Focus on sustainability, long term value creation in CSR efforts: Aitken Spence
Friday, 22 August 2014 00:01
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“Philanthropy is not sustainable in the long term unless the efforts are backed by a needs analysis. Focus should be on the sustainability of the value we try to create from that effort and how well we have struck a balance between social, environmental and economic sustainability,” says Dr. Rohan Fernando, Director – Aitken Spence PLC., a front-runner of numerous awards annually, was adjudged as the ‘Best Corporate Citizen 2012’ at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Awards organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce.
“We are aware of our commitment to our stakeholders and strive for an equitable balance between wealth creation and sustainable development,” noted Dr. Fernando.
Aitken Spence, a diversified local conglomerate with operations in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa has been a consistent participant and a performer at the BCCS competition, which recognises responsible local corporate firms for their strategic corporate sustainability and CSR within the business sector in Sri Lanka. Aitken Spence is the only company that has consecutively been placed in the Top Ten Corporate Citizens of Sri Lanka for eight consecutive years.
Dr. Fernando further noted, “We believe our sustainable growth requires proactive meticulous planning and decision making based on solid fundamentals and financial discipline. We are honored that Ceylon Chamber Of Commerce has recognised our efforts in sustainability.”
The company’s integrated sustainability policy framework takes a strategic approach to corporate sustainability with the focus on long term value creation that includes a wide-range of aspects deemed necessary to create sustainability.
Aitken Spence recommends organisations to get involved in the BCCS programme, as they feel it provides a firm with a very useful tool to gauge the organisation’s performance against expected behaviour in sustainability and provides a platform to discuss impending issues pertaining to sustainable development in the Country.
The firm believes taking part in the Ceylon Chamber’s BCCS program over the years has facilitated it to device the firm’s performance from the point of view of experts and specialists in each field and to get an understanding of areas that needs improvements. “The BCCS Awards scheme has enthused a wider spectrum of corporate Sri Lanka to showcase their sustainability initiatives and be open for competition,” adds Dr. Fernando.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting applications from interested parties to compete in the ‘Best Corporate Citizens 2014 award scheme’, which will be held in November 2014.
Applications will close on Friday 12 September 2014. You can obtain more details on the Best Corporate Citizen Award by contacting Hasini Jasingaarachchi on 5588868 or by emailing [email protected].
