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Uncovering the human element in ESG at Kelani Valley Plantations

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Kelani Valley Plantations PLC, General Manager- HR & Corporate Sustainability, Anuruddha Gamage

The challenge of driving meaningful progress in Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards hinges on people more than it does processes or policies. That is why organisations that can understand the human element in driving change tend to set the pace in their respective industries.

As a true pioneer among Sri Lanka’s Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs) in Human Resources and Sustainability, Anuruddha Gamage, made this realisation early in his career. For more than two decades, he has helped redefine sustainability among one of the largest and most respected Regional Plantation Companies (RPCs). At the core of his approach: people.

A second upper class B.Sc. Agriculture (Hons.) graduate from the University of Peradeniya, Anuruddha joined Kelani Valley Plantations PLC (KVPL) as a Plantation Management Trainee in 1999. During the early stages of his career, Anuruddha developed an interest in Human Resources and Sustainability and the need to adopt best practices in the sector, given the unique dynamics of Sri Lanka’s RPCs during this period.

Commencing his MBA specialising in HR Management at the Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Sri Jayawardenepura, he soon sought opportunities to incorporate academic learning into his work. Currently, he is reading for his PhD at the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences (PGIHS), University of Peradeniya and is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Chartered Professional Managers of Sri Lanka (FCPM).

Currently functioning as the General Secretary and an Executive Council Member of the Japan Sri Lanka Technical and Cultural Association (JASTECA) and the Chairman of the JASTECA Institute of Management, Anuruddha was also ranked among the 100 most influential HR professionals in 2018 from World HRD Congress. He is the winner of the “Most Talented HR Leaders” Award from Asia-Pacific HRM Congress Awards in 2017, where he was named a “Catalyst of Change” and “Most Outstanding HR Leadership in Plantation Industry” Award from the South Asian Business Excellence Awards in 2017.

Empowering change

The challenges faced by RPCs are unique. Environmental conditions have a significant impact on performance. At the same time, given its labour-intensive nature, social harmony is essential. The highest possible governance standards are also essential in translating strategy into impactful action on the ground and enhancing the confidence of all key stakeholders.

“When it comes to ESG, each area has to be carefully maintained relative to the others. A really simple way to think of sustainability is like a tricycle. Governance is the front wheel providing direction. Social and environmental factors are the rear wheels – to be equally balanced for momentum,” Anuruddha explained.

“Within this framework, effective knowledge management is critical to create awareness and enhance support among key stakeholders. Without their support, you are just an individual attempting to drive an agenda and are unlikely to achieve sustained change.”

An unprecedented opportunity for transformation 

In 2013, his mentor and veteran planter – Dr. Roshan Rajadurai, took over as Managing Director of the Hayleys Plantation Sector, driven by a mission to transform the industry by revolutionising its approach to human resources management.

With the support of his team, guidance and backing from Dr. Rajadurai, one of Anuruddha’s priorities as General Manager – HR and Corporate Sustainability were to develop a comprehensive Strategic HR Plan for KVPL – among the first for Sri Lankan RPCs. After years of patience and persistence, the results of the initiatives he was a part of now speak for themselves.

These programmes have won prestigious global, regional and local acclaim and recognition, including most recently being presented with the ‘UNV50’ award in December 2021 by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) for their contribution to ‘promoting the value of volunteerism through citizen engagement, within the corporate sector in Sri Lanka.’

Creating a knowledge bank

An eternal student at heart, Anuruddha continues to expand his understanding of sustainability, driven through effective human resources and knowledge management.

A series of well-coordinated activities have been carried out as part of the knowledge management efforts. Seeking to motivate learning and knowledge management across all levels of the organisation and even to the public, Anuruddha commenced the “Evening with an Expert @ Hayleys Plantations” micro digital learning series – a programme that is now available online for the public.

Reputed global and local experts, including leaders from Toyota, Japan, have addressed employees on various topics of vital relevance to their work and everyday lives, covering over 2500 effective training hours with the highest training yield ratio of 60%, more than the mean average of the last six years. The first 25 learning sessions are expected to be concluded by April 2022.

