HNB Assurance PLC (HNBA) announced the appointments of Mr. Damien Fernando and Mr.Stuart Chapman as Non-Executive Directors while its subsidiary, HNB General Insurance Limited (HNBGI) announced the appointments of Mr. Damien Fernando, Mr. Sanjay Wijemanne and Mr. Arjuna Abeygunasekara as Non-Executive Directors to the respective Boards. These appointments have been approved at the recently concluded Company Annual General Meeting and also by the Insurance Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka. The reconstituted Board of HNBA comprises of Mrs. Rose Cooray as Chairperson, Mr. Deepthi Lokuarachchi as
Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mahendra Jayasekera, Mrs. Siromi Wickramasinghe, Dr. Sivakumar Selliah, Mr. Dilshan Rodrigo, Mr. Ravi Abeysuriya, Mr. Damien Fernando and Mr. Stuart Chapman. And the reconstituted Board of HNBGI comprises of Mrs Rose Cooray as Chairperson, Mr. Deepthi Lokuarachchi as Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Faizal Salieh, Mr. Dilshan Rodrigo, Mrs. Marina Tharmaratnam, Mr. Damien Fernando, Mr. Sanjay Wijemanne and Mr. Arjuna Abeygunasekara.
Mr. Damien Fernando is an old boy of St. Peter’s College, Colombo and Royal College, Colombo, Mr. Fernando is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants of United Kingdom and is a qualified Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Management Accountants of Sri Lanka and obtained a Master of Business Administration Degree from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Sri Jayawardenapura. Mr. Fernando has held many key positions in several sectors including Finance, Life and
General Insurance and has held positions on the Boards of the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Limited, Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, Lanka Hospital Corporation PLC, Melstacorp PLC, Pelwatte Sugar PLC and National Asset Management Limited. Presently Mr.Fernando is a member of the Boards of the Hatton National Bank PLC, HealthCey Private Limited and Addison Private Limited.
Mr. Stuart Chapman holds a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Colombo and a Diploma in Marketing, UK. He is a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. He has also obtained a Diploma in Life Insurance Sales and Marketing from the Life Underwriters Training Council, USA. He is also a Fellow Member of the Institute of Management, UK. He is a Member of the Institute of Certified Management Accountants, Australia and holds a Diploma in Business Management from the National Institute of Business Management, Sri Lanka. With over 38 years of professional experience in industries including Insurance, Merchant Banking, FMCG, Healthcare and Telecommunications, Mr. Chapman has held several key positions. He has served Janashakthi Insurance PLC in the capacity of Director/CEO and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals as Managing Director, Lanka Orix Leasing Company in the capacity of Managing Director, Hemas Healthcare Sector as Managing Director, Reckitt Benckiser as Marketing Director and Unilever Sri Lanka as a Senior Brand Manager. He has been on the Boards of Ceylinco Insurance Co. Limited, Seylan Merchant Bank, Glaxo Wellcome Ceylon Limited, SmithKline Beecham Private Limited, Lanka Orix Leasing Company Limited and currently serves on the Boards of Hemas Pharmaceuticals Private Limited and nited Motors Lanka PLC. In addition, he has held several positions in the industry including that of Honorary President and Founding Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region, President of the Chamber of Pharmaceutical Industry and Co-Chairman of the Pharmaceutical and Cosmetics Steering Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Sanjay Wijemanne holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business & Finance from Mount Saint Mary’s University in the United States of America. Mr. Wijemanne currently holds the position of Deputy General Manager of Retail Banking at the Hatton National Bank PLC and
manages key areas pertaining to Personal Financial Services (Leasing, Pawning, Personal and Housing Loans), Credit Cards, Sales & Business Development, Digital Banking, Network Management, Deposit Mobilization, Marketing Communications, Customer Service, Club & Priority Banking, Inward Remittances & Exchange House Relationships and Bancassurance Channels. Having commenced his career at Ceylinco Securities & Financial Services, he then joined the Hatton National Bank PLC and subsequently The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited, where he held many key positions including Vice President – Custody & Clearing, Head of Sales, Head of Branches including Premier Banking, Branch Manager - Kollupitiya Branch/Manager Premier Centre. He then joined the Standard Chartered Bank and held positions of Head of Retail Banking, General Manager - Premium Banking Branch Sales & Services and General Manager - Value Centre.
