IPM Sri Lanka’s ‘The Great HR Debate 2015’ kicks off

IPM Sri Lanka – the nation’s premier professional body for Human Resources Management kicked off ‘The Great HR Debate 2015’ annual debating competition for private and public sector organisations in the island. The first round of debates took place on 19 May at IPM Sri Lanka Members’ Lounge, ‘HR House’, Colombo amidst a gathering of distinguished HR professionals. The debate debriefing was held on 11 May for all participants.

The first round of the Great HR Debate 2015 consisted of six debates in which 13 companies participated. 361 Degrees Ltd, R.R. Donnelley Outsource Ltd, GlaxoSmithKline, Virtusa, Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC and Sampath Bank PLC qualified for the second round.   

The second round of the Great HR Debate 2015 is scheduled to be held on 29 May at IPM’s HR House in Colombo. An exciting and thought provoking string of debates is expected from the winners of the first round. Some of the topics for the debates are ‘Age or gender should not be a barrier for employment’, ‘Organisations value leaders over managers’, and ‘Y generation value a job more than a job for life’.

“The Great HR Debate 2015 will be an exciting competition which will help stimulate thoughts while opening avenues for critical analysis of crucial HR issues being faced by companies large and small,” said IPM Sri Lanka President Rohitha Amarapala. 

“We are confident that the popular Great HR Debate 2015 will be a productive learning experience for the participants as well as the audience this year too,” he added.    

The semi finals of the Great HR Debate 2015 will be held on 8 June at the HR House and the Grand Finale will be held on 16 June at BMICH in conjunction with the National HR Conference 2015 – South Asia’s largest HR Conference. The Great HR Debate 2015 has been initiated by IPM Sri Lanka with the intention of providing a platform to share knowledge, experience and offer new perspectives on contemporary Human Resources Management (HRM) issues facing companies in both private and public sectors in a highly competitive, rapidly growing economy. Since its inception in the year 2009, the Great HR Debate debating competition has been gaining momentum over the years and has now become a much sought-after event amongst the HR fraternity. “We are thankful for the enthusiasm and commitment shown by the companies to participate in the Great HR Debate 2015,” said Great HR Debate 2015 Organising Committee Chairman Bhathiya Hettiarachchi.

The panel of judges of the competition for the first round comprised of BMICH Director General/IPM Honorary Member Sunil Dissanayake, IPM Sri Lanka Chief Executive Officer Dyan Seneviratne, People Vantage Lead Learning Facilitator Nishantha Manawadu, Hayleys Industrial Solutions Ltd Industrial Raw Material Division Business Unit Head Tyronne Ockersz and  University of Kelaniya Department of Human Resource Management Senior Lecturer Dr. Prasadini Gamage. 

The winners of the Great HR Debate 2015 competition will be awarded the prestigious ‘The Great HR Debate 2015’ trophy and certificates at the National HR Conference 2015. All participants will be presented with certificates of participation. 

IPM was founded in 1959 and was subsequently incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1976. The institute is the leading human resource authority in Sri Lanka and has contributed significantly to develop and nurture the Human Resource Management profession in the country. 

IPM Sri Lanka is affiliated to the Asia Pacific Foundation of Human Resources Management and also to the World Federation of People Management Association. IPM, being a professional institute is also a constituent member of the Organisation of Professional Associations (OPA) Sri Lanka. Currently IPM comprises of over 900 professional members who serve in both public and private organisations, as well as approximately 7,000 students who follow the diverse programs on human resources offered by IPM and its regional study centres throughout the country.