Business
Hayleys wins 14 awards including coveted ‘Overall Excellence in Corporate Reporting’ at CA Sri Lanka TAGS Awards 2022
Sri Lanka’s most diversified conglomerate, Hayleys PLC, consolidated its position as a national leader of financial reporting, sustainability reporting and good governance, winning a total of 14 awards across the Group, including the coveted ‘Cyril Gardiner Memorial Trophy’ Gold Award for Overall Excellence in Corporate Reporting at the recently concluded CA Sri Lanka TAGS Awards 2022.
In addition to winning the event’s flagship award, Hayleys PLC also clinched Gold Awards for Sustainability Reporting and Diversified Holding companies with Turnover in excess of Rs. 50 billion. Rounding out the Group’s total haul of 8 gold awards were Dipped Products PLC (DPL), Hayleys Advantis Ltd (ADV), Alumex PLC, Singer Sri Lanka PLC and Kelani Valley Plantations PLC (KVPL). Hayleys companies also made a clean sweep of all awards in the Plantations and Large Manufacturing sectors.
“We are honoured to have been recognized by the prestigious CA Sri Lanka TAGS Awards. Our performance is a testament to the principles of transparency, accountability, governance and sustainability. These principles have been nurtured across the Hayleys Group over generations, and are at the core of how we run our businesses across our 16 diversified sectors,” Hayleys Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohan Pandithage stated.
As a public listed company, Hayleys’ 9th Integrated Annual Report provides a balanced insight of the Hayleys Group’s financial, economic, social and environmental performance and impacts to more than 14,000 shareholders, investors and other interested stakeholders.
Hayleys was one of the first Sri Lankan companies to lay down a comprehensive and well-defined approach to ESG in the Hayleys Lifecode – a unified policy framework that establishes common standard and collective targets for all our 16 sectors. The Hayleys Lifecode also integrates ESG related targets and goals into business strategy across all of Hayleys Group’s 16 business sectors with the support of its Lifecode Champions, ensuring strong Group-wide coordination in achieving sustainability objectives.
“We congratulate our teams for their unwavering dedication in upholding our shared commitment to the highest standards of governance and business management,” Pandithage stated.
Hayleys has also been a signatory to the UN Global Compact from 2007 and adopted the Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines in 2012. The Group adopted the first Code of Best Practice on Corporate Governance from 2009 and is the only corporate recognised as the nation’s Best Corporate Citizen by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, on five separate occasions.
A centrepiece of the Sri Lankan economy, the Hayleys Group maintains a global presence across five regions with business interests spanning 16 diverse sectors. Accounting for USD 600 million of the country’s foreign earnings and 4.2% of the nation’s total export income, Hayleys is a champion of sustainable innovation and represents one of Sri Lanka’s most prominent success stories.
CA Sri Lanka’s Transparency, Accountability, Governance and Sustainability (TAGS) Awards serves as the gold standard in corporate reporting in Sri Lanka. The newly rebranded awards ceremony reflects the core values developed through the competition for over half a century, and aims to strengthen standards and uphold the integrity of corporate reporting among Sri Lankan companies which produce annual reports.
Business
AIA delivers strong first half results in 2026; double-digit growth across key financial metrics
The Board of AIA Group Limited (the “Company”) is pleased to announce the Group’s financial results for the six months ended 30 June 2026. Growth rates are shown on a constant exchange rate basis unless otherwise stated:
New business performance and embedded value
Value of new business (VONB) of US$3,212 million, up 10 per cent overall and 14 per cent excluding Thailand(1)
Record high annualised operating ROEV of 18.0 per cent, up from 15.8 per cent in full year 2025
EV Equity of US$83.4 billion, up 6 per cent per share over the first half on an actual exchange rate basis
IFRS earnings
Operating profit after tax (OPAT) of US$4,163 million, up 13 per cent per share
AIA now expects to exceed OPAT per share CAGR target of 9 to 11 per cent from 2023 to 2026(2)
Record high annualised operating ROE of 17.5 per cent, up from 15.5 per cent in full year 2025
Cash generation and capital returns
Underlying free surplus generation (UFSG) of US$3,935 million, increased by 10 per cent per share
Net free surplus generation (net FSG) of US$2,758 million, up 12 per cent per share
US$3.6 billion returned to shareholders in the first half through dividend and share buy-back
Interim dividend increased by 10 per cent to 53.90 Hong Kong cents per share
Lee Yuan Siong, AIA’s Group Chief Executive and President, said:
“AIA has delivered another strong performance in the first half of 2026, with double-digit growth across our key financial metrics, while continuing to return substantial capital to shareholders. VONB reached a record high of US$3.2 billion with growth across all distribution channels, and all reportable segments excluding Thailand. The Group has achieved 17 per cent CAGR since the first half of 2023(3), demonstrating consistently strong demand for AIA’s professional advice and differentiated products.
