Dynamic communication professionals behind SLIM Effie Awards 2014

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) has entrusted the organising of its hallmark event, the 2014 Effie Awards, to a group of diverse professionals from the marketing and advertising industries, each of whom brings distinct proficiencies to the table.The organising committee for the 2014 Effie Awards, Sri Lanka is especially unique i n its composition because of a special focus on the active involvement of the advertising and media industr

Laugfs International-Yamaha Motor Company hold inaugural dealer meeting

Laugfs International (Pvt.) Ltd, in collaboration with Yamaha Motor Company conducted its inaugural dealer meeting with a view to make it possible for Sri Lankan consumers to easily access the latest range of Yamaha power products that guarantee better quality, higher performance, utilizing Yamaha’s advanced technology.

Offshore Oil and Gas In Sri Lanka - The Way Forward

The history of oil exploration in Sri Lanka dates back to 1966 and up to 1984 , Soviet and western companies concentrated on land and shallow off shore areas of the Gulf of Mannar which is the southern extension of the Cauvery basin of the Bay of Bengal .

Mobitel mCash now allows cash withdrawals from ComBank Cardless ATMs

The national mobile service provider Mobitel for the first time in Sri Lanka launched a new 24-hour ‘Cash Out’ service under its mobile money arm, mCash to provide Mobitel mCash customers the unique opportunity t o withdraw cash from Commercial Bank Cardless ATM in a quick and effortless manner.

Nations Trust Bank opens 90th branch in Narahenpita

Nations Trust Bank, a key player in the financial services industry, reiterated its commitment towards expansion with the opening of the Narahenpita branch expanding the branch network to 90 branches.

Vallibel Finance expands reach to Anuradhapura, Kegalle

The cutting-edge Vallibel Finance continues its ambitious expansion drive with the opening of two new branches in Anuradhapura and Kegalle.

Kabir and Eran meet ministry officials

Highways and Investment Promotion Minister Kabir Hashim and Deputy Minister Eran Wickremaratne conducted their first meeting at the Investment Promotion Ministry, where they met with the senior officials of the Investment Promotion Ministry and the Board of Investment (BoI).

Planters renew call for alternative worker wage model

The Planters’ Association of Ceylon (PA) said t hat they will be lobbying for an alternative payment strategy such as a contract or an ownershipbased structure for estate workers, in face of unsustainable wage increases, during a round table discussion yesterday.“We need to move away from a wage-based payment structure,” Sunshine Holdings PLC CEO Dr. Dan Seevaratnam said.

CAL ends 2014 as Undisputed Market Leader in Listed Debentures

Capital Alliance, Sri Lanka’s leading full service investment bank has ended 2014 as the market leader in listed debentures, delivering greater results than all of its competitors. During the year, the company advised clients on five debenture issues worth a total value of Rs. 18 billion. A total of Rs. 10 billion was raised in the month of December alone. The company’s portfolio comprises a cross-section of clients including commerci

Hameedia rewards staff at Retail Excellence Awards

Continuously setting the benchmark in the fashion industry, Hameedia, Sri Lanka’s leading menswear specialist recently held its Retail Excellence Awards for 2014 t o reward showroom employees who had delivered an outstanding performance in 2014.The colourful and inspirational event took place at the Ramada Colombo and was attended by Fouzul Hameed, Managing Director, Hameedia, Hussain Sadique, Deputy Managing Director, Hameedia and the seni

Lankasoy receives National Business Excellence Award

Lankasoy, the flagship brand of Convenience Foods (Lanka) PLC, a subsidiary of Ceylon Biscuits Ltd. (CBL), recently received the prestigious Gold Award in the category of Manufacturing (Food & Beverage) at the National Business Excellence Awards organized by The National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka.

Fast-tracking your way up the corporate ladder: Best leaders always ask for more and more feedback

One of the most deadly points where failure in a team can take hold is in the feedback process. Successful leaders crave the data coming back from the field, as it provides not only real-time measurement of their progress but also a reality check on their strategy. But these leaders, being eternally optimists, also have the dangerous tendency to signal, often unconsciously, their dislike of bad news and their inner revulsion toward failure.

Land Rover’s Discovery Sport India launch in August

Land Rover has confirmed it will launch the new Discovery Sport luxury SUV in India in August this year.The model for India will be offered with a 2.2-litre diesel engine in two states of tune 187bhp and 147bhp. Both versions will come equipped with a nine-speed automatic gearbox.

Pope selects SriLankan

Sri Lankan Airlines is proud to have been chosen to fly His Holiness Pope Francis to the Philippines, Manila, for the second leg of his Asia Tour, which started with a three-day tour in Sri Lanka, last Tuesday.

Highest 2014 monthly vehicle registrations in December: Brokerage

Last December witnessed the highest monthly vehicle registrations under most categories for the 2014 calendar year, according to statistics compiled by JB Securities (Pvt) Ltd.