Mr. Arjuna Abeygunasekara counts over 20 years of experience in the banking sector including branch banking and treasury management in four leading banks in the country. He currently holds the position of Assistant General Manager - Treasury and Markets of Hatton National Bank PLC. Mr. Abeygunasekara holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Colombo and a Master of Business Administration Degree from the University of Colombo. He has obtained the status of ACI and the status of Chartered Global Management Accountant and is an Associate Chartered Management Accountant. In addition, he serves the Centre for Banking Studies of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka as a recourse person.
Oct
HNB Assurance PLC made history by hosting its Partnership Awards 2024 on an international stage for the very first time. Held at the prestigious Berkeley Hotel in Bangkok, the event brought together over 100 participants, including HNB and HNB Assurance staff, Bancassurance Officers and their families, for a night of celebration, recognition and appreciation. The Partnership Awards, a key annual event for HNB Assurance, is about acknowledging the exceptional contributions of the company’s partnership channel, which has played a critical role in the overall company’s growth. This year’s event was special, as it was the first time an awards ceremony of this nature was held outside Sri Lanka—an exciting milestone which reflects HNB Assurance’s growth and ambitious leadership and vision. Speaking at the event, Mr. Lasitha Wimalaratne, CEO of HNB Assurance shared his excitement about the channel’s achievements: “It’s a proud moment for us to be here in Thailand, celebrating the hard work and remarkable milestones of our partnership channel which has shown remarkable growth over the past couple of years. The journey of crossing the LKR 5 billion Gross Written Premium milestone is no small feat and the fact that our partnership channel now contributes almost 46% of our total GWP shows just how vital its role is, in our success. As we move ahead, we must strive to push our boundaries by staying innovative and focusing on customer satisfaction. So, congratulations to all the award winners and teams behind organizing this gala event.”Mr. Supun Dias, Assistant General Manager, Network Business of Hatton National Bank, attending the ceremony as the Guest of Honor, opined, “It truly is remarkable to see the progress HNB Assurance has made over the years. To grow year after year within a challenging economic landscape is no easy task. I am confident that with this momentum, HNB Assurance will continue to achieve greater success and set new benchmarks in the industry. It’s an exciting time and journey ahead for us as the HNB group and I’m extremely proud to be here to witness this milestone."HNB Assurance was recognized as the best Life Bancassurance Provider by the Global Banking and Finance Review for four consecutive years. Further the bancassurance team recorded an impressive milestone of 122 MDRT qualifiers out of a sales force of over 200.“What makes this event special is that we’re not just celebrating numbers, we’re celebrating our people” stated Mr. Sanesh Fernando, Chief Business Officer Partnerships. “It’s been a privilege to watch our Bancassurance Officers grow and achieve new heights each year. This event in Thailand is a reflection of just how far we’ve come together and I certainly believe that the best is yet to come. Recording 122 MDRT qualifiers including 17 COTs and 02 TOTs last year and being recognized as the Best Life Bancassurance Provider on four consecutive occasions is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team. While these achievements highlight the exceptional talent within our Bancassurance channel, I have no doubt that we will continue reach even greater heights in the future. Finally, I’d like to take a moment to thank our parent company Hatton National Bank along with our other partner banks, financial institutions and broker network for their continued support.”