“At the core of our unrivalled distribution platform is our market-leading Premier Agency. I am delighted that AIA has once again been ranked the number one Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT) multinational company globally. We have held this position for a record 12 consecutive years and we have more than double the number of MDRT members of our nearest competitor. In the first half of 2026, our Premier Agency achieved strong VONB growth of 11 per cent excluding Thailand(1). Our extensive network of strategic distribution partners further expands our market reach and generated an 18 per cent increase in VONB, supported by very strong performance in both the bancassurance and independent financial adviser (IFA) and broker channels.
“Strong new business, together with disciplined management of our in-force portfolio, has supported sustained growth in recurring earnings with OPAT per share up by 13 per cent in the first half. As a result, we expect to exceed our 9 to 11 per cent OPAT per share CAGR target for 2023 to 2026(2). UFSG, the Group’s core measure of operating cash generation, increased by 10 per cent per share. After allowing for new business investment, net FSG increased by 12 per cent per share. In accordance with our prudent, sustainable and progressive dividend policy, the Board has declared a 10 per cent increase in the interim dividend to 53.90 Hong Kong cents per share. These achievements demonstrate that our financial strategy is working as intended.
“Asia remains the most compelling growth opportunity for life and health insurance. Powerful structural tailwinds across the region continue to create substantial demand for our professional advice and differentiated products and underpin the exceptional long-term prospects for AIA’s business. I am confident that AIA’s disciplined execution of our strategic priorities will continue to deliver long-term sustainable value for all our stakeholders.”
Business
British Council Sri Lanka launches soft skills workshops to elevate learning and empower communication
The British Council Sri Lanka has launched Corporate English Solutions (CES), tailored to the Sri Lankan corporate and education ecosystem, aimed at helping organisations strengthen workplace communication and professional development.
The launch event took place recently at the NH Collection, Colombo 3, gathering corporate partners, clients and education stakeholders throughout the country.
CES extends the British Council’s long-standing work in English language education and teacher training into a dedicated offering for the corporate sector. The launch introduced two new components to the British Council’s presence in Sri Lanka such as public workshops and teacher training programmes, open to learners and educators beyond the organisation’s existing corporate and academic partners. Guests at the event were shown a short video introducing Corporate English Solutions before the formal proceedings began.
Talal Meer, British Council Regional Business Development Director, South Asia, welcomed guests and introduced the British Council’s team in Sri Lanka. In his remarks, Meer set out the scope of the CES launch, covering the introduction of public workshops in Sri Lanka, the rollout of teacher training programmes, and an overview of the CES product portfolio. Meer’s role covers educational partnerships in the South Asia region, and his address framed the Sri Lanka launch within the British Council’s broader regional strategy.
Business
Ogilvy Group tops award tally at ‘Dragons of Sri Lanka’ 2026
Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka delivered a standout performance at the recently concluded Dragons of Sri Lanka 2026 Awards, securing a total of nine awards comprising two Gold Dragons, one Silver Dragon and six Black Dragons, among the festival’s highest overall award tallies. Gold Dragon wins for Phoenix Ogilvy and Ogilvy Digital, together with the seven additional recognitions across multiple categories, highlighted Ogilvy’s ability to combine creativity, strategic thinking and commercial effectiveness to deliver business results.
Organised by the 4As Sri Lanka, the third edition of Dragons of Sri Lanka shortlisted more than 50 agencies and corporates, making it one of the country’s most competitive marketing communications awards. These local awards, along with the chapters in Malaysia and Pakistan are part of the Dragons of Asia platform, one of the region’s leading programmes for marketing communications effectiveness, with entries being judged on strategy, originality, execution and measurable results.
Ogilvy Digital accounted for eight awards in total, including a Gold Dragon in the Business & Trade Marketing category, and a Silver Dragon in the Innovative Idea or Concept category. The Agency additionally received six Black Dragons across the categories of Innovative Idea or Concept, Business & Trade Marketing, Content Creation, Small Budget, Event or Experiential, and Brand Trial or Sales Generation.
Commenting on the achievement, Sajith Weerasinghe, Chief Operating Officer of Ogilvy Digital, said, “These recognitions reflect the breadth of capabilities we’ve built across strategy, creative, content, experience design, technology and performance marketing. The fact that the work was recognised across so many different disciplines demonstrates our ability to apply creativity to a wide range of business challenges and objectives. We’re proud that this achievement spans multiple clients, categories and types of work, reflecting both the versatility of our people and our commitment to delivering results.”
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