Business
Capital Maharaja Group celebrates achievements with Annual Group Review and Executive of The Year awards
The Capital Maharaja Group (CMG) celebrated its achievements in supporting Sri Lanka’s economic and social progress during turbulent times, with the Group Review and 43rd Executive Of The Year awards ceremony at Stein Studios in Ratmalana on Friday, June 16.
The Chairman of the Capital Maharaja Group, Mr. Sashi Rajamahendran, congratulated the entire CMG Family of executives and employees for their innovation and rapid responses in the face of the most daunting challenges over the past three years.
“We have a considerable legacy of achievements, which encompasses numerous subsidiaries and diverse fields. We also have a notable standing in Sri Lanka’s corporate landscape, and an unwavering commitment to staff development and significant contribution to society. It is this great spirit that makes our Group a formidable force in Sri Lanka and across the globe. We will push forward, we will keep rising and we will lead. We know of no other way,” Mr. Rajamahendran said.
The Capital Maharaja Group is one of Sri Lanka’s best known private sector conglomerates that is just seven years short of celebrating a century since its formation by Subramaniam Mahadevan and Sinnathamby Rajandram in 1930. It is today an integral thread in the fabric of Sri Lankan life with its diverse array of products and services that include FMCG, packaging, agriculture, shipping, education, power, communications, technology, PVC piping, manufacturing, Ceylon Tea, leisure, and the country’s largest media organization.
CMG’s community development arm, the Gammadda Movement, is a globally recognized initiative that is also Sri Lanka’s largest rural development programme.Chethana Liyanage, Director Talent Management at CMG and the CEO of the Maharaja Institute of Management was named the Executive of the Year. Chethana joined the Group as a news anchor in 1995 and has enjoyed notable career growth with CMG. The coveted award has over the decades been won by prominent persons who went on to play major roles in Sri Lanka’s economic progress, as well as at CMG.
India’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, Gopal Bagley, who was the Chief Guest, spoke on the rapid advancement of technology that is sweeping the world and has been embraced by India. He noted that technology will aid Sri Lanka in bridging the gaps in productivity and that Sri Lanka’s immediate neighbor and longtime partner India was ever-willing to assist.
“There are two types of people. Those who live in the present fearing for the future and the others who live in the present shaping the future. This talented pool of people at CMG is an example of the resources that Sri Lanka has,” High Commissioner Bagley added.
All of the night’s speakers paid tribute to the memory of the Late Mr. R. Rajamahendran, the Group’s Chairman who passed away during this period.Mr. Sunil Kanojia, Group Director and Chief Executive Officer of CMG, gave a comprehensive review of the achievements of the Group over the last four years.
“While we were still trying to grapple with the new world order caused by nature’s fury, political instability and economic woes that threw the entire supply chain out of gear, God took away our Chairman Mr. R. Rajamahendran who was guiding us until his last breath. But my expectations were more than justified in view of the sterling performance of the executives during the past years of unprecedented turbulence, and who proved to be our strongest pillar of strength,” said Mr. Kanojia.
A number of other important awards were also presented. They included the ‘RR Awards’, named after CMG’s late Chairman Mr. R. Rajamahendran, which were won by:
2020 – ICL Brands Pvt Ltd
2021 – S-lon Lanka (Pvt) Ltd
2022 – Harcros Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd
2023 – Tuffline Ltd
The ‘Achievers Awards’, for other notable accomplishments by CMG executives, were presented to:
Prashanthaka Hettiarachchi from A.F. Jones Exporters Private Ltd
Sampath Gunathilake from Harrisons Chemicals (Pvt) Ltd
Vindana Prasad Karunaratne from News 1st
Conall Beekmeyer from Canice Creations International
Channa Perera from Tuffline Ltd
The Executive Of The Year was chosen from among eight finalists:
Saman Perera – Group IT
Nalaka Seneviratne – Group Finance
Ravi Gamage – Group HR
Roshan Watawala – News 1st
Quintin Dissanayake – A.F. Jones Exporters Private Ltd
Nalin Jayawardhana – Kevilton Electrical Products (Pvt) Ltd
Varatharajah Sathananthan – Tuffline Ltd
Chethana Liyanage – Maharaja Institute of Management
The ceremony, which was held after a lapse of three years due to Covid and last year’s political and social uncertainty, was attended by a number of notable ambassadors, high commissioners and other members of the diplomatic community, together with several of Sri Lanka’s prominent entrepreneurs.
