August, 7, 2014
Bharti Airtel Lanka, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, a leading global multi-national telecommunications company Ranked fourth in the world in terms of subscribers, with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa has been named among the Top 50 Most Respected Entities in the island by the LMD magazine. This fifth and youngest mobile telecommunication provider in Sri Lanka has proven beyond doubt that it has the mettle to blaze its own trail. In only the first entry to the prestigious list, Airtel Lanka adds a further accolade of being the youngest organisation to be amongst LMD’s Top 50 Most Respected.
In 2009, Bharti Airtel Lanka entered the telecommunication landscape with a sizeable one million customers, the fastest operator to do so. With a brand ethos firmly entrenched to enrich lives, Bharti Airtel today engages over 1.7 million subscribers through 45,000 touch points having infused an investment of US $350 million into state of the art technology, unbridled innovation and a robust world class network infrastructure. This has resulted in the company being crowned with multiple awards that surely evidences its stature among the topmost rung of corporate leadership.
Calling the six year journey, “Most exciting”, Chief Executive Officer/Managing Director Suren Goonewardene is even more excited at the fact that his young Company has been ranked No 43 amongst the Top 50 Most Respected in Sri Lanka. “We operate in the most competitive and regulated industry in the country and where other players have been here longer or had brand changes. In fact, we are the youngest organization to be listed in the Most Respected honour roll even amongst organisations representing other industries.” Emphasising that the journey has not been easy, involving much hard work, effort and sacrifice, he says, “It is really heartening that we have finally been genuinely recognised for who we are and what we stand for.”
True of its mission to make every life touched better through the transformative power of communication, Goonewardene whose nearly two decade experience in the industry has triggered dominance and market leadership in fiercely competitive milieus, is unambiguous about Airtel's entry in to Sri Lanka. “Despite all speculation, there has been consistency in corporate image and product and service elements. We have been instrumental in changing the way the Telecom business operates in Sri Lanka, introducing the simple plan concept with no hidden charges, a common rate for IDD and roaming and making mobile internet accessible to all.”
Bharti Airtel Lanka has also pioneered some unique initiatives on the social responsibility platform, the most memorable being the fight against child abuse in collaboration with the Sri Lanka College of Paediatricians. Inculcating a child-friendly environment within the Lady Ridgeway Hospital is another long term initiative under the company's CSR umbrella.
Augmenting its brand personality of being a leader in intent and behaviour, inspiring fresh and exciting ideas to being young at heart, mind and spirit while acting with confidence, honesty, courage and integrity, Bharti Airtel Lanka has also taken to the sporting arena with relish. “Sport is well aligned to our brand personality which has led us to be involved in rugby, football, basketball, tennis, rowing and cricket,” explains Goonewardene, a firm believer that sport shapes holistic individuals who can contribute productively to society. The Bharti Airtel Lanka ARS project has already seen twelve promising young footballers enjoy the adrenaline rush of Manchester United with female footballers too joining the fray this year.
While growing a suite of seamless voice and data services through a constantly upgraded network, Bharti Airtel Lanka has not only transformed the industry landscape, but has infused its global parent company's zest for governance, compliance and best practices. The company ensures that it recruits the best talent, train and develops them to international standards, develop quality products that are relevant and accessible to customers and invest in sponsorships that helps achieve the overall objective.
While the three nominations received at the 2013 SLIM Nielsen Awards cemented the Company's popularity, gaining stakeholder respect is also derived from perceptions, which Goonewardene deems forms the foundation for sustainability of any business. Bharti Airtel, which is listed on global stock markets, has hardly built its reputation on the perception of financials, but rather on the way it does business, stringent compliance, ethical business practices, honesty, consistency and accessibility. Working with a small flat structure team compared to competitors, Bharti Airtel Lanka specialises in headhunting to maintain inherent team quality. Goonewardene is very proud that the Company's global HR practices were also presented due kudos with a silver award at the HRM Awards 2012.
Bharti Airtel Lanka has surely etched its name in industry annals as a respected corporate steward. Living its brand values and brand promise, the Company is now prepping for times that will be even more competitive and challenging, highly confident that the unrelenting focus it espouses on superior innovation, unrelenting quality, unparalleled customer service and world class best practices coupled with strong stakeholder relationships will be the winning formula for the journey ahead.
About Bharti Airtel: Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 4 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 275 million customers across its operations at the end of May 2013. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com
About Bharti Airtel Lanka (Pvt.) Ltd: Bharti Airtel Lanka commenced commercial operations of services in Sri Lanka on January 12, 2009, and was the fastest operator to reach 1 million customers in Sri Lanka. With its network footprint panned out across the country and capturing strategic ranking positions in various areas in less than three years of operations, Airtel has emerged as Sri Lanka’s fastest expanding network. Registered under the Board of Investment in Sri Lanka, Airtel Lanka provides digital mobile services into Sri Lanka which includes voice telephony, voice mail, data services and GSM based services. The Company has also received accreditations such as ISO 27001:2005 and ISO 22301 for its continuous efforts towards information security and business continuity. To know more please visit, www.airtel.lk
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