Leading business rankings place Hayleys as No. 1 corporate for 2020/21

Hayleys Chairman/CEO Mohan Pandithage (left) and Co-Chairman Dhammika Perera

Capping off a year of record-breaking, export-led growth, both Lanka Monthly Digest’s (LMD) Top 100 and Business Today Top 40 ranked Hayleys PLC as Sri Lanka’s No. 1 

corporate for 2020-21.  

This marks the fifth consecutive year and eighth occasion in total that Hayleys has been honoured with the top spot within the ‘LMD 100’. Considered Sri Lanka’s version of the Fortune 500, the No. 1 ranking endorses the Group’s sustained position as one of the nation’s most dynamic, innovative and resilient corporates. 

In addition, Hayleys has been ranked No. 1 in Business Today’s Top 40 outstanding listed Companies, for having driven social and national interest in its business endeavours amidst a remarkably challenging operating environment – a key criteria of the publication’s ranking this year.

In clinching the top honours of two of the island’s leading annual corporate rankings, Hayleys was also recognised for its agility and resilience to “rise above the storm” of the COVID-19 pandemic. Made up of over 30,000 employees, Hayleys has focused on prioritising people safety, ensuring supply chain demands are met, and keeping sustainability commitments at the forefront amidst global disruption.

Hayleys reported significant growth in the core performance of its value-added export-oriented businesses, accounting for $ 600 million of the country’s foreign earnings and 4.2% of the nation’s total export income as stated in its 2020-21 Annual Report. In addition to delivering another remarkably resilient financial performance, the company also maintained its support for pioneering social development across its 16 sectors. 

Despite the challenges of the past year, the Group continued to provide 190,000 litres of purified water to families every day in areas affected by Chronic Kidney Disease through the ‘Puritas Sathdiyawara’ initiative and supported the livelihoods of its smallholder partners, spanning agri-outgrowers, estate workers and other micro-entrepreneurs over the 2020-21 period.