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Oct
HNB Assurance PLC entered an exciting new partnership with the Industrial Development Board (IDB), which will bring customized insurance solutions to more than 10,000 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and large corporates that are registered with the IDB. This collaboration is aimed at supporting the backbone of Sri Lanka’s economy and helping businesses thrive with the security they need to grow.Speaking about this collaboration, Mr. Lasitha Wimalaratne, CEO of HNB Assurance, opined, "We see our partnership with the IDB as more than just a collaboration, it’s in a way a national service. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are the heart of our economy and they play a huge role in driving growth and creating jobs. By teaming up with the IDB, we are not only offering insurance products, we are providing a sense of security for business owners and their employees. As a result, these companies can focus on what they do best and help our economy thrive. My sincere thanks to the IDB for placing their trust on HNB Assurance and we look forward to a fruitful partnership”Dr. Saranga Alahapperuma, Chairman of the IDB, emphasized the importance of this collaboration "At IDB, our mission has always been to empower Sri Lanka’s industrial sector. We operate with the ultimate goal of providing a boost to the Sri Lankan economy by creating employment opportunities, improving the standard of living and promoting overall economic development. Hence, this partnership with HNB Assurance is a natural extension of that mission. By offering customized insurance solutions, we’re giving our registered companies an added layer of security, which is crucial in today’s competitive market.”The unique feature of this partnership comes in the form of a commitment to supporting the growth of local industries, where HNB Assurance has pledged to allocate a small sum to the IDB Development Fund. Which the IDB will utilize to offer business loans to entrepreneurs at the lowest possible interest rates.Mr. Sanesh Fernando, Chief Business Officer – Partnership Channel of HNB Assurance PLC, highlighted the benefits of this collaboration, stating, “I certainly believe that this partnership is poised to create significant benefits for everyone involved. For HNB Assurance, it opens up new opportunities to serve the business community. For the IDB, it creates more resources to support their mission of industrial development. For the SMEs, it means greater security and peace of mind as they navigate the challenges of today’s economy. For this collaboration, we have developed a specialized product tailored to the unique needs of IDB-registered companies and additionally we have also pledged a sum from each policy to the IDB’s Development Fund to be given out as a loan, whereby business growth is facilitated.”
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Sep
HNB Assurance PLC is pleased to announce the appointment of Prof. Ananda Jayawardane as Non-Executive / Non-Independent Director with effect from 09th August 2024. Professor Ananda Jayawardane is currently a Senior Professor in Civil Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, a Commission Member of the University Grants Commission, and a member of governing boards of several other public and private sector organisations. He recently completed his term as the Chairman of the Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC after serving nine years in its Board. He is also a past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa, a past Chairman of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and a past Director General of the National Science Foundation.He has extensive experience and expertise in corporate governance in public institutions & private corporates, banking, finance, strategy, leadership, institution building, policy making, science & technology and teaching in subject areas of planning, project management, technology management, technology transfer and negotiation. He is a Chartered Engineer, an International Professional Engineer, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the Institute of Project Managers, Sri Lanka, a Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka, a Life Member of Sri Lanka Association for Advancement of Science, a Graduate Member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors and a Member of the Society of Structural Engineers Sri Lanka. He is also the past NDB Bank Endowed Professor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Moratuwa and a Past President of the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka. He has also served as a member of the governing Councils/Boards of National Science Foundation, Institute for Construction Training and Development, State Engineering Corporation, Post-graduate Institute of Management, Miloda Academy of Financial Studies, the Open University of Sri Lanka, Construction Industry Development Authority, Engineering Council of Sri Lanka and Green Building Council of Sri Lanka.He has co-authored several textbooks and has published and presented over 85 research papers both locally and internationally and delivered memorial orations, convocation addresses and keynotes in many occasions. He has received several awards for his research publications. He is also the recipient of the National Achiever’s Award - 2013 under the category of Engineering by Lions Clubs International – District 306A1, the IESL President’s Award – 2012 and the Asia’s Education Excellence Award – 2016 for outstanding contribution to education, Sri Lanka Education Leadership Award – 2017 for education leadership, Sri Lanka Education Leadership Award – 2018 for outstanding contribution to education presented by World Education Congress and CMO Asia and “Eminence in Engineering” award – the highest, most prestigious life time award given by the IESL for eminence in practice of engineering – 2018.
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