HNB Finance PLC has been honoured with two prestigious accolades at the CMA Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards 2025, reaffirming the company’s commitment to transparency, good governance, and integrated business performance.
At this year’s ceremony, HNB Finance PLC was awarded Second Runner Up – joint in the category of “Best Integrated Report , Finance and Leasing Sector”, and also received a Merit Award in recognition of its continued efforts to enhance reporting quality and strengthen stakeholder communication.
The CMA Excellence in Integrated Reporting Awards, organised annually by the Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) of Sri Lanka, acknowledge organisations that demonstrate superior financial reporting standards aligned with global best practices. Winners are assessed on key criteria such as financial performance and strategic management, corporate governance and compliance, innovation and digital transformation, sustainability practices, and professional excellence.
Chaminda Prabhath, Managing Director/CEO of HNB Finance PLC, commented on the recognition, “These awards reaffirm our commitment to upholding the highest standards of integrated reporting and transparent financial disclosure. At HNB Finance, we remain focused on delivering sustainable long-term value through robust governance frameworks, prudent financial management, and continuous innovation. The acknowledgement by CMA Sri Lanka reflects the disciplined efforts of our teams across the organization and motivates us to further enhance our reporting quality, strengthen ESG integration, and reinforce our stakeholder centric approach.”
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon has reaffirmed its long-standing commitment to advancing women’s empowerment and financial inclusion, by partnering with the National Credit Guarantee Institution Limited (NCGIL) as a Participating Shareholder Institution (PSI) in the newly introduced ‘Liya Shakthi’ credit guarantee scheme, designed to support women-led enterprises across Sri Lanka.
The operational launch of the scheme was marked by the handover of the first loan registration at Commercial Bank’s Head Office recently, symbolising a key step in broadening access to finance for women entrepreneurs.
Representing Commercial Bank at the event were Mithila Shyamini, Assistant General Manager – Personal Banking, Malika De Silva, Senior Manager – Development Credit Department, and Chathura Dilshan, Executive Officer of the Department. The National Credit Guarantee Institution was represented by Jude Fernando, Chief Executive Officer, and Eranjana Chandradasa, Manager-Guarantee Administration.
‘Liya Shakthi’ is a credit guarantee product introduced by the NCGIL to facilitate greater access to financing for women-led Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) that possess viable business models and sound repayment capacity but lack adequate collateral to secure traditional bank loans. Through NCGIL’s credit guarantee mechanism, Commercial Bank will be able to extend credit to a wider segment of women entrepreneurs, furthering its mission to drive inclusive economic growth.
Business
Prima Group Sri Lanka supports national flood relief efforts with over Rs. 300 Mn in dry rations
Prima Group Sri Lanka has pledged assistance valued at over Rs. 300 million, providing essential Prima food products to support communities affected by the recent floods across the island. This relief initiative is being coordinated through the Ministry of Defence to ensure the timely and effective distribution of aid to impacted families.
As part of this commitment, Prima Group Sri Lanka donated a significant stock of Prima dry rations to the Government of Sri Lanka on 30 November. The consignment will be distributed across multiple severely impacted districts. These supplies will support families facing disruptions to daily life, ensuring they receive assistance as recovery efforts continue.
The handover took place at the Ministry, where the donation was received by the Secretary of Defence, Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha. Representing Prima Group Sri Lanka, Sajith Gunaratne – General Manager of Ceylon Agro Industries Limited, and Sanjeeva Perera – General Manager of Ceylon Grain Elevators PLC, officially presented the donation.
Prima Group has been standing with the people of Sri Lanka for over 40 years, and this donation reflects its broader commitment to the nation during challenging times. As relief operations continue across the island, the company remains focused on helping families rebuild their lives and supporting the ongoing recovery process in collaboration with the Government Authorities.
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