K. Sivagananathan Memorial Oration and Awards tomorrow

The 15th Annual K. Sivagananathan Memorial Trust (KSMT) Awards will be held tomorrow. 
This Annual Memorial Oration and Awards ceremony is conducted together with the Association of Professional Bankers of Sri Lanka (APB) in commemoration of the late K. Sivagananathan, who was an innovative banker and contributed much to uplift and upgrade Sri Lanka’s premier state bank – Bank of Ceylon.
He also worked tirelessly with the APB and the Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka (IBSL) to improve the standard of education in the field of banking and finance in Sri Lanka to be on par with the international standards.
The chief guest at this year’s event, Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Dr. Harsha de Silva will deliver the memorial oration. The guest of honour for the evening will be Bank of Ceylon Chairman and President’s Counsel Ronald C. Perera.
Over 40 students who have obtained the highest marks in the Diploma in Applied Banking and Finance (DABF) in the March and September 2016 examinations conducted by the IBSL, will be awarded cash prizes and certificates at the awards this year.
As a result of the banking examinations conducted by the IBSL, affiliated to IFS School of Finance, UK, formerly known as the Chartered Institute of Bankers London, open to the bankers and public, tremendous enthusiasm has been shown not only by bankers but by those who aspire for a career in banking and finance. 
The joint event conducted by the APB and KSMT for the past 14 years has met the objectives of both institutions. The APB, a premier association serving the banking and financial institutions over the past 25 years, has achieved many of its objectives year-on-year. 
The APB’s primary mission is to sustain the highest standards of professionalism and integrity among bankers, advance the public interest, influence the achievement of the highest ethical standards and governance in the banking industry, to undertake, promote and facilitate studies in the field of banking, organise and promote research in this field and to undertake studies and research projects for the government, private sector, international agencies and other institutions, plan and organise and arrange training programmes, lectures, seminars, workshops in the field of banking and train students and others in research methodology with the idea of promoting knowledge and awareness in subjects relevant to banking.
The Board of Trustees of the K. Sivagananathan Memorial Trust consists of eminent bankers, educationists, top mercantile executives and businessmen. 
Following are the Trustees: former Central Bank Governor and former Finance Ministry Secretary Deshamanya A.S. Jayawardena, University of Peradeniya Visiting Senior Fellow Dr. N.E.H. Sanderatne, Bank of Ceylon General Manager D.M. Gunasekera, former Bank of Ceylon General Manager and Institute of Bankers of Sri Lanka Director General Rohini Nanayakkara, Joseph & Company Managing Director Pius Joseph, Hayleys Engineering Power and Energy Sector Managing Director Dr. Arul Sivagananathan and MAS Holdings Chief Growth Officer and KSMT Board of Trustees Chairman Nathan Sivagananathan.