IPM Sri Lanka delegation attends India NatCon 2018

NATCON 2018 participants under the IPM-NIPM Member Exchange Program

IPM Sri Lanka, the nation’s leader in human resource management, announced that an eight-member delegation comprising IPM Sri Lanka Executive Council members and IPM members attended the prestigious NatCon Conference organised by the National Institute of Personnel Management (NIPM) of India from 28 to 29 September in Pune on invitation. 

The theme of the conference was ‘Managing the Future of Work & Workplace’. The IPM delegation was led by IPM Sri Lanka President Dhammika Fernando and included IPM Sri Lanka Asst. Treasurer Jayantha Abeyrathna (Head of HR at Sri Jayawardenapura Hospital), IPM Sri Lanka Council members Buddhika Shiwanthie Wijesuriya (Senior Manager HR at Royal Ceramics Lanka PLC) and Namal Devasuranga (Manager HR and Admin at Asia Capital PLC), together with IPM members Deepani Samantha Ranaweera (HR Officer at CEB), Rathnasiri Senadeera (former DGM at State Pharmaceuticals Corporation), Udaya Priyasantha Ratnayake (Asst. Manager Operations at Sri Lanka Catering Ltd.), Gayan Danushka (HR Executive at Maliban Biscuits Manufactories Ltd.) and Fathima Yasmin Shakir (Manager Group HR at Metropolitan Group).

“As the leading professional body in the development of human resource management capacity in Sri Lanka, it is important that our professionals understand the transformations that are taking place in the way we work and how it will affect the future workplace. The Natcon 2018 is a premier HR event in neighboring India which provided an important opportunity for our professionals to further understand and develop their capacity with regard to the future of work and the workplace,” said IPM Sri Lanka President Dhammika Fernando.

Fernando was also invited by the NIPM Organising Committee to participate as an international panelist at the panel discussion on ‘Approach of different countries in building performance culture’.

“NatCon 2018 provided an ideal opportunity for our members to network and establish/develop relationships with likeminded professionals to exchange thoughts and ideas in order to address the dynamic social and workplace transformations taking place amidst rapid changes in lifestyles, expectations and digital disruption. The extended discussions that the Sri Lankan delegation had with their Indian counterparts in many leading business establishments helped in sharing knowledge and insights,” he added.

IPM Sri Lanka has inked several bilateral agreements with regional professional bodies for human resource management including with NIPM India, BSHRM Bangladesh and PSHRM Pakistan. As a member with Board representation on the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resource Management (APFHRM), IPM Sri Lanka is in the process of establishing more bilateral exchange programs with the other members in order to provide many more meaningful opportunities for its membership to develop capacity in developing well rounded, globally competitive human resource professionals. 

IPM Sri Lanka keeps pace with new trends and concepts in HR by engaging continuously with the business community to share experiences, thoughts and insights in order to enrich and enhance the HR profession. It actively encourages and promotes members’ participation at international conferences and forums to provide exposure, build networks, and conduct research into areas of interest to the HR profession in Sri Lanka. 

IPM was founded in 1959 and was subsequently incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1976. IPM is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Federation of Human Resource Management and also to the World Federation of People Management Associations. IPM, being a professional institute is also a constituent member of the Organization of Professional Associations [OPA] Sri Lanka. Currently, IPM comprises over 1200 Professional Members who serve in both public and private organisations.