to the financial sector. Jetwing Travels Chairperson and Managing Director Shiromal Cooray was recognised as a Most Admired Leader for women leadership in the hospitality and travel industry. 

Access Group Companies Founder Chairman Sumal Perera was recognised as a Most Admired Leader for business accomplishment for innovation and for promoting cutting edge business practices in the construction industry. Softlogic Holdings Chairman Ashok Pathirage was feted as a Most Admired Leader for entrepreneurship for innovation and for promoting cutting edge business practices in a range of sectors including retail and healthcare.

Capital Maharaja Group Chairman late Rajendran Rajamahendran was posthumously recognised as a Most Admired Leader for his outstanding contribution in the independent media industry. 

The top ten Most Admired Companies recognised were (in alphabetical order) Cargills Ceylon PLC, CBL Investments Ltd., Ceylinco Life Insurance Ltd., Commercial Bank PLC, Dilmah Ceylon Tea Company PLC, HNB PLC, LOLC PLC, NDB Bank PLC, NSB Bank, and People’s Bank. The five honourable mentions were (in alphabetical order) Abans PLC, BOC, DFCC Bank PLC, SLT PLC, and Sunshine Holdings PLC.