NDB picks PickMe as Official Travel Partner

Saturday, 10 October 2020 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

From left: NDB Chief Operating Officer Deepal Akuretiyagama and Director/Group CEO Dimantha Seneviratne exchanging the agreement with PickMe Chief Operating Officer Isira Perera

Sri Lanka’s leading ride sharing application, PickMe, recently joined hands with leading local banking and financial institution NDB Bank to fully oversee the bank’s travelling and transportation requirements. The partnership will enable swift and convenient mobility for the banking staff across all its branches.

Commenting on this new partnership, PickMe Chief Operating Officer Isira Perera said that the taxi hailing app was pleased to have a reputed client such as NDB Bank onboard: “We are excited to have NDB Bank as our latest corporate client and we appreciate them for the trust placed on us; through this partnership we are determined to offer optimum convenience for the bank and its staff to deliver a swift and efficient service to its clientele. We are confident that we have the necessary resources and infrastructure to deliver a satisfactory service.”

PickMe already has an extensive portfolio of top-tier local and international clients including Abans, Sampath Bank PLC, DSI Samson Group, Brandix, Suwaseriya, DFCC, Mobitel, Dialog Axiata PLC, John Keells Holdings, MAS Holdings, Singer Sri Lanka, Nations Trust Bank and Hirdaramani Group.

NDB Bank Chief Operating Officer Deepal Akuretiyagama said that they look forward to working with PickMe as the two organisations operate on the same wavelength prioritising similar ethos of punctuality, precision, efficiency and customer satisfaction: “PickMe was our obvious choice given the exponential growth the Company has accomplished within a short period of time which is a testament to their quality of service and work ethic.”

A fully home-grown company, PickMe rose to profitability in a relatively short period of time through innovation. Today the company is valued at one billion rupees and is operational in all key towns in the country including Colombo, Kandy, Kurunegala, Matale, Gampaha, Kegalle and Kalutara facilitating convenient and safe transport to private passengers as well as its elaborate portfolio of corporate clients. PickMe also delivers food from all leading restaurants in said cities while catering to customers’ logistical needs via its fleet of lorries and trucks.

Rising to the occasion during the COVID-19 lockdown, PickMe launched its Marketplace feature to enable customers shop safely and conveniently from the comfort of their homes. PickMe Flash was launched simultaneously to facilitate cashless-less and contact-less delivery of goods with real-time tracking via the PickMe app.

PickMe’s Board of Directors consists of Ajit Gunawardena as Chairman, Zulfer Jiffry as CEO, Conrad Dias (LOLC PLC), Dinesh Rodrigo (Interblocks Ltd.) and Ruchi Gunawardena (Managing Director – Brand Finance Lanka)as Directors.

The bank, which is the fourth largest listed bank in Sri Lanka, is one of the fastest growing banks, having had a cumulative average growth rate (CAGR) in advances by 21% and in deposits by 25% in the last four years. The only financial service conglomerate in Sri Lanka, NDB Group is uniquely positioned towards assisting the growth and development of the Sri Lankan capital market provide its customers seamless access to the product and service offerings of all its group companies.