SLITAD Gold Award for Watawala Plantations

Thursday, 27 November 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Watawala Plantations PLC., a member of the Sunshine Group of Companies, was the recipient of the coveted Gold Award at the Sri Lanka Institute of Training and Development (SLITAD) People Development Awards 2014. The award was received by Watawala Plantations CEO Dr. Dan Seevaratnam at a recent ceremony hosted by SLITAD, at the Grand Ballroom of the Hotel Galadari, attended by Central Bank Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal as Chief Guest. A number of top industry officials and other dignitaries were also present at the Awards.

Dr. Dan Seevaratnam receiving the award Criteria for the awards were the standards achieved by an organisation in the areas of Business Strategy, Learning and Development Strategy, People Management Strategy, Leadership and Management Strategy, Management Effectiveness, Recognition and Rewards, Involvement and Empowerment, Learning and Development, Performance Measurement and Continuous Improvement. Organisations were required to score beyond the minimum across this framework and Watawala Plantations exceeded targets in the specific areas, winning the requisite Gold Award. A number of leading names in Sri Lanka’s commercial sector participated in the event competing under the relevant sectors. Out of the number of organisations who vied for the awards 23 were successful in advancing to the final stage of the competition. Apart from Watawala, some others who reached the finals included companies such as HNB Assurance, Maliban, Union Assurance, Janashakthi, Sri Lankan Airlines, Dimo, Laugfs and Standard Chartered Bank amongst others. The CEO of Watawala Plantations who commended SLITAD on creating such competitions, which serves to encourage the commercial sector in continuing to raise the bar, said, “It was indeed a proud moment for me to walk away with this award. It is a tribute to the hard work put in by the Watawala Plantations Team and a testimony to our commitment towards developing our people who we consider to be our biggest asset. This is not just another award for us but another boost that would push us to strive for even higher standards in the future.” It is SLITAD’s mission to bring together institutions from the Government, commercial sector and education to evolve and develop HRD practices in Sri Lanka. Apart from upgrading the professional skills of its members, SLITAD also aims at promoting and continuing education in training, designing and implementing need based training programs.