Following a record breaking year for Sri Lanka’s largest private sector retail bank, HNB PLC’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Damith Pallewatte, was named Sri Lanka’s ‘Bank CEO of the Year 2025’ by the Global CEO Forum.

The CEO of the Year Awards – which was hosted at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, recognises leadership excellence in the corporate sector across organisational performance, governance standards and industry impact, and serves as a national platform that brings together senior business leaders alongside key representatives from Government and the diplomatic community.

HNB’s robust risk governance framework, unique innovations drive and expansion of digital capability, transformation of its people and processes and clearly defined 5-year strategy focused on accelerating growth and revitalizing the grassroots economy were among the key considerations underpinning the recognition of the best CEO Award.

“Since inception, HNB has served as a reliable and trusted partner in Sri Lanka’s growth story. Since my appointment almost two years ago first in the acting capacity, our goal has been to protect and enhance this legacy.

We have stayed true to our roots, with great initiatives like Gami Pubuduwa and Sarusara working to build financial inclusion, and create ecosystems in which MSMSEs can thrive, connect to value chains, and even build export capacity.

“Especially over the past year, we were very strategic about growing our loan book in order to channel support, resources and expertise to sectors within the Sri Lankan economy with an exponential growth potential. Over the next 5 years, we aim to accelerate these efforts leveraging digital innovation to empower a new generation of entrepreneurs to take Sri Lankan products to the world. And we plan to be with them every step of the way,” HNB PLC Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Damith Pallewatte said.

Pallewatte’s award follows a year of sustained momentum for HNB PLC. During the year, the Group recorded strong growth in profitability, alongside continued balance sheet expansion, with the Bank’s asset base expanding to Rs 2.39 trillion as at end-December 2025. For the year ended 31 December 2025, HNB reported Group PAT of Rs 49.8 billion and Bank PAT of Rs 45.4 billion, while Gross Loans and Advances exceeded Rs 1.5 trillion and deposits crossed Rs 2.0 trillion at Group level, reflecting consistent progress across the period.

HNB’s performance demonstrated an emphasis on scaling growth with discipline. This was reflected in sustained improvements in asset quality, and capital and liquidity buffers maintained above regulatory minimums despite notable growth in the bank’s loan portfolio. During the year, the Bank also secured ISO 22301:2019 Business Continuity Management certification, reinforcing its focus on operational resilience and service continuity.

Pallewatte brings a background spanning banking, credit, operations, strategy and risk management. He was appointed Managing Director and CEO of HNB PLC with effect from 22 November 2024, following his earlier appointment as Acting CEO, in April 2024 and has held senior leadership roles across the organisation, including within wholesale banking and risk management leadership.

In partnership with the Chefs Guild of Lanka and the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association

Nestlé Professional, the B2B arm of Nestlé Lanka, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chefs Guild of Lanka and the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association to collaborate in organizing the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat and Nestle Golden Chef’s Hat Junior Competition 2026. This island-wide culinary competition aims to identify, nurture, and develop emerging culinary talent within Sri Lanka’s hospitality industry, reinforcing Nestlé Professional’s commitment to supporting the growth of the hospitality sector and the next generation of chefs.

Bernie Stefan, Chairman and Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka commented, “For 120 years, Nestlé has been enriching Sri Lankan lives by unlocking the power of food and beverages to enhance quality of life. This commitment has also been demonstrated in our endeavour to strengthen Sri Lanka’s foodservice ecosystem. The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Competition 2026 and Junior Competition is a platform that brings together industry expertise, education, and opportunity – empowering both professional chefs and hospitality students to reach their full potential. This competition also strongly reflects the spirit of our Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative, which is dedicated to empowering the youth with the skills and hands-on experiences they need to thrive in the workforce and contribute to the community. We are delighted to continue this journey with our valued partners and support initiatives that nurture skills, inspire excellence, and help uplift Sri Lanka’s culinary landscape.”

‘At Nestlé Professional, we are committed to empowering chefs with the skills, inspiration, and opportunities needed to drive the future of the foodservice industry. The Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition is a meaningful platform that nurtures culinary talent while encouraging innovation and excellence. Sri Lanka’s hospitality sector continues to showcase remarkable potential, and through the 2026 edition of this competition, we are proud to support the next generation of chefs as they shape the industry’s future’, said Saurabh Makhija, Director – Nestlé Professional, Nestlé South Asia Region.

Maduranga Perera, Assistant Director – Nestlé Professional Sri Lanka said, “The Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Competition 2026 and Junior Competition represents a meaningful investment in the future of Sri Lanka’s culinary and hospitality sector. Through close collaboration with the Chefs Guild of Lanka and the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association, we have designed this competition to provide both professional chefs and hospitality students with practical exposure, structured learning, and a credible platform to showcase their skills. At Nestlé Professional, our focus is on supporting chefs at every stage of their journey, and this initiative reflects our continuous commitment to nurturing talent and taking the Sri Lankan hospitality sector to greater heights.”

Chairman of the Chefs Guild of Lanka, Chef Gerard Mendis said “The Chefs Guild of Lanka is pleased to continue its collaboration with Nestlé Professional through the Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Competition 2026. This competition provides young chefs with a credible national platform to showcase their skills and gain industry exposure to succeed in the hospitality sector.”

“The Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association is delighted to partner with Nestlé Professional and the Chefs Guild of Lanka in organizing the Junior Nestlé Golden Chef’s Hat Competition 2026. This initiative provides hospitality students with a valuable platform to apply their knowledge, build practical skills, and gain exposure to industry standards at an early stage of their careers. By bridging education and industry, this competition plays an important role in preparing young graduates to confidently enter Sri Lanka’s evolving hospitality sector” commented Dr. Gitanjali Chakravarthy, President of The Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association.

As per the strategy of driving SME’s of sri lanka to the Global demand chain, Rotary Sri Lanka unearthed the talent of Nayomi who produce Kitul Treacle produced as per the UNESCO Heritage recognized process in Ukuwela, Matale. Our next step was to showcase this Small Medium Enterprise( SME) owner to the Rotary network so that we can develop the SME on up on the value chain up stream and down stream said Dr Rohantha Athukorala the SME Chairman of Rotary Sri Lanka and Maldives.

Initially we engaged a Australian Rotarian who runs a distribution company in Brisbane to meet the SME Nayomi who manufacture the Kitul Treacle as per the Good Manufacturing procees( GMP). The first meeting was very positive as the product currently produced was maple Cyrup said Athukorala. Post the taste test that will be conducted in Brisbane by the Australian Rotarian on a representative cross section of consumers we could determine the pricing and logistics.

The next challenge was to develop the supply chain as currently only a sixty farmers are in the community that makes the task challenging for continuity of supply. We have to increase it to at least two hundred framers and we got a set of senior Rotarians from United States to visit the production process in Ukuwela, Matale.