* Aspires to become the country’s most preferred employer in the insurance industry

Asian Alliance Insurance PLC has embarked on a comprehensive talent management strategy that includes retaining and attracting the best professional talent in its quest towards being the most preferred Insurance Employer Brand in the country.

The Talent Drive is being launched at all levels in the organization with the initial focus being on the Senior Management structure that is being set up to achieve the ambitious business plans and strategic objectives of the company. The senior management structure has been set up with promotions announced in four areas of the organization comprising Life Operations, Life Actuarial, ICT and Finance that will play a critical role in supporting the company in both Life Insurance and General Insurance businesses. The company is fast becoming a magnet for talented professionals who are looking to succeed in challenging roles supported by a dynamic and fast paced work environment.

Mr. Iftikar Ahamed, Managing Director of Asian Alliance Insurance commented: “The new promotions that have been announced prepare Asian Alliance for the next phase of our growth. The new structure binds the team and improves our ability to respond to customer needs and optimize the services we provide. This step also better aligns the business with our future growth strategy, which is powered by a strong focus on cultivating our human resources to be the best in the industry. We are proud of the vibrant work culture Asian Alliance offers, which encourage our people to rise to their fullest potential. Our senior team has delivered some exceptional results and it is now time for them to step into the next phase of development where even bigger challenges await.”

As a preferred employer in the industry, Asian Alliance Insurance has adopted best practices in talent acquisition and talent management that sets it apart from others. The Insurer provides an engaging and fulfilling environment with plentiful opportunities for personal and professional growth, whilst maintaining a competitive reward strategy to continuously enhance people practices.

Mr. Thilanka Kiriporuwa, Head of Human Resources of Asian Alliance Insurance PLC stated: “Employees are given a clear career progression pathway and encouraged to acquire greater skills to progress rapidly in their careers. We aspire to be one of the most preferred employers in the industry, and our career progression in the Sales function is well known in the industry. The strong enabling culture fostered in our company is engendering a vibrant and positive work culture that resonates with professionals who are eager to work for a company like ours that values their efforts and brings out the best in them. Further, succession planning is a key focus in the organization and employees are increasingly empowered for independent decision-making. Asian Alliance Insurance’s distinctive philosophy and culture of knowledge and learning has made its workplace a crucible of leadership, developing dynamic leaders and a cutting edge team that is fast moving to the forefront of the industry.”

The company regularly invests in strategic areas to develop and grow talent by ensuring career progression and enhancement of their skill sets, both technical and soft skills. During 2014, 23% of industry entrance examinations were by Asian Alliance staff with a pass rate of 87% - with the top 20% achieving Distinctions, which is a record in the industry. The company offers employees multiple training opportunities for employees, both local and overseas training programs to provide exposure to global best practices and international markets.

The senior managers who received promotions are Lasitha Wimalaratne (Deputy General Manager – Life Operations), Suranga Waduge (Deputy General Manager – Life Actuarial), Amal Dharmapriya (Deputy General Manager – ICT) and Dilan Christostom (Deputy General Manager – Finance).

Lasitha Wimalaratne (Deputy General Manager – Life Operations) is a Chartered Insurer and a Fellow Member of the Chartered Insurance Institute, UK (FCII). He is also a Fellow Member of the Australian and New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF) and an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK (ACIM). He holds a MBA from the University of Wales, UK and a B.A.(Hons) degree in Business Studies from the University of Sunderland, UK. His career spans over 17 years including 14 years in Life Operations with 3 years Marketing and Sales exposure in London. Lasitha has been serving as a Council Member for the Sri Lanka Insurance Institute from 2011 and currently he is holding the position of Honorary Treasurer. Also he had published a book on Life Insurance titled “Jeevitha Rakshanaye Asiriya” in 2003.

Suranga Waduge (Deputy General Manager – Life Actuarial), holds a MSc in Mathematics and Statistics from the University of Missouri Kansas City, USA and a BSc (Hons) in Business, Financial and Computational Mathematics from the University of Colombo. He began his career at Asian Alliance Insurance as a Management Trainee in 2004 and left to USA in 2006 to read for his MSc. Having gained foreign exposure for 3 years, he returned to Asian Alliance as Manager Actuarial. During his 8 year career in Insurance, he has participated in many foreign and local training programmes on Life Insurance and Reinsurance including FALIA (Japan).

Amal Dharmapriya (Deputy General Manager – ICT) joined Asian Alliance in June 2004 as a Systems Development Manager. He counts over 15 years of broad-based experience in IT industry consisting of Executive Management, Project Management, Application Design, Development & Implementation in Financial, Insurance & ERP systems with exposures in both Sri Lanka & Australia. The high point of his career in Asian Alliance is considered as spearheading the in-house development of complete insurance solution for the Company. He is a passed finalist of Certified Information Security Manager (CISM) – ISACA and a member of the Australian computer society (MACS). Amal has a B.Sc. in Applied Sciences from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, M.Sc. in Computer Science, University of Colombo School of Computing and holds a MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Dilan Christostom (Deputy General Manager – Finance) is an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). His career spans over 13 years, of which 5 years was spent overseas. He has participated in many foreign and local training programmes on Insurance, Finance, Accounting and Risk Management including FALIA (Japan) and was a member of the Softlogic Team that won the international Asset & Liability Management competition conducted in Germany by DEG and FMO.

Asian Alliance Insurance PLC is held by Softlogic Capital PLC and is part of the Softlogic Group, which is recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s most diversified and fastest-growing conglomerates, with interests in Healthcare, Retail, ICT, Leisure, Automobiles and Financial Services. Significant stakeholders in the company also include FMO and DEG that are rated ‘AAA’ Development Financial Institutions from the Netherlands and Germany respectively.

Photo caption: (From left) Amal Dharmapriya, Dilan Christostom, Lasitha Wimalaratne and Suranga Waduge