Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank, planting a sapling. Others in the picture include (L–R): Aroshi Nanayakkara, President, Rotary Club of Colombo; Udara Premathilaka, Director, Plantations – Rubber, Kelani Valley Plantations; Anura Senanayake, Regional General Manager, Kelani Valley Plantations; and Asitha Thilakarathne, Estate Group Manager, We Oya Estate, Kelani Valley Plantations.
Sampath Bank inaugurated the ‘10,000 Trees Campaign’ in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Colombo at the We Oya Estate of Kelani Valley Plantations in Yatiyanthota, governed by the Hayleys Group of companies. This marks the materialization of the Bank’s plan to plant a total of 7,500 trees at Hayleys Plantations to protect the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change, as part of the Rotary Club of Colombo’s ‘10,000 trees campaign’.
The planting ceremony was graced by Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank; Tharaka Ranwala, Senior DGM – Group Marketing, De- posit Mobilization & Digitaliza- tion, Sampath Bank; Lalith Weragoda, Group Chief Human Resource Officer, Sampath Bank; Dulsiri Jayasinghe, AGM, Sampath Bank; and Aroshi Nanayakkara, President, the Rotary Club of Colombo and Non – Executive Director, Sam- path Bank. Officials from Kelani Valley Plantations and Sampath Bank were also pre- sent on the occasion.
This initiative strongly reflects Sampath Bank’s commitment to preserving the natural environment and reducing its carbon footprint. Therefore, the decision to partner with a like-minded service organization, Rotary Club of Colombo, was part of a strategy to ensure exponential growth and consistency within the tree planting program.
It is also noteworthy that all trees planted are native to Sri Lanka, which will ensure that the current eroding eco- system will be nurtured and revived.
Voicing his thoughts at the tree planting event, Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank said, “Climate change is often regarded as one of the most profound global problems. This is an issue that affects us all. Plant- ing new trees is one of the most effective ways to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and limit global warm- ing. Responsible corporations must combine their strengths to address this matter and achieve sustainable goals. Sampath Bank has done exactly this by partnering with the Rotary Club of Colombo. I can confidently say that this is one of the many collaborations for national initiatives we hope to engage in.”
Nanda Fernando, Managing Director, Sampath Bank; Aroshi Nanayakkara, President, Rotary Club of Colombo; and Udara Premathilaka, Director, Plantations – Rubber, Kelani Valley Plantations along with the teams from Sampath Bank; Rotary Club of Colombo and Kelani Valley Plantations.
