LMD lines up 10 captains of business

LMD Magazine, which released its annual list of 'Businesspeople Of The Year' (BOTY) in this month's issue for the third year running, has said that it has recognised 10 captains of business for their achievements in 2012.

"The X Factor is the binding trademark that separates the men from the boys… or cowboys, as it turns out in Sri Lanka today. The headlines in recent months have been haunted by the alleged misdemeanours of a chosen few, although there's also the stubborn fact that all and sundry are innocent until proven guilty," LMD said. It added that the firebrands of business make a habit of overcoming adversity, regardless of what's said about them - and that perhaps is why many of them are the richest in a land that is dictated to by a self-serving political elite.

"So how does one pick 10 captains of commerce and industry to grace a line-up of smartbut-savvy Businesspeople Of The Year, a. k. a. BOTY? As a first step, we invited this magazine's esteemed contributors and the in-house team to submit their nominations, from which we short listed the 10 businesspeople that have trailblazed their way to fame and fortune in the last 12 months by going where others haven't dared go," it said.

While the end product continues to be intriguing(in the inaugural edition, there was a mix of the young, not-so-young and in-betweens), LMD said that the business hall of fame has moved in a southerly direction in the two years since - meaning that younger businesspeople continue to raise their hand and be noticed.

"The BOTY concept was pioneered in 2010, when we walked on new ground once again, in our quest to honour Sri Lanka's supreme corporate captains for the first time in this country," LMD said, noting that visionaries who think big and venture out of traditional comfort zones, and take on new and often daunting challenges, are the first among equals in their eyes. LMD's line- up: Mahesh Amalean, Rajan Brito, Amal Cabraal, Sanjeev Gardiner, Dr. Vijith Kannangara, Ashroff Omar, Mohan Pandithage, Asoka Pieris, Susantha Ratnayake, Hari Selvanathan,