ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards showcases winners across 7 top industry categories
Organisations the world over are under mounting pressure from their wide array of stakeholders, from investors to governments to nongovernmental organisations and even communities and customers, where it has become imperative that entities are transparent and accountable in all their dealings.
As such the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka, strengthening its fundamental ethos of rewarding transparency, held its flagship calendar event for the 16th year in succession recently at Cinnamon Grand.
Rewarding Sri Lanka’s most transparent, accountable and responsible entities, ACCA at this event felicitated those companies which have shown immense commitment and dedication to the fundamental principles of accountability and transparency.
Under the aegis of Sarah Hulton OBE, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, who was the chief guest at the event, an overall winner and runner-up were crowned as well as those who have showcased continuous commitment to these principles in the various industries namely, conglomerates and diversified, banking, financial services and insurance, SME, retail and trading, leisure and connected services, general services and utilities.
This year’s awards saw Sri Lanka’s leading conglomerate John Keells Holdings PLC bagging the Overall winner award, whilst Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO) was adjudged as the Overall Runner-up.
Topping the banking category was National Development Bank PLC, whilst Seylan Bank PLC secured its place as the runner-up. John Keells Holdings PLC won the award as the winner of the Conglomerates & Diversified category with Aitken Spence
PLC emerging as Runners-up.
In the Finance Services and Insurance category, Alliance Finance Company PLC gained the winning laurel, with the Runner-up being Citizens Development Business Finance PLC.
Among other notable achievements were Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC being crowned as winners for the Leisure & Connected Services with John Keells Hotels PLC bagging the award that evening as Runners-up in this category.
Retail & Trading category was clinched by Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC whilst Elpitiya Plantations PLC gained the position of Runner-up.
Another key sector gathering momentum was the SME category where Vallibel Power Erathna PLC shone as the winner with Resus Energy PLC securing the Runners-up position.
The ACCA Sri Lanka Awards for Sustainability Reporting launched in November 2004, has up to date been in the forefront of reinstating all organisations on their impact and accountability on the environment and society, be it direct or indirect and has been facilitating corporations to provide comprehensive, credible and transparent analysis of their social, economic and environmental impact.
ACCA Sri Lanka Head Nilusha Ranasinghe affirmed, “ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards has played a leading role in raising awareness of the benefits of sustainable business practice in the country and our high-profile awards acknowledge best practices in environmental, social and sustainability reporting. We are happy to note that today this award has gained the position of being considered to be among the most prestigious awards open to the Sri Lankan corporate sector. We intend to continue our quest over the next decade to encourage corporate accountability and responsible behaviour amongst Sri Lankan businesses.”