Karu to address National Chamber AGM

The ceremonial session of the 56th Annual General Meeting of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka will be held on January 20, at Kingsbury Hotel, Colombo commencing at 6 pm.

CB caps senior citizen deposits to Rs.1mn at 12%

The Central Bank last week informed all commercial banks in the country to cap the single senior citizen’s deposit value to Rs.1 million from the previously announced maximum of Rs.2.5 million, a Central Bank source told Mirror Business.

Abans present free laptops to deserving students

Abans completed the third stage of their ambitious CSR initiative “From Your Laptop to Their Future” by presenting Laptops to 15 deserving students.The presentations were made by Aban Pestonjee, Chairperson of Abans Group at a simple ceremony on December 16th at Abans Main Showroom in Kollupitiya. Earlier Abans presented 50 Laptops each in the first and second stages of the project.

Solar Therm powers Sri Lanka Open golf tournament

The “Solar Therm Sri Lanka Open 2014” will get underway from January 25—30 at the Royal Colombo Golf Course in Colombo.Solar Therm handing over the title sponsorship cheque to Sri Lanka Golf UnionThe Sri Lanka Open first played in 1970 organised by the Sri Lanka Golf Union (SLGU), the governing body of Golf in Sri Lanka introduced this event to facilitate the Golfers with talent mainly from the Caddy and Ball-boy ranks to play a

HRMI provides internship training for students to strengthen biz environment

The unique feature in HRMI courses of study is the opportunity every student has in undergoing a 6-month internship training attached to a leading company.Gihan Talgodapitiya, Director HRMI presenting the 1st Prize to Sri Sanjayan, HND student, winner of Career Planning & Development Quiz.

Resetting Indo-Lanka relations

With the inauguration of President Maithripala Sirisena on January 9 and the decision taken by t he newly appointed External Affairs Minister Mangala Samaraweera to undertake his first official overseas visit t o New Delhi, t here are indications that Indo-Lanka relations are eventually heading in the right direction.

Social Media Reigns In a Changed World Order

In what would go down in history as one of democracy’s toughest tests, Sri Lankans overwhelmingly stood up to be counted for the power of the ballot in the recently concluded presidential election. We, as a country, held the world’s attention for all the right reasons last week; little Sri Lanka shone as an example of how democracy works and how in the end, despite the hiccups, the power of the people triumphed over all adversity.

Lanka’s govt. debt very high compared to similarly rated countries: Moody’s

Moody’s Investor Services in a recent report said that Sri Lanka, which has a sovereign rating of B1, has an extremely high rate of government debt compared to similarly rated countries.

Tourism stakeholders delighted over dedicated ministry

Tourism i ndustry experts have responded positively to the new regime’s decision to create a dedicated ministry for tourism under Minister Navin Dissanayake, and are hoping it would swiftly address issues and support the third highest exchange earner of the country.“I am very happy that there is a dedicated ministry. We haven’t met the Minister as of yet, but we’ll hopefully meet him early next week. He is a young, dynamic

Amãna Bank relocates its Galle Branch

Having had its presence in the historic town of Galle since 2006, Amãna Bank recently relocated its Galle Branch to a more specious and customer friendly location at 24 Old Matara Road, Galle. The Branch relocation opening ceremony was graced by Honourable Mayor of Galle Mr Methsiri De Silva, Chief Executive Officer Mr Mohamed Azmeer, Director of Amãna Bank Mr Jazri Magdon Ismail, senior management of the Bank, customers and other i

Janashakthi employees excel at CII examination

In an affirmation of Janashakthi Insurance’s commitment to its employees, Ayodhya N Perera, Senior Assistant Manager- General Claims was recently named t he most outstanding candidate at the Chartered Insurance Institute Examinations 2013.

Ceylinco Life makes 60th school donation

Ceylinco Life’s community initiative to support education in under-served towns and villages across Sri Lanka reached another milestone recently with the donation of a classroom to Assennawatta Kanishta Vidyalaya Divulapitiya, taking the total number of schools assisted under the programme to 60.The school, which accommodates 105 students, was the fourth to receive a classroom building from the life insurance leader this year.

Mindshare bags Silver under ‘Media agency of the year’

For over two decades, Campaign Asia has recognized excellence in the advertising and communications industries, rewarding inspired leadership, management excellence, outstanding business performance and overall achievements in the AsiaPacific region.

Brandix 2015 calendar highlights country’s inventions and innovations

pride of our innovations, of potential fulfilled and a world bettered.”With the 2015 edition of its much anticipated calendar, Brandix continues its practice of adding value to this ubiquitous guide to the days, weeks, and months of the year, with painstaking research and custom photography that bring to life a well-deliberated theme.

Decoding the oil price fall

The Hindu: Are falling oil prices good or bad for the global economy? And how do they work for India? Till recently these questions were no-brainers.Cheaper oil is obviously good for the global economy; for an energyintensive economy such as India’s, which also depends on imported oil for meeting four-fifths of its needs, a fall in oil price is like manna from heaven.Yet, the biggest fall in the stock market in five-and-a-half years last we