Aitken Spence launches pioneering Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) initiative, leading private sector efforts

Friday, 21 February 2025 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Special invitees from Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management, Disaster Management Centre and the World Bank with the Managament and the core DRR team of Aitken Spence

An insightful panel discussion with guest speakers from Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management, Disaster Management Centre, World Bank and the Senior Management of Aitken Spence PLC

Aitken Spence held its first flagship Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) programme recently to bring awareness to the importance of looking at increasing resilience building mechanisms, practical process creation for disaster response and always looking at reducing hazards be it natural or man-made.

The exacerbation of the climate emergency has led to the increasing importance of having a specific focus on Disaster Risk Reduction incorporated into strategies. This event showcased Aitken Spence’s commitment to be proactive in facing business risks from all aspects. Special guests of the day were Mr. Firzan Hashim of the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka, Ms. Anoja Seneviratne of the Disaster Management Centre and Ms. Priyanka Dissanayake of the World Bank.

Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake, Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Aitken Spence PLC, delivered the opening remarks. His address was followed by a keynote speech from Mr. Firzan Hashim, which set the tone for the day and encouraged further discussion.

An insightful panel discussion was held on the topic of “Building resilience and fostering collaboration” with the esteemed special invitees included into the panel discussion along with Ms. Stasshani Jayawardena, Chairperson Aitken Spence and Ms. Nilanthi Sivapragasam, Group Chief Financial Officer.

This event also saw the launch of a “Disaster Impact Map” through the Aitken Spence website. This was officially launched as a public service to the country to bring importance to the process of making well informed decisions and being mindful of your environment. The map brings important insights on some of the most common natural disasters in Sri Lanka such are landslides, floods, tsunamis and droughts. Additionally, the map contains data on historical earthquakes which could impact the country with increasing intensity due to adverse effects of climate change.

The day was successful in fostering conversations and building awareness amongst the Company’s managing directors, key decision makers of the company in disaster risk reduction and practical strategy building when incorporating these aspects to an overall business strategy. Aitken Spence remains committed to disaster risk reduction action and this event is one such initiative to showcase it and sets the benchmark, for the private sector.

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