CBL Group once again in SL’s Top 10 Most Admired Companies list

CBL’s Group Managing Director Shea Wickramasingha accepts the award from Guest of Honour Mayor of Colombo Rosy Senanayake. Also pictured are Chief Guest High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka Gopal Baglay, CIMA Sri Lanka Country Head Zahara Ansary and CBL Group Director Corporate HR Kumudini Welmillage

Putting people first has only made CBL’s workplace culture stronger

Over its 50+ year journey, CBL and CBL brands Munchee, Ritzbury, Revello, Tiara, Samaposha, Nutriline, Lankasoy and Sera have become staples in Sri Lanka’s food landscape. As one of Sri Lanka’s largest food manufacturers and exporters, CBL continues to be an engine for growth in Sri Lanka’s food manufacturing industry, partnering with stakeholders across its value chain to deliver meaningful growth and value.

The CBL Group was named among the Top 10 Most Admired Companies of Sri Lanka for the 3rd consecutive time by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and the International Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (ICCSL). The coveted award recognizes companies, listed and unlisted, that deliver strong performance both financially and in the value they create for consumers, stakeholders, employees and the wider community in general. 

This year, the eminent panel, also evaluated companies on demonstrated agility and resilience in the face of adversity based on internationally recognised criteria. 

For CBL, the year brought fresh challenges at every turn in every sphere. Supply chain disruptions, crippled logistics infrastructure, widespread fear and uncertainty, limited labour mobility, distribution disruptions and the impact of the pandemic on international trade posed unprecedented challenges. Teams at CBL rallied together to implement effective risk mitigation measures and proactively addressed the needs of the workforce and business. 

Strengthening the supply chain to ensure continuous sourcing, improving manufacturing efficiencies to reduce costs and resource use and supporting its nationwide distribution network to adapt to the new normal were priorities in the year to ensure business continuity. Building resilience began however from within, as teams geared workplaces and processes for the safety and security of the CBL workforce and value chain partners. 

CBL’s products are relied on by consumers in every part of Sri Lanka and, during the pandemic, the CBL family rallied together to ensure continuous production and distribution. 

Group Managing Director Shea Wickramasingha says: “Our growth is partnered by our stakeholders across the CBL value chain and during the pandemic, CBL had a large role to play in ensuring that these stakeholders had stable livelihoods and continued access to growth opportunities. Our products touch every Sri Lankan home and consumers in over 60+ countries worldwide. CBL Teams have taken extraordinary measures to ensure that we consistently fulfil our responsibilities to all our consumers and stakeholders, even in the face of really difficult challenges.” 

In the year of review, even amid a pandemic, the Group has performed steadily and sustainably in every aspect and Shea attributes this to the commitment of its 6,000+ workforce. She says that strengthening people practices to support and lead the transition to the ‘new normal’ was a key focus for the Group and subsidiaries. 

Putting people first has only made CBL’s workplace culture stronger says Shea. She says that CBL focused on strengthening processes but also looked at how employees could be effectively supported to cope with these new and monumental challenges. CBL also extended this care to its value chain stakeholders purchasing over Rs. 5 billion in agricultural produce in 2020/21 and continued to support its distributor network to plan for future risk and increase female participation with the International Finance Corporation. CBL brands also partnered the growth of consumer communities and supported frontline efforts in numerous ways. 

Learn more about the work CBL does at www.cbllk.com.