Business
Ceylinco Life among Great Place to Work ‘10 Best Workplaces’ in Banking, Finance & Insurance
Ceylinco Life has been ranked among the 10 Best Workplaces in Sri Lanka’s Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) sector by Great Place to Work, the global authority on workplace culture.
Great Place to Work announced its inaugural list of Best Workplaces in the BFSI Industries in Sri Lanka for 2021 at a recent awards presentation at the Hilton Colombo.
The list was compiled by Great Place to Work after surveying almost 21,000 employees across the sector. The Top 10 were selected on the basis of positive employee perceptions and the policies and practices of the organisation in relation to human resources.
Notably, Ceylinco Life was certified as a ‘Great Workplace’ in Sri Lanka for the first time in 2020 by the same organisation. The insurance leader retained this title in 2021 with a five-mark improvement over the overall rating accorded to it in the previous year.
Commenting on this latest accolade, Ceylinco Life Executive Director/Head of Human Resources and Training Devaan Cooray said: “This award validates Ceylinco Life’s efforts to develop a great workplace for its employees through best practices that enrich work relationships and continuously enhance the employee experience. Our employees believe that they work for a great organisation, continue to trust the people they work for, take pride in what they do, and enjoy the company of the people they work with.”
Being ranked in the Top 10 Best Workplaces in the BFSI Industries in Sri Lanka indicates that an organisation has differentiated itself by creating a great place to work for employees and established itself as an employer of choice. It has passed the rigorous two-lens model of the Great Place to Work Trust Index survey and the Culture Audit peoples practice analysis framework and matched the global qualification criteria required to be a Great Workplace.
Great Place to Work is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognise outstanding workplace cultures.
Adjudged Sri Lanka’s Service Brand of the Year by the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and voted the ‘Most Popular Service Provider’ in Sri Lanka’s Life Insurance industry in 2021, Ceylinco Life has been the country’s leading life insurer for more than half of the 33 years it has been in existence. The company was ranked the ‘Most Valuable Life Insurance Brand’ in Sri Lanka by Brand Finance also in 2021, during which it was also named one of the 10 Most Admired Companies in Sri Lanka by the International Chamber of Commerce Sri Lanka (ICCSL) in collaboration with the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), was voted the ‘Peoples Life Insurance Service Provider of the Year’ for a record 15th consecutive year and was named the ‘Best Life Insurer in Sri Lanka’ for the eighth consecutive year by World Finance.
Ceylinco Life has close to a million lives covered by active policies and is acknowledged as a benchmark in the local insurance sector for innovation, product research and development, customer service, professional development, sustainability, and corporate social responsibility.
Business
SIA warns of 1,000 SME collapses, urges fair policies to protect Sri Lanka’s rooftop solar sector
By Sanath Nanayakkare
The Solar Industries Association (SIA), representing over 1,000 companies and employing 40,000 workers in Sri Lanka’s rooftop solar sector, issued a stern warning recently regarding threats to the industry’s survival and the nation’s renewable energy ambitions. The association condemned recent regulatory instability and called for urgent policy reforms to avert economic and social crises.
The SIA categorically rejected the Ceylon Electricity Board’s (CEB) claim that rooftop solar installations caused the recent island-wide power outage, calling the accusation “baseless and misleading.”
“Public trust is eroded when accountability is misdirected,” the SIA stated. “We demand an independent, transparent investigation led by experts appointed by the Ministry or the Public Utilities Commission (PUCSL). The CEB’s unilateral statements disregard the sector’s contributions and jeopardize Sri Lanka’s renewable energy transition,” they said.
“While acknowledging the formation of a tariff determination committee, the SIA criticized its narrow focus on financial parameters, ignoring the sector’s socioeconomic value. Rooftop solar empowers businesses and households with energy independence, reduces grid strain, and supports climate goals. However, proposed volatile tariff structures risk destabilizing over 100,000 installations—primarily owned by middle-class families—and deter future investment,” they noted.
“A rigid, equation-based tariff system is unsustainable,” the association warned. “Sri Lanka needs a stable policy framework to attract long-term investments. For instance, retirees could invest EPF savings into solar projects, securing income while advancing national energy targets. Without urgent action, 1,000 SMEs and 40,000 jobs face collapse, with dire consequences for employment, energy security, and economic stability,” they pointed out.
SIA urged policymakers to establish an independent committee to investigate the power outage fairly, expand the tariff committee’s mandate to include socioeconomic and environmental benefits and implement predictable policies to safeguard SMEs, households, and investor confidence.
“Sri Lanka stands at a crossroads,” the SIA emphasized. “Protecting rooftop solar isn’t just about energy—it’s about livelihoods, economic resilience, and a sustainable future. We urge stakeholders to collaborate on solutions that prioritize both people and progress,: they emphasized.
SLT-MOBITEL has entered into a strategic partnership with Rush Lanka Group to provide exclusive SLT-MOBITEL Fibre connectivity solutions to their portfolio of luxury apartment developments in Colombo and the suburbs, enhancing the digital experience of all residents.
The agreement was signed between Imantha Wijekoon, Chief Business Officer of Consumer Business at SLT, and Zaid Ariff, Director of Construction at the Rush Group headquarters. Representatives from both companies also attended the ceremony.
Under the partnership, SLT-MOBITEL will serve as the exclusive digital service provider for five prestigious Rush Lanka developments including Street Rush Residencies and Rush Court 4 in Mt. Lavinia, Rush Tower 2, Rush Metropolis in Dehiwala, and Rush Court 5 in Colombo 14. The collaboration ensures residents will enjoy superior fibre connectivity speeds, enabling seamless digital experiences in modern smart homes. The partnership with the Rush Lanka Group aligns with SLT-MOBITEL’s commitment to offer ultra-fast, reliable connectivity solutions to residential developments. Delivering exclusive fibre connectivity to luxury apartments, SLT-MOBITEL ensures residents have access to world-class digital services that complement the living experience promised by Rush Lanka Group.
Powered by advanced fibre technology, SLT-MOBITEL network will provide the residences with seamless performance across digital activities. The SLT-MOBITEL Fibre backbone ensures lag-free experiences whether tenants are gaming online, attending virtual classes, working remotely, or streaming high-definition entertainment. SLT-MOBITEL Fibre will transform the lifestyles of all apartment users bringing greater convenience and superior quality of life.
Rush Lanka Group, established in 1992, is a property developer specializing in luxury and semi-luxury apartments.
Starting its promotional work for 2025, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau (SLTPB) added another feather into its cap of endorsements, by being recognized as the most innovative Tourism Board promotion in Outbound Travel Mart (OTM) . In parallel to that, several other sub events were held. The OTM was held in Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai—India, from 30th January to 01st February 2025.Before OTM, the Global Village – Global Exchange & Trade Exhibition was held at the Surat International Exhibition & Convention Centre , Sarsana, Surat (Gujarat – India , from 25th to 27th January 2025. This travel fair was organized by Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI).
Sri Lanka participated in both OTM and South Asia’s Travel & Tourism Exchange (SATTE), held from 19th – 21st Feb 2025, in New Delhi, India . This was an excellent opportunity for Sri Lanka to promote it’s potential as a unique travel destination, especially for the Indian counterparts, as SLTPB has identified India as the number one source market for Sri Lanka, tourism bringing the largest number of tourist arrivals to the destination.
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