People’s Bank, Sri Lanka’s Premier Licensed Commercial Bank, was once again bestowed two gold Awards at the International ARC Awards 2022, held in New York, the United States, for its 2021 Annual Report titled “Multifaceted Brilliance”.
The ARC Awards are the Academy Awards for Annual Reports by the international financial community. Notably, People’s Bank was the only Licensed Commercial Bank from Sri Lanka to win two golds at this year’s event.
During the event, the Bank’s 2021 Annual Report won a total of four awards: Gold for Written Text: Banks: National; Gold for Financial Data: Banks: National; Bronze for Cover Photo/Design: Banks: National; and Honors – Specialized A.R: Integrated AR & CSR: Non- Traditional Format.
Sharing his views on the wins, Sujeewa Rajapakse, the Chairman, People’s Bank, stated: “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment and more so considering the stage on which it is achieved. ARC Awards are the World’s largest International Annual Report competition attracting over 1,600 submissions from over 30 countries. The competition is amongst the best in class, with awards taking place according to a multi-tiered evaluation process by over 100 distinguished subject matter experts worldwide. Recently, People’s Bank celebrated its 61st anniversary. Like a precious diamond with multiple facets, the Bank, over its six decades of operations, has molded into a multifaceted financial institution catering to all segments of the country’s population of varying socio-economic and demographic profile.”
Commenting on the achievement, Ranjith Kodituwakku, Chief Executive Officer and General Manager, People’s Bank, stated, “The multiple wins reinforce’ our commitment to excellence across all aspects of our business operations. Stakeholder engagement remains fundamental to our activities, and the Integrated Annual Report serves as a vital tool for this purpose. 2021 was a year that witnessed a continuation of the challenges that were triggered even before the pandemic, and, despite the such prolonged setback, the Bank has forged ahead showcasing its resilience, leveraging on its customer centricity and digital superiority whilst continuing to serve the needs of a nation in a time of extraordinary challenge and change.”
Comment ing on the outstanding winning streak of People’s Bank at the ARC Awards, People’s Bank Head of Finance Azzam A. Ahamat stated that: “The accolades are testimony to the Bank’s commitment to the Best in Class in Reporting and its endeavor to continuously provide a three sixty-degree view for the benefit of all its stakeholders from both a quantitative and qualitative perspective. In preparing its Reports, the Bank draws on concepts, principles, and guidance from, amongst others, the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) Framework, Consolidated Set of Global Reporting Initiatives and Guidelines, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. With much of the creative and compilation being internal, we remain committed to continuing to set benchmarks in the space of integrated reporting”.
