Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Saturday Nov 16, 2024
Tuesday, 15 July 2014 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
The Sri Lanka Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industries (SLCPI) granted lifetime awards to three monumental figures in the industry, in recognition of their immense contribution towards the pharmaceutical sector in terms of both service and support towards its development.
Naushad Ismail, C.S. Edwards and Krishnamoorthy Govindasamy were the industry stalwarts who walked away with these lifetime awards, presented at the Chamber’s Annual Awards Ceremony last week, also coinciding with their Annual General Meeting, where Minister of Health Maithripala Sirisena was Chief Guest. The late Naushad Ismail, founder of Akbar Pharmaceuticals, was awarded a Lifetime Award posthumously, accepted by his daughter Aelishia Ismail.
Ismail begun his career as a Medical Representative at Hayleys back in 1981, moved on to Pfizer as a professional service representative in 1982. He later worked at Delmege as a Product Manager, later channeling the expertise he had gained in the industry into establishing his own pharmaceutical company in December 1995.
Akbar Pharmaceuticals became the primary distributor to the State Pharmaceutical Corporation going to acquire 32 international agencies. He handed over the company to Rohan Wetthasingha who took over as General Manager in 2008, when the founder migrated to Singapore post his marriage. Akbar Brothers is currently a name to reckon with not only in the local pharma industry but also the commercial sector of Sri Lanka. A trustee of the Shri Selva Vinayagar temple, Lifetime Award winner Krishanmoorthy Govindasamy, started his career in the pharmaceutical industry at the very bottom of the ranks, as a dispenser in a pharmacy located in his hometown Kandy.
With the experience he had gained of day-to-day operations at the pharmacy, he decided to set up his own Lanka Medicals Pharmacy in Kandy, back in 1966. Lanka Medicals later developed into one of the best supermarkets in Sri Lanka, but wanting to further expand his business interests he established Lanka Medical Imports in 1973.
Not only did this realise his vision of becoming a leading pharmaceutical business in the country at the time, but he was also laying the foundation to a vast empire to be continued by his brothers Sathasivam and Vish Govindasamy, who was part of formulating the Sunshine Group of Companies, which has currently rebranded their pharmaceutical arm as SBL. Krishnamoorthy Govindasamy who has a great love for his hometown devotes his time to social work and trusteeship of the temple and continues to be a prominent persona in his much loved hometown, Kandy. The other lifetime award winner of the evening, C.S Edwards, who began his profession as a qualified pharmacist of the Ceylon Medical Council is a London BSc graduate. He is a life member of the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science, Pharmaceutical Society of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing.
Edwards has held the positions of Director on the Main Board of Chemical Industries (Colombo), Muller & Phipps, Pettah Pharmacy, J L Morison and Jones Ceylon PLC; he was the first General Manager of the State Pharmaceuticals Manufacturing Corporation as well as being Chairman of the Sri Lanka Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association from 2000-2008. He was also Deputy Managing Director & CEO of MSJ Industries (Ceylon) Ltd.
C.S. Edwards has also held the position of Treasurer of the Ceylon Pharmaceutical Traders’ Association back in 1966/67, the year the Association commenced compiling the first Pharmaceutical Trade Directory.
