Dr. Alwis honoured as ‘Personality of the Year Asia – 2014’

Ceylinco Insurance Director Technical/Chief Technical Officer Dr. Jagath Alwis was honoured as the ‘Personality of the Year – 2014’, at the 18th Asia Insurance Industry Awards held in Taipei, Taiwan.The prestigious Asia Insurance Industry Awards, recognised as the zenith of the insurance industry in Asia, is now in its 18th year, having become a much sought-after mark of excellence and peer group endorsement, for insurance companies and professionals in the region. Thus, Dr. Alwis’ achievement marks a tremendous honour, both for Ceylinco Insurance and Sri Lanka.

Summarising Dr. Alwis’ unmatchable contribution to the insurance industry in Sri Lanka, as well as to the international insurance arena, the prestigious ‘Asia Insurance Review’ magazine, in its introduction, said, “we salute his unstinting contributions to the insurance sector in Sri Lanka and his ability to galvanise various stakeholders towards a shared objective, to advance the industry’s cause and his leadership in the developing world.”

The distinguished selection panel consisted of 33 eminent industry experts, drawn from a cross-section of the industry, representing the European and Asian continents, all of whom are driven by a common spirit to recognise and salute excellence, with the advancement of the insurance industry in mind.
Out of a total of 15 award recipients in multiple categories, nine were won by multinationals operating in Asia, among them were Aon Benfield, Swiss Re, Munich Re, AXA Insurance, Prudential Insurance, Allianz and Australia New Zealand Insurance and Finance.Dr. Jagath Alwis has presented papers on a plethora of topics at more than 30 International Insurance Conferences, held in Afro-Asian countries, including India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, China, Bahrain, Zimbabwe and Egypt.

He is the immediate Past President of the Association of Insurers and Reinsurers of Developing Countries (AIRDC). Bestowed with the daunting task of resurrecting and re-animating this prestigious organisation, Dr. Alwis was able to lead the local insurance fraternity to successfully host the 17th Insurance Congress (ICDC) of Developing Countries in Sri Lanka in 2013, while also organising the 18th Congress in Zimbabwe in 2014. He has already planned the 19th and 20th Congresses in the Seychelles and Bahrain in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Dr. Alwis graduated as a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Mathematics and Physics and joined the National Insurance Corporation as a trainee. Dr. Alwis joined Ceylinco Insurance in 1988, as the Reinsurance Manager and served the company in various positions before being appointed to the Board in 1993, as Director (Technical).Presently, he is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute of London (FCII), a Fellow Member of the Indian Insurance Institute (FIII) and a Fellow Member of the Institute of Directors, UK.

He was conferred a Doctorate by the Middlesex University, UK in 2002, for his contributions to the international insurance industry. He is also a Past President of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka and the Vice President of the Ceylon Society for Prevention of Accidents (CesPA). Furthermore, as the Chairman of the largest, private higher education conglomerate in Sri Lanka – CEG Education Holdings, he was honoured as the ‘Education Entrepreneur of the Year’ at the ‘World Private University Congress’ held in Mumbai, in 2014.

Dr. Jagath Alwis also serves as a member of the Faculty Board of Science, at the Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya and as a member of the Faculty Board of Management Studies, at the University of Sabaragamuwa.