ACCA Marks 21 Years of Driving Excellence in Sustainability Reporting

The 21st ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards, recently held at Cinnamon Life, marked a significant milestone, uniting Sri Lanka’s leading corporates, sustainability professionals, regulators, and stakeholders to celebrate over two decades of ESG reporting excellence. The awards remain a national benchmark, driving businesses to embed sustainability at their core and align with global best practices.

This year’s distinguished panel of judges was chaired by Santhosh Jayaram and comprised Senior Professor Kennedy Gunawardena of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura; Rathnakala Kumaragurunathan, Director – Investment Research at Acuity Analytics; Imran Furkan, CEO of Tresync Australia; Dr. Nuwan Gunawardena, Senior Lecturer, Department of Accounting, University of Sri Jayawardenepura; Nishantha Hewavithana, Senior Vice President – Research and Strategy at the Colombo Stock Exchange; Nandika Buddhipala, Non-Executive Independent Director of Sarvodaya Development Finance PLC; Wei Yuan, E&S Advisor at IFC; Anusha Mohotti, Head of Audit Quality Monitoring at CA Sri Lanka; Dr. Nuwan Gunawardena, Co-Founder and CIO of Lynear Wealth Management; Shamindra Kulamannage, Co-Founder of Echelon Media Group; and Chamindry Saparamadu, Executive Director of DevPro.

Entries were assessed against a rigorous framework covering governance, strategy, risk, metrics, presentation, and reporting—recognizing not just compliance, but leadership and resilience.

Chairman of ACCA Sri Lanka, Chaaminda Kumarasiri, in his address stated that the Awards remain a premier benchmark for transparency, accountability, and strategic foresight. He emphasized that sustainability is now a strategic imperative—driving competitiveness, trust, and long-term impact beyond reporting compliance.

Chief Guest H.E. Andrew Patrick, British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, commended Sri Lanka’s business and finance professionals for their leadership in sustainable development, highlighting their commitment to transparency, accountability, and responsible practices as an inspiring example for organizations locally and beyond.

Melanie Proffitt, ACCA Global President, noted in her virtual address that the Awards have become a landmark event on Sri Lanka’s business calendar, highlighting ACCA’s commitment to embedding sustainability skills into its professional qualifications.

Among the category winners, Hayleys PLC emerged as winner in the Conglomerates and Diversified category, with John Keells Holdings PLC as runner-up.

In Agriculture, Talawakelle Tea Estates PLC secured top honors, while Kelani Valley Plantations PLC was runner-up. The Manufacturing category was won by Dipped Products PLC, with Haycarb PLC as runner-up.

In Banking, Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC claimed the award, with Sampath Bank PLC as runner-up. The Other Financial Services category was awarded to Ceylinco Life  Insurance Ltd, with Alliance Finance Company PLC named runner-up. Under Non-Financial Services, Hayleys Advantis Limited emerged winner, while Dialog Axiata PLC secured runner-up.

In Retail, Hayleys Fentons Limited won the category, with JAT Holdings PLC as runner-up. The SME category was won by Oxford College of Business, with Resus Energy PLC as runner-up.

The Tourism and Leisure award went to John Keells Hotels PLC, with Aitken Spence Hotels PLC as runner-up. In Food and Beverage, Ceylon Cold Stores PLC claimed top honors, while Three Acre Farm (Pvt) Ltd was runner-up.

Among the Special Awards, Hayleys PLC was recognized for Excellence in Risk Reporting. The Overall Winner of the 21st ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards was Hayleys PLC, while Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC was named Overall Runner-up.

The ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards highlight Sri Lanka’s leadership in responsible business, proving that purpose-driven performance is now essential, not optional.

source: Lanka Business News