Celebrates employees for enduring legacy of winning amid adversity
Celebrating a decade of excellence in innovation, Hayleys PLC hosted its 10th annual Chairman’s
Awards to recognise the inspiring achievements and initiatives of its teams across 16 diverse
business sectors.
A total of 205 employees from 25 project teams were felicitated at the diversified conglomerate’s
apex recognition platform. Projects included value-added export innovations that continued to drive
foreign exchange earnings, cutting-edge digital transformations from raw material supply chains to
robotic process automation, and ground-breaking, unique solutions to diverse industry challenges.
“The Hayleys Chairman’s Awards began in 2012 with the intention of building a culture of excellence
and recognition across our diversified conglomerate, and is today a highly anticipated hallmark of our
corporate culture.
“As a Sri Lankan corporate with 145 years of heritage, we are no stranger to periods of immense
challenge. It has been the enduring passion of our people – our greatest asset – that has helped us
successfully navigate through the ages to overcome tremendous adversity. This year’s award-winning
projects demonstrate the resilience and relentless spirit of our talented employees to create value
for our diverse stakeholders,” Hayleys Chairman and Chief Executive, Mohan Pandithage said.
A new series of Category Awards recognised top initiatives across Environmental, Social and
Governance (ESG), Innovation, Quality and Lean Management and Service Excellence.
Dipped Products PLC (DPL) received the flagship Overall Winner Award for launching patented
hand-protection solutions designed with five unique technological platforms for six export markets.
Backed by deep customer insights from clients all over the world, DPL delivered a superior solution
to differentiate its value propositions in the competitive, global nitrile glove market. The team’s in-
house engineering team was also recognised with the Innovation Category Award for their ground-
breaking ‘fully integrated robot dipping automation’, created within a limited space.
Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC (TTEL) was acknowledged as the Quality and Lean Management
Category Award-winner for its ‘Eco-friendly green zip line’ project. The novel idea was implemented
during fuel shortages and escalating prices, to transport fresh leaves to the factory. The initiative
resulted in a decrease in emissions anchored to a significant decrease in transportation costs, and
has supported a better work-life balance for the team on-ground.
The Group’s leading consumer brand, Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC, won the Service Excellence Category
Award for meeting the surge in consumer demand for ‘work-play-and-study-from-home’ solutions
during the pandemic. Singer not only successfully met the demands from the work-from-home
front but captured the hearts of gamers in Sri Lanka with the biggest and most watched gaming
tournament – the Singer Esports Premier League as well.
Hayleys Fabric was recognised as the ESG Award-winner for its efforts to restore the Lagenandra
Kalugalaensis, a critically endangered plant species, endemic to a single location on the periphery of
the Kalugala Forest Reserve. The collaborative initiative with the Central Environmental Authority
(CEA) and the Universities of Peradeniya and Wayamba seeks to conserve the rare aquatic plant
from extinction through field research and seed germination.
On this night, employees also had the chance to showcase their hidden talents on stage through four
entertaining segments. These included a live instrumental band, group and solo singing, and a fashion
show exclusively designed by Hayleys Fabric, featuring garments made out of ocean waste (recycled
nylon) and PET bottles (recycled polyester).
Kalugalaensis species