Anuruddha’s drive to deliver progress on SDGs 4 and 17 – quality education and partnership, respectively – has been fast-tracked with the ‘Hayleys Plantations Technical Skills Development (HPTDP)’ initiative. The first batch of field staff members graduated from the internal certificate programme, accounting for more than 4,500 effective learning hours and a 95% success rate. This led to Sri Lanka’s first-ever NVQ qualification and Skills Passport for field staff members in tea and rubber estates.

Moreover, Anuruddha leveraged his close relationship with reputed local and international organisations such as AOTS Japan and JASTECA to execute the ‘Global Learning Series’ to provide plantations and corporate management professionals exposure in Japan.

Multi-stakeholder partnerships to achieve environmental SDGs 

Setting his sights on achieving environment-related SDGs in clean water and sanitation (goal 6), life on land (goal 15) and life below water (goal 14), Anuruddha partnered with key local and international partners such as the IUCN and the Ministry of Environment.

The partnership has led to the development of a new framework on sustainability at KVPL and the launch of the ‘Kelani Valley Protectors’ initiative, which supports the protection of the Weoya catchment in the Kelani river basin under the national ‘Surakimu Ganga’ initiative.

Looking ahead, Anuruddha aims to continue leveraging his vast experience in support of Hayleys Plantation Group’s trailblazing initiatives to set new benchmarks in sustainability and Human Resources Management.

“As a Hayleys Lifecode Champion, my vision is to maximise value for those who depend on us through economic development or by improving the quality of life for our employees, community and society at large.

“As a catalyst of change, it is truly inspirational to work with this passionate team to establish an inclusive working culture, integrate sustainability into strategy and build partnerships that can drive a bigger impact on-ground to make lives better.”



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‘This must be your last IMF Programme; lapses cannot be repeated’

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Top dignitaries who featured at ‘Sri Lanka’s Road to Recovery…’ forum.

IMF First Deputy Managing Director tells Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka’s long and difficult journey from economic collapse to cautious recovery reached a critical milestone as President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, IMF First Deputy Managing Director, Dr. Gita Gopinath, and Central Bank Governor Dr. Nandalal Weerasinghe addressed the high-profile “Sri Lanka’s Road to Recovery: Debt and Governance” conference yesterday in Colombo.

The event, jointly organized by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL), the Ministry of Finance and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), underscored the urgency of sustaining reform momentum while opening a new chapter in the country’s 75-year partnership with the IMF.

With macroeconomic stability returning but fragility still looming, the message from all three leaders was clear: Sri Lanka cannot afford to backslide.

“This must be the last IMF programme for Sri Lanka, Dr. Gopinath stated firmly in her keynote speech. “We’ve had 16 before this—about half ended prematurely. Reform fatigue, policy reversals and lost discipline cannot be repeated. This time must be different.”

While the conference primarily focused on public financial management, debt sustainability, and governance, the implications for Sri Lanka’s business environment were unmistakable. According to Gopinath, structural reforms, transparent fiscal management and improved governance are not abstract policy ideals — they are the essential foundations for restoring investor confidence, revitalizing private enterprise and building a resilient economy.

“Comprehensive governance reform can raise GDP by over 7% and reduce debt-to-GDP by more than six percentage points over the next decade, Gopinath noted, citing IMF internal analysis. “These are not just theoretical benefits — they are real, measurable returns for the private sector, job creation, and inclusive growth.”

Dr. Weerasinghe echoed this sentiment, stating that the IMF-supported programme “has laid the groundwork for macroeconomic fundamentals essential for sustained growth. He emphasized that Sri Lanka’s financial institutions and monetary authorities are now better equipped to support private sector-led recovery, pointing to a stabilizing rupee, single-digit inflation and restored investor interest.

“With improved credit ratings and Sri Lankan bonds being re-included in global indices, capital markets are beginning to show signs of life, said Dr. Weerasinghe. “This creates a platform for increased foreign direct investment (FDI), trade expansion, and domestic entrepreneurial activity.”

President Dissanayake opened the conference with a stark reminder of the human cost of Sri Lanka’s economic collapse. He called for economic leadership that not only addresses balance sheets but also rights wrongs of the past.

“We lost three critical things — one in our economy, two in our country, and three in our people, he said. “We must recover what was lost. And we can only do that through trust, transparency and inclusive policies.”

