Siddhalepa ‘Supirivicky’ shines at International Innovation Awards
Enterprise Asia, the leading nongovernmental organization for entrepreneurship in Asia bestowed recognition on Sri Lanka’s homegrown , household staple, Supirivicky at their recently conducted International Innovation awards for the year 2018. Supirivicky won in the Product category and present to receive the award was MD of the Group Mr Asoka Hettigoda.
“This award is a testimony of my family’s untiring efforts to preserve our age old traditions and remedies in a modern form, one that would appeal to both local and international customers, without losing it’s identity or intrinsic characteristics”, said Asoka Hettigoda
Over 400 attendees were present at the event, comprising of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and innovation leaders. Apart from Supporting Organizations such as Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute (IPIM), Hong Kong-thailand Business Council, Invotech, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node, The Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (Hong Kong & Macau), and TIE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), the event was also attended by dignitaries including Tan Sri Dr. Fong Chan Onn, Former Human Resources Minister of Malaysia, and Chairman of Enterprise Asia, Datuk Seri Dr. Victor Wee, Former Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, and Advisor to Enterprise Asia, Dr. Eugene Chien, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Environment, Taiwan and Advisor to Enterprise Asia, Lieutenant General Sudhir Sharma, Former Quartermaster, General, Indian Army, and Advisor to Enterprise Asia and Dato’ William Ng, President of Enterprise Asia. According to Dr. Fong, “Companies that encourage a culture of innovation within their respective businesses are already reaping the rewards of more rapid growth, better employee engagement and resilience against economic trends. There is little doubt that innovation is today the key game changer for many businesses, and this will continue to be so.”
Organized by Enterprise Asia, International Innovation Awards (IIA) is the most coveted global recognition program which aims to recognize and honour best innovative practices in the categories of Product, Service & Solution, and Organization & Culture, with the goal to encourage organizations to continue investing in innovations. Judging parameters include innovation distinction, practicality and performance, commercial viability, social and economic impact, replicability, and institutional support.
Judges for the IIA was comprised of a panel of innovation experts and thought leaders, while scoring was done using the proprietary 8D Benchmark. The Awards is part of the third dimension of Enterprise Asia’s purpose: Democratizing Entrepreneurship, Institutionalizing Sustainability and Empowering Innovation. This year, the committee received more than 160 international nominations across 24 industries. Some of the winners include Dell Inc., Singapore; Ogawa World Berhad, Malaysia; Bangchak Corporation Public Company Limited, Thailand; CTBC Financial Holding Co., Ltd., Taiwan; Ping An Group (Ping An Technology), China; Etiqa Insurance Pte Ltd, Singapore; and Roads & Transport Authority, Dubai and of course Sri Lanka’s Supirivicky.
The story of the Siddhalepa Group of Companies goes back 200 years to the middle of the 19th century. In Galle, a small town on the southern coast of Sri Lanka lived Hettigoda Gamage Don Carolis de Silva, an agriculturist by profession. His talents however, were multifaceted. He excelled in the art of Astrology and was also well known as a skilled Ayurvedic physician. Of his two sons, Hendrick De Silva Hettigoda followed in his father’s footsteps and studied Ayurveda and Astrology, while his younger son, the late Most Ven. Aggamaha Panditha Prof. Walpola Rahula, rose to fame as a worldrenowned Buddhist scholar. The rest is history as today Siddhalepa and it’s diverse products and services are a household name.
Supirivicky was launched to the local market in 1988 and was the first non white toothpaste based on traditional ayurvedic herbs for total oral care to be introduced in all of Asia. Supirivicky combines nine Ayurvedic ingredients best known for their healing and restorative effects for gums, teeth, throat and tongue. Supirivicky Ayurvedic toothpaste helps to prevent tartar, tooth decay, and discolouration of the teeth.