Business
Ideal Motors ‘Ideal Abiyogaya 10’ successfully concludes in Habarana
Ideal Abiyogaya 10’, the 10th phase of the Ideal Abiyogaya Community Engagement initiative by Ideal Motors, one of Sri Lanka’s leading automotive brands, concluded recently at Habarana with resounding success.
Launched in 2015, the Ideal Abiyogaya program has been held exclusively for Mahindra Bolero customers and the community. The 10th phase extended across the districts of Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Matale, and Trincomalee.
As part of the school-based industrial training programs under Ideal Abiyogaya, a Mahindra engine and industrial equipment were donated to the technical department of Habarana Maha Vidyalaya. In parallel, the Ideal Singing Abiyogaya identified talented children from schools in the Kekirawa and Hingurakgoda educational zones, creating future opportunities for the most gifted performers.
The Mahindra Bolero Off-Road Rally, reserved for Mahindra Bolero customers, was another highlight of the event. The celebrations concluded with a free musical concert that drew a large crowd, underscoring the success and popularity of the program.
The creator of the Ideal Abiyogaya program, Nalin Welgama, Founder and Chairman, Ideal Motors Group, shared his thoughts on the journey his company has come so far, the Ideal Abiyogaya program, and the ‘Ideal Sewana’ programs planned for the future.
“We achieved a major breakthrough when we joined hands with Mahindra in 2009. That advance was made possible by starting a new journey with customers beyond the point of sale. We transformed an era in which everything was centered in Colombo. By delivering strong sales and after-sales service, Mahindra often invited me to India to gain new technology and experiences, which we then shared with the people of Sri Lanka. One notable initiative was the Mahindra Getaway competition, organized for Mahindra vehicle users. It provided them with an opportunity to demonstrate the correct use of their vehicles, showcase their quality, and highlight their skills.”
He added, “Accordingly, I introduced a new program in Sri Lanka called the Ideal Abiyogaya. Through this initiative, Mahindra vehicle users were offered a range of competitions, assessments of their vehicles, and the unique opportunity to enjoy a free musical concert by one of the most popular bands in the country, an experience many had never had before.”
Speaking on future plans, he noted, ‘We aim to introduce several new features to the Ideal Abiyogaya program. Among them is Ideal Sewana, designed to provide solutions for those facing financial challenges. In addition, the Ideal Abiyogaya initiative will continue to prioritize improvements in health and education. Ideal Motors is also pleased to announce that the 11th phase of Ideal Abiyogaya will be launched soon, focusing on another vibrant region of Sri Lanka.”
Ceylinco Life’s Ambalantota branch agent AIP Manjula has been named one of three global finalists for the prestigious Insurance Agent of the Year award at the 11th Asia Trusted Life Agents & Advisers Awards (ATLAA) 2026.
The recognition places a Sri Lankan insurance professional among the finalists in a regional field spanning South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Asia and the wider Asia-Pacific region.
Ceylinco Life said the achievement reflected the calibre and customer-focused approach of its agency force, while recognising Manjula’s professionalism and commitment to policyholders.
The award evaluates insurance agents on criteria extending beyond sales performance, including ethical conduct, client service, policy persistency, digital adoption, innovative practices and contributions to the insurance industry and community.
The awards are organised by Asia Advisers Network and Asia Insurance Review, with LIMRA as co-organiser. An independent judging and balloting process is monitored by KPMG as the official scrutineer. The judging panel comprises senior insurance executives, association presidents and industry experts from across the Asia-Pacific region.
CEAT Kelani Holdings (CKH) has retained its National Long-Term Rating of ‘AA+(lka)’ with a Stable Outlook from Fitch Ratings for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s financial resilience and leading position in Sri Lanka’s pneumatic tyre market.
The ‘AA+(lka)’ rating, the second-highest on Fitch’s national scale, indicates a very strong capacity to meet financial commitments.
Fitch said CKH’s established market leadership and resilient financial profile remained key strengths, while noting its exposure to price-sensitive, cyclical and highly competitive markets.
The Stable Outlook reflects expectations that the company will maintain its market position despite rising input costs and increasing competition from imported tyres, while preserving adequate credit metrics during periods of weaker earnings and higher investment.
Fitch expects CKH’s established brand, extensive dealer network and adaptive pricing strategies to support its market position. Planned production facility upgrades are also expected to improve product quality, particularly in the radial tyre segment.
The rating agency expects near-term pressure on margins from higher raw material and energy costs but said the company’s low leverage and sound liquidity would provide a cushion.
CKH Chairman Chanaka De Silva said the rating reinforced the company’s focus on disciplined financial management, operational adaptability and long-term investment.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise, the enterprise services arm of Sri Lanka Telecom PLC, has launched its Premium Cloud service powered by Nutanix, aimed at helping Sri Lankan businesses modernise their IT infrastructure and accelerate digital transformation.
The service was unveiled at the Lanka Tech Summit 2026 held recently at ITC Ratnadipa, Colombo.
The Premium Cloud combines hybrid multi-cloud capabilities with enterprise-grade performance, enabling businesses to run mission-critical workloads, scale cloud deployments and strengthen business continuity through disaster recovery capabilities.
Hosted on SLT-MOBITEL’s Tier III data centre infrastructure, the platform is designed to provide enhanced security, reliability and flexibility while supporting the growing technology requirements of enterprises.
SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise said the platform would also support organisations seeking to adopt AI-ready capabilities and improve the management and performance of IT workloads.
A key feature of the launch was SLT-MOBITEL Enterprise joining the Nutanix Elevate Service Provider Program (NESPP), which the company said made it the first service provider in the region to join the programme.
Powered by Nutanix’s hybrid multicloud platform, the service enables application and data mobility across on-premises environments, public clouds and edge locations.
The company said the partnership combined Nutanix’s cloud technology with SLT-MOBITEL’s local expertise and support, strengthening its multi-cloud portfolio.
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