Dissanayake acknowledged the sacrifices made by the public — especially the most vulnerable — and emphasized that public buy-in is essential to the success of reform. “The people of this country have already shown their willingness to endure hardship in service of recovery. It is now the responsibility of government and institutions to ensure that their sacrifices are not in vain.”

His words carried weight in a country where memories of fuel queues, food shortages and economic despair remain fresh. The President signaled his administration’s commitment to a social contract grounded in accountability and economic fairness.

Gopinath noted that:

USD 3 billion in external debt was forgiven.

USD 25 billion was restructured with longer maturities and lower interest rates.

External debt servicing was reduced by half over the next decade.

Debt-to-GDP ratios are expected to fall by 27 to 34 percentage points.

“Sri Lanka’s experience has helped us sharpen how we approach debt sustainability, creditor coordination and domestic financial sector resilience, said Gopinath. “It’s a case study in how complex, painful, but ultimately successful restructuring can be done.”

By Ifham Nizam

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Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition 2025 recognizes Sri Lanka’s top culinary talent

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Nestlé Professional Sri Lanka, in partnership with the Chefs Guild of Lanka, relaunched the Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition this year – an island wide culinary competition focused on developing up-and-coming culinary talent in the hospitality industry.

Nestlé Professional also collaborated with the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association and Chefs Guild of Lanka to launch the Junior Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition for the very first time – providing culinary students in the hospitality industry with a platform to showcase their talents and skills, while fostering the next generation of culinary experts.

The regional rounds, held across all nine provinces of the country, brought together 18 finalists from both the Professional category and the newly introduced Junior category, to compete in the Grand Finale at the Culinary Art Food Expo.

The winners of the Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition 2025 were awarded at an event held on 15th June at Cinnamon Grand Colombo, with the participation of distinguished guests – Chief Guest, Her Excellency the Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Dr. Siri Walt; Head of Nestlé Professional Strategic Business Unit, Nestlé S.A., Reinhold Jakobi; Regional Business Head – Nestlé Professional, Nestlé Asia, Oceania and Africa Region, Jeroen Pluijmers; Director – Nestlé Professional, Nestlé South Asia Region, . Saurabh Makhija; Chairman of the Chefs Guild of Lanka, Chef Gerard Mendis and President of the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association, Patrick Pereira.

Mr. Bernie Stefan, Managing Director of Nestlé Lanka commented “The hospitality industry plays a vital role in supporting the transition from stability to growth in the Sri Lankan economy. Nestlé Lanka is honoured to play a part in uplifting the industry through the Nestlé Golden Chefs’ Hat Competition. This initiative also embodies our Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative, which is dedicated towards empowering and upskilling the youth to excel in their field of expertise and contribute to the community”.

H.E. Dr. Siri Walt, Ambassador of Switzerland to Sri Lanka and Maldives mentioned “I congratulate Nestlé Professional, the Chefs Guild of Lanka and the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association on this wonderful initiative to promote culinary talent.

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Activ8 Asia balances AI with nature through GPT (Go Plant a Tree)

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In celebration of World Environment Day 2025, Activ8 Asia, in collaboration with the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), launched an inspiring green initiative titled Project GPT – Go Plant a Tree. The campaign was a city-wide call to action to counterbalance the environmental footprint of artificial intelligence through a simple, tangible act: planting trees.

The initiative saw teams planting a range of rare and biodiversity-rich flora across 11 prominent locations in Colombo, including Viharamahadevi Park, from SLT Head Office to Lake House, and near the BMICH. These spaces, chosen for their cultural, civic, and environmental significance, now serve as living reminders of the need to harmonize technology and nature. “Project GPT is our way of balancing innovation with responsibility — a gesture to give back to the planet as we move forward in the digital age. At Activ8 Asia, we use AI tools like ChatGPT daily as part of our creative workflow. But with every typed prompt, we know there’s an unseen cost — data centers that power AI models consume vast amounts of energy and water,” said a Managing Director, Wazeel Nizar from Activ8 Asia.

Project GPT was not just about planting trees — it became a platform to ignite critical conversations around digital sustainability. Through leaflet distribution, interactive signage, and a targeted social media campaign, the initiative engaged the public with compelling insights into the environmental toll of emerging technologies.

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