10th edition of Professional and Career Women Awards 2020

From left: WIM Top 50 Awards 2020 Chair Waruni Algama, Women in Work Program Manager Sarah Twigg, Women in Management Chairperson Dr. Sulochana Segera, Jetwing Hotels Chairman Shiromal Cooray, and DFAT representative Danielle Cashen 

• Women in Management and IFC aims to promote female leadership in Sri Lanka with excellence awards scheme

By Angelica Bamaramannage

The landmark 10th edition of the ‘Top 50’ Professional and Career Women Awards Sri Lanka, under the theme ‘She’s revolutionary and evolutionary’, was launched last week by the Women in Management (WIM) in collaboration the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – a member of the World Bank Group and the Australian Government.

The annual awards scheme aims to empower and celebrate women who contribute to the country’s economy by excelling in their roles as employees, entrepreneurs and business leaders and bringing about positive changes to their communities.

Expanding globally with the presence of Canada and Maldives, the past 10 years has produced 420 award winners representing an array of sectors including but not limited to banking, finance, hospitality, media, legal, logistics and supply chain management. 

These women have gone on to gain the recognition they deserve and challenge the traditional roles assigned to them by drawing inspiration for themselves and inspiring the women around them. WIM Founder and Chairperson Dr. Sulochana Segera stated that the awards have opened many closed doors for women while exposing their talent to the corporate sector, which in turn benefitted the overall economy of the country. She added: “It’s not about the night of the awards that matters, it’s all about finding the hidden success of women and bringing them out to appreciate their silent leadership and also to encourage them to mentor more men and women towards gender equality.”  Women in Work Program Manager Sarah Twigg commented that 2020 marks IFC’s 6th consecutive year of co-hosting the awards. She stressed on the importance of gender equality as not only a social and moral imperative but also as an incentive for businesses to gain a competitive advantage by increasing female participation in the labour force, resulting in higher company profits and better environmental and social outcomes. “We believe recognising women who have demonstrated success in their chosen career creates a legacy of inspiring others,” she stated.

IFC and WIM being longstanding partners, continue to provide opportunities for Sri Lankan business leaders and entrepreneurs to be empowered by developing and learning new skills and receiving training under the IFC-DEFAT Women in Work Program. The Top 50 Professional and career women awards, too, are part of this worthy scheme. 

Addressing the role of the Australian Government in being a part of the awards Danielle Cashen stated that 2020 being the 3rd year of Australia supporting this event, it will mark the first year of the Australian High Commissioner David Holly being part of the panel of judges. 

“Supporting women to participate in the economy and build a sustainable future for their country is very important, particularly in the time of COVID-19,” she observed, adding that the WIM awards celebrate this important participation not only in the workplace but within the community. She spoke of the platform created by the awards, which encourages women to take risks, seek out opportunities and realise their potential in addition to creating a network of the most influential women in business today and the rising stars of tomorrow. 

Cashen highlighted the importance of inclusivity which is at the forefront of Australia’s development assistance, as part of their business and trade interests in Sri Lanka as well as their advocacy by stating that “As part of our efforts to support Sri Lanka’s response to COVID-19, we prioritise the needs of women and continue to support women’s inclusion in economic recovery”. She urged everyone in the audience to nominate an outstanding business woman who deserves to be recognised, or even nominate one’s self so one can be recognised and given a chance to better inspire others.

This year’s panel of judges is chaired by Jetwing Travels Chairman and Managing Director Shiromal Cooray. It also includes High Commissioner of Australia David John Holly; John Keells Group Executive Vice President Nadija Tambiah; Clootrack Sri Lanka, Maldives and Pakistan CEO Dr. Rohantha Athukorala; Women in Work Program Manager Sarah Twigg; Daily FT Editor Nisthar Cassim; Managing Hayleys Agriculture Holdings Ltd. Director Jayanthi Dharmasena; Marketing Consultant Kumara Samarasinghe; Fontera Brands Lanka Ltd. Regulatory Affairs and Consumer Care Associate - Director Corporate Thamari Senanyake; and Shippers Academy Colombo Ltd. CEO Rohan Maskorala. The awards do not represent just a catalyst for the career growth or business trajectory of the winners but also aims to empower other women to shatter glass ceilings and propel them to reach higher in their respective fields. The nominations for the awards are open until the 15 September, and can be made by visiting www.womeninmanagementawards.com