By Megali Nanayakkara
The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) Sri Lanka Division and Janashakthi Insurance Company Ltd announced the launch of the Pinnacle Awards 2005. The event will take place on March 28, 2006 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. Considered one of the prime events in the Sri Lankan business event calendar, the CIMA Janashakthi Pinnacle Awards recognizes business excellence, leadership, management and teamwork at the highest standards and rewards excellence in professionalism amongst the top in the country’s business community.
Applications for participation are now available at the CIMA Secretariat, Colombo 5. “This event was initially launched 3 years ago with the primary objective of recognizing aspiring CIMA members as future business leaders and to facilitate their careers based not only on their academic achievements but also their individual personalities,” said Aravinda Perera, Chairman, Pinnacle Awards Committee. The four main award categories will be, Young CIMA Star of the Year, CIMA Business Manager of the Year, Chief Financial Officer of the Year and Business Leader of the Year. Out of the four awards, the Young CIMA Star and Business Manager of the Year awards are applicable only to CIMA members, while the latter two are open to members of the general public. The prestigious Business Leader of the Year Award is considered the most distinguished honor to be received at the Pinnacle Awards ceremony and is granted to recognize leaders who have made a significant contribution not only to their organization but to the business community as well. This is a national level award that will highlight one person who is the epitome of the best qualities of leadership and best practices in business today. A new honor introduced this year is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Year Award- introduced to engender, recognize and reward financial leadership. This award is presented in 3 sub-categories to large, medium and small organizations – each being a Gold Award. These awards are intended as a prestigious recognition for distinction in finance and seek to honor those individuals who have demonstrated outstanding capabilities and achievements in the wake of fundamental transformation to their core functions. The selection of winners will be based on points earned with regard to information disclosed in the entry application and an interview with a panel of judges comprising recognized corporate leaders. Last years winner of the Business Leader of the Year award, Kishore Gomes, CEO /MD, Caltex Lubricants,
commented that achieving an award such as this gives one the opportunity to benchmark one’s self as well reach globally renown competencies. A distinct feature of the Pinnacle Awards is its rewards structure; winners of the Young CIMA Star and Business Manager categories will receive scholarships to attend a two week executive program conducted by the Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore and at INSEAD, France. “As implied by the word Pinnacle, these awards are aimed at recognizing those who are at the very top in business, as well as motivating those who are aspiring to one day be top players in the business world,” commented Lalith Fonseka, President, CIMA, Sri Lanka Division. “We consider this a social responsibility of ours and we are working towards inculcating professionalism in the corporate sector; at the corporate as well as individual level,” commented Chandra Schaffter, Managing Director, Janashakthi Insurance Co. Lld
