Sri Lanka marked a significant milestone in the evolution of inclusive employment practices with the successful hosting of the Parent-Inclusive Workplaces Summit 2025. The national-level event brought together senior corporate leaders, human resource professionals, policymakers, wellbeing practitioners, and members of the parenthood community to examine how workplaces can better support working parents while strengthening organizational performance.

The summit was organized and hosted by Parenthood Global in partnership with Great Place to Work Sri Lanka. The full-day programme positioned parent inclusion as a strategic workforce priority rather than a discretionary benefit, emphasizing its role in driving employee engagement, retention, and long-term business sustainability.

A National Platform for Parent Inclusive Workplace Dialogue

The Parent-Inclusive Workplaces Summit 2025 served as a high-level platform for knowledge sharing and action-oriented discussion, focusing on the practical challenges faced by working parents across multiple industries. Through expert panel discussions, leadership conversations, and evidence-based insights, participants explored how organizations can design policies, workplace cultures, and leadership practices that enable employees to successfully manage both professional and caregiving responsibilities.

Key focus areas included embedding diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging principles within parental policies, creating sustainable work cultures for sandwich-generation employees who care for both children and ageing parents and the role of inclusive leadership in shaping supportive organizational environments. The summit also addressed employee wellbeing, work–life integration, resilience, future workforce readiness, and the role of corporate social responsibility in supporting the wider parent community.

These discussions reinforced the business case for parent-inclusive practices while offering practical approaches that organizations can adopt regardless of size or sector.

Launch of the Corporate Circle Lifestyle Portal

One of the major highlights of the summit was the official launch of the Corporate Circle Lifestyle Portal, a digital platform developed by Parenthood Global to support working parents and family-friendly organizations. The portal is designed to create a connected ecosystem that extends support beyond the workplace.

The platform offers exclusive lifestyle benefits, access to wellbeing initiatives, corporate inclusion stories, best-practice showcases, curated experiences, and parent-focused support programmes. The initiative aims to strengthen employer branding while enhancing employee engagement and retention.

Recognising Excellence in Parent-Inclusive Workplaces

A key feature of the summit was the presentation of the Parent-Inclusive Workplace Awards 2025, which recognised organizations demonstrating outstanding commitment to supporting working parents. Award recipients were selected through a structured and data-driven evaluation process based on organizational surveys, supporting evidence, and impact analysis covering the period from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025.

The award winners were:

Best CEO and Leadership Initiatives for Working Parents - Dialog Business Services (Pvt) Ltd

Best HR Policies Empowering Working Parents - HNB General Insurance Ltd

Best Workplace Culture for Parents - Dijital Team

Best Wellbeing Initiative for Working Parents - HNB Assurance PLC

Most Innovative Initiative Supporting Working Parents - Allianz Insurance Lanka Ltd

Parent-Inclusive Workplace of the Year 2025 - JXG (Janashakthi Group)

These organizations set new benchmarks for inclusive leadership, progressive human resource practices, and sustainable workplace cultures in Sri Lanka.

Distinguished Speakers and Industry Perspectives

The summit featured a distinguished panel of senior leaders and subject-matter experts who shared insights drawn from both local and global contexts.

Speakers included:

Ravi Jayasekera, Chief People and Corporate Affairs Officer, Hemas Holdings PLC
Sandra De Zoysa, Group Chief