Hatton National Bank PLC (HNB) was recognized as a winner in the Top Workplaces in Asia category of the Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards (ACES) 2019.

The award was presented in Bangkok, Thailand over a Grand Gala Dinner on 20th of September 2019, at the Athenee Hotel, at the ACES awards 2019. The Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards is organised by the MORS Group, Malaysia since 2014. It is considered as a prestigious accolade which recognizes inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates, across industry and across Asia. Two categories of awards are presented i.e for successful companies and for individuals in Asia across two main domains; leadership and corporate social responsibility. HNB was invited to participate by the MORS Groups who informed that their Research Unit, working in line with industry experts and partners, had meticulously handpicked candidates to be in the priority nominees list, based on merits available as public information and recommendations.

HNB’s 130year presence has endowed it with a solid foundation of well embedded values and best practices which continue to define how it engages with its People. The talents, drive and commitment of its people have been the corner stone of its’ sustained success and it is their passion and talents which has fuelled its innovations and progress. HNB’s staff is respected for their knowledge, capability and commitment to building relationships beyond transactions.

Over the years HNB has grown in multiple ways; in size, speed, strength and stability and with innovative new banking technologies through which the Bank reaches some of the remotest regions of the country.

“HNB takes on a wholesome people centric approach, with various policies and initiatives promoting not only a great environment for employees to operate in, but also encouraging a good work life balance amongst them. We have consistently been endorsed for our best practices and work with a sense of responsibility and compassion that will continue to inspire all members of our multigenerational hatna family,” Chiranthi Cooray – Chief Transformation Officer of HNB.

She further added that we have a unique culture where multi ethnic, multi religious, highly diverse set of people are working towards one goal in 251 different geographic locations. In order to harness the synergies possessed within the organisation as a whole, we have implemented a host of innovations and value additions into HR to ensure that everyone is given the appropriate environment to work as an effective team with clear goals.

Striking a balance between competing stake holder demands to enrich and nurture the professional and personnel lives of our people thereby ensuring job security, stability and worklife balance is a very important objective for us. We champion the cause of our people by introducing new policies and participating in market based assessments for remuneration and employment standards, upholding statutory compliance, good governance and decent and fair labour practices. Maintaining highest level of ethics, integrity and honesty amongst our diverse workforce augments the goodwill, trust and reputation of our brand, and our Bank.

About HNB: Over the past year, the Bank has received continuous praise for its pioneering initiatives across the entire spectrum of its operations. Notably, over the recent past, HNB was also adjudged ‘Best Managed Bank in Sri Lanka’ by the prestigious Asian Banker Magazine while the Bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Jonathan Alles was also conferred with Asian Banker ‘CEO Leadership Achievement’ award – both of which are only given out every three years.

Similarly, HNB was also declared ‘Sri Lanka’s Best Bank’ for 2019 by Euromoney Magazine for the third time, in addition to being ranked among Sri Lankan banks in its ranking among the Global Top 1000 Banks by the prestigious UK-based, Banker magazine, further strengthening its status as Sri Lanka’s pre-eminent private sector bank. HNB’s remarkable track record of excellence secured it a first place ranking ahead of all Sri Lankan banks included in the LMD Top 100 Club – a position which was evaluated based on its performance over the past 25 years.

Operating through 251 customer centres across the country, HNB is one of Sri Lanka’s largest and most innovative banks, having won recognition from numerous international and local institutions for its achievement of excellence in diverse fields. HNB was also the first Sri Lankan bank to obtain an international credit rating and was assigned a foreign currency issuer rating of B1 on par with the sovereign rating by Moody’s Investors Service, while it has a national long term rating of AA- (lka) by Fitch Ratings (Lanka) Ltd.

Photo caption: Chiranthi Cooray, Chief Transformation Officer, HNB with the Award with (from left) Shanggari Balakrishnan, CEO of MORS Group and Dr. Jayanthi Desan, Jury Panel Member, ACES Awards