Business Today TOP TWENTY FIVE recognises top corporate performers
Having reached middle-income status, Sri Lanka now envisions a growth where the country will reach the status of an advanced economy by 2035.
Chief Guest Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Special Guest Chief Justice Mohan Pieris with John Keells Holdings Chairman Susantha Ratnayake, Commercial Bank of Ceylon Chairman Dharma Dheerasinghe, Commercial Bank of Ceylon Managing Director/CEO Jegan Durairatnam, Ceylon Tobacco Company CEO Felicio Ferraz, Bukit Darah Director Chandima Gunawardena, Hatton National Bank Chairperson Dr. Ranee Jayamaha, Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka and Aitken Spence Chairman Harry Jayawardena, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Operating Officer Azwan Khan, Sri Lanka Telecom Chairman Nimal Welgama, Sri Lanka Telecom Group Chief Executive Officer Lalith De Silva, Lanka IOC Senior Vice President Dhananjay Srivastava, Lanka IOC Senior Vice President Saurav Mitra, Aitken Spence Deputy Chairman J.M. S. Britto, Hayleys Chairman/CEO Mohan Pandithage, Sampath Bank and Vallibel One Chairman Dhammika Perera, Nestlé Lanka Vice President of Finance and Control Jagdish Singla, People’s Leasing & Finance Company Director Wasantha Kumara, People’s Leasing & Finance Company DGM Sanjeewa Bandaranaike, Central Finance Managing Director Eranjith Wijenaike, DFCC Bank CEO Arjun Fernando, Representative of LOLC Susan Bandara, National Development Bank Chairman Sunil Wijesinha, Access Engineering Managing Director Christopher Joshua, Chevron Lubricants Lanka Managing Director/CEO Dr. Kishu Gomes, Hemas Holdings Chief Financial Officer Malinga Arsecularatne, Seylan Bank Chairman Nihal Jayamanne, Tokyo Cement’s Praveen Gnanam, Ceylinco Life Managing Director/CEO R. Renganathan and Ceylinco Insurance Managing Director/CEO A.R. Gunawardena
On this path of progress, the private sector plays a crucial role in ensuring that the nation’s journey in growth is unstoppable. As such Business Today TOP TWENTY FIVE recognised the top corporate performers of Sri Lanka for the financial year 2013-2014 for their resilience in trying circumstances and their contribution towards the economy of Sri Lanka.
The Chief Guest at the occasion was Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development while Chief Justice Mohan Pieris was the Special Guest. Ioma Rajapaksa and Priyanthi Pieris were also present at the occasion. The event was further graced by many distinguished guests including politicians, corporate leaders, foreign dignitaries, diplomats and members of the armed forces of Sri Lanka.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa addressed the gathering during the award ceremony. Staged performances and entertainment during the evening also shed light on the new strides and ventures of BT Options.
John Keells Holdings managed to retain their number one position in Business Today TOP TWENTY FIVE, yet again establishing their place as a leader among the corporate sector of the country. Total revenue of the group recorded an increase of 5% to reach Rs. 89.26 billion while their PAT increased by 9% to Rs. 12.54 billion. The group’s growth was attributed to their food and retail, leisure, transportation and financial services sectors.
The second and third positions were secured by Commercial Bank of Ceylon and Ceylon Tobacco Company respectively. Being the largest private bank in Sri Lanka, Commercial Bank recorded a PAT of over Rs. 10 billion while contributing Rs. 57,534 million of interest income to the economy. The Ceylon Tobacco Company reported a top line growth of eight percent to reach Rs. 89.4 billion and a 12% growth in PAT to Rs. 9.1 billion.
Bukit Darah came next at number four while Hatton National Bank, Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka, Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka Telecom, Lanka IOC and Aitken Spence comprised the top 10 companies of Business Today TOP TWENTY FIVE.
The ranking of the top 25 companies of Sri Lanka continues with Hayleys at 11, Sampath Bank 12, Nestlé Lanka 13, People’s Leasing & Finance 14, Central Finance Company 15, DFCC 16, Lanka Orix Leasing Company 17, National Development Bank 18, Vallibel One 19, Access Engineering 20, Chevron Lubricants Lanka 21, Hemas Holdings 22, Seylan Bank 23, Tokyo Cement Company (Lanka) 24 and Ceylinco Insurance at 25.
The Business Today TOP TWENTY FIVE companies were selected on the basis of their financial performance during the financial year ending 31 December 2013 and 31 March 2014. It is strictly based on the published information of companies listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. Financial criteria considered include share turnover, revenue, profit after tax, return on equity, earnings per share, market capitalisation, value of shares transacted and value addition.
Since 1998, Business Today has recognised and awarded top corporate performers annually for 17 years, acknowledging their contribution to the economic development of Sri Lanka.
