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Aitken Spence, Most Awarded Company at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability Award 2020

Aitken Spence PLC walked away with 12 awards and the highest number of awards received by a single company at the Best Corporate Citizen Sustainability (BCCS) Award 2020. Aitken Spence emerged ‘1^st Runner-Up’ and was unmatched as the only company to have been ranked among the Top Ten Best Corporate Citizens of Sri Lanka for 15 consecutive years and placed in the Top 3 for eight consecutive years. The company was also the recipient of the highest number of certificate awards for ‘Consistent Commitment and Continuous Improvement’ which goes to show the robust sustainability strategy and unparalleled commitment to sustainability from its teams across the diversified Group even during extremely challenging times.

The company was also awarded the top 10 best corporate citizens, triple bottom line awards for plant and people, category awards for environmental integration and environmental commitment, sector award in the diversified holdings and consistent commitment and continuous improvements certificate awards for environmental commitment, environmental integration and environment beyond the business, employee relations and customer relations.

Organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, this annual event recognises best practices of organisations that have successfully achieved a sustainable balance between social, environmental and economic performance.  

The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce hosts this award with an esteemed panel of experienced evaluators and judges comprising of industry leaders, and experts on sustainable development. Recognition at this platform is aimed to encourage businesses, a major contributor in the country’s economy and development, to adopt sustainable practices. The diverse categories within this programme evaluate processes and systems ensuring integration of environmental and social sustainability within the business, measures to strengthen employee relations and customer satisfaction, systemic efforts for community development and economic contribution, governance structures, consistent commitment as well as sustainable projects carried out by corporates.  

Commenting on this achievement, Dr. Parakrama Dissanayake - Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of Aitken Spence PLC said, “My gratitude goes out to our Spensonians for their unwavering commitment especially during these challenging times. These many awards won by a single company validates the approach we have adopted across the leadership of Aitken Spence and is a reflection on our sustainability ethos.”

“Aitken Spence is one of the very few organisations in Sri Lanka that are truly international and diversified and because of this, developing a strategy that encompasses the priorities of all our operations is all the more complex. I wholeheartedly thank the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce and all our stakeholders that have been on this long journey with us. We will use the constructive feedback from the esteemed panel of judges to improve and I am confident that Aitken Spence will continue to raise the benchmark for sustainability in the corporate sector,” he further added.

With an indisputable repute as one of Sri Lanka’s pioneering corporates, Aitken Spence is a blue-chip conglomerate anchored to a heritage of excellence spanning over 150 years. Listed in the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1983, Aitken Spence is a responsible enterprise driven by over 13,000 employees across 16 industries in 9 countries in hotels, travels, maritime, freight and logistics solutions, plantations, power generation, insurance, printing, apparel, and other services.

Left to right: Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri - Country Representative for IUCN in Sri Lanka, Dr. Rohan Fernando - Director and Head of Business Development & Plantations, Aitken Spence PLC, Ms. Stasshani Jayawardena - Director Aitken Spence PLC and Chairperson Aitken Spence Hotel Managements (Pvt) Ltd., Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya – Chairperson Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Ms. Yasangi Randeni, Deputy General Manager – Group Business Development & Sustainability, Aitken Spence PLC and Mr. Rohan Pandithakorralage – Chief Human Resources Officer Aitken Spence PLC.