‘Bite Size Learning’ with AHRP

With the COVID-19 pandemic having put the world on hold, many of us continue to be in lockdown, while a ‘new normal’ takes shape around us. Amidst the global crisis, people all over the world are adapting to the changes in lifestyle that the global pandemic has brought along.

Harini Indiketiya

Dinusha Jayamanne

Chanaka Palliyaguru

Oshana Dias

Kavitha Gunasekara

Whilst, work from home and social distancing policies continue to redefine ways of working, the Association of Human Resource Professionals (AHRP), pioneered the knowledge sharing efforts in Sri Lanka, on the ‘new normal’ through a series of ‘Bite Size Learning’ sessions. With a proud history of over 18 years of dedicated service to uplift the HR fraternity in Sri Lanka, AHRP is no stranger to the learning efforts carried out in Sri Lanka. The ‘Bite Size Learning’ sessions cover a wide range of much-needed time relevant topics, on adapting to the changes in a pandemic and post-pandemic world.

The learning sessions that began in mid-March are hosted virtually and are free of charge for any participant who wants to attend. Up to now a total of seven sessions have been successfully completed with a total participation of over 400+ participants across different professions and industries. The sessions commenced with the first learning session focussing on the topic of ‘Structured Business Continuity Planning (BCP) on Pandemic Situations’. Since then, sessions have been conducted covering a spectrum of topics from; Working from Home, Physical and Spiritual Wellbeing to Situational Agility in Leadership. The most recently concluded session focussed on the topic of ‘Recent Changes Pertaining to Individual Employee Taxation’; which is a hot topic that is currently in discussion. 

A global perspective was brought into the learning sessions through the partnerships with the global service giant Deloitte and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Deloitte Human Capital Consulting facilitated Session 4 on ‘Managing Human Capital in The New Reality’, whereas SHRM powered the Session 2 on ‘Working from Home’.

Session 8 ‘You Think You Know COVID-19’ will take the form of a quiz, giving the ‘Bite Size Learning’ session an interesting twist. 

The learning sessions saw the contribution of some of the leading organisations in Sri Lanka. These organisations readily came forward to share their experiences as well as their plans on the way forward. All sessions were facilitated by industry professionals, namely, Thilanka Salpitikorala (Associate Director – Finance), Sahan Gunasekara (Health and Safety Manager), Sharon Amarasinghe (HR Consultant/Talent Acquisition Consultant), Rehan Anthonis (Associate Director – HR) from Fonterra Brands Lanka, Moses Randika (Head of Health and Safety) and Chandana Wijayanama (Organisation and HR Director) from INSEE City Cement, Isuru Gunasekara (Executive VP, Chief People Officer and Head of Sustainability ERM and Group Initiatives) of John Keells Holdings, Ravi Jayasekara (Vice President – Human Resources) of Union Bank, Kavitha Gunasekara (Senior Manager – Global Talent Development) and Oshana Dias (Senior Vice President – HR) from Fortude, Nishith Upadhyaya (Head of Knowledge Advisory) SHRM India, Prakhar Tripathi (Director) and Krishna Chaitanya Malladi (Associate Director) from Deloitte Human Capital Consulting, Peshali Fernando (Group Consultant, Psychologist) from Brandix Lanka, Dilendra de Silva (Head – Group Talent Development) and Jayendra De Silva (General Manager – Group HR) from Hayleys PLC, Bilal Yusuf (Founder) of Athlete Unleashed, Kanishka Weerasinghe (Director General/CEO) of Employers Federation of Ceylon and Suresh Perera (Attorney at Law, Principal – KPMG). The diverse panel of facilitators for the sessions brought in plenty of real-life experience and practical knowledge.

Along with the advocacy of the Executive Committee of the AHRP, the cross-industry organising committee of the ‘Bite Size Learning’ series comprised of Oshana Dias (SVP HR, Fortude), Chanaka Palliyaguru (Technical Copy Writer, Fortude), Kavitha Gunasekara (Senior Manager – Global Talent Development, Fortude), Dinusha Jayamanne (HR Director, Fonterra Brands Lanka) and Harini Indiketiya (Learning and Organisational Development Manager, Fonterra Brands Lanka).

Join the AHRP social media channels and stay tuned for updates on future sessions. For further information get in touch with AHRP on [email protected]/+94 777 557 444.