People’s Bank’s 2021 Annual Report wins double gold at Prestigious International ARC Awards 2022

People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse, Chief Executive Officer/General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku and Head of Finance Azzam A. Ahamat

People’s Bank, Sri Lanka’s Premier Licensed Commercial Bank, was once again bestowed  two Gold Awards at the International ARC Awards 2022, as held in New York, United States for its 2021 Annual Report titled “Multifaceted Brilliance”.

The ARC Awards are widely known as the Academy Awards for Annual Reports by the international financial community. Notably, People’s Bank was the only Licensed Commercial Bank from Sri Lanka to win two golds at this year’s event.

During the event, the Bank’s 2021 Annual Report won a total four awards for: 

•Gold for Written Text: Banks: National

•Gold for Financial Data: Banks: National

•Bronze for Cover Photo/Design: Banks: National

•Honors - Specialized A.R: Integrated AR & CSR: Non-Traditional Format

Sharing his views on the wins, People’s Bank Chairman Sujeewa Rajapakse stated that: “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment and more so considering the stage on which it is achieved. ARC Awards are the World’s largest International Annual Report competition attracting over 1,600 submissions from over 30 countries and where the competition is amongst the best in class with awarding taking place pursuant to a multi-tiered evaluation process by over 100 distinguished subject matter experts from the world over. 

“Recently, People’s Bank celebrated its 61st anniversary and like a precious diamond with multiple facets, the Bank over its six decades of operations has molded into a multifaceted financial institution catering to all segments of the country’s population of varying socio economic and demographic profile”

Expressing his views on the awards, People’s Bank Chief Executive Officer/ General Manager Ranjith Kodituwakku stated that: “The multiple wins reinforces’ our commitment to excellence across all aspects of our business operations. Stakeholder engagement remains fundamental to our activities, and the Integrated Annual Report serves as vital tool for this purpose. 

“2021 was a year which witnessed a continuation of the challenges that were triggered even before the pandemic, and, despite such prolonged setback, the Bank has forge ahead showcasing its resilience leveraging on its customer centricity and digital superiority whilst continuing to serve the needs of a nation in a time of extraordinary challenge and change”

Commenting on the outstanding winning streak of People’s Bank at the ARC Awards, People’s Bank Head of Finance Azzam A. Ahamat stated that: “The accolades are testimony to the Bank’s commitment to the Best in Class in Reporting and its endeavor to continuously provide a three sixty-degree view for the benefit of all its stakeholders from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. 

“In preparing its Reports, the Bank draws on concepts, principles, and guidance from, amongst other, the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework, Consolidated Set of Global Reporting Initiatives and Guidelines and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With much of the creative and compilation being internal, we remain committed to continuing to set benchmarks in the space of integrated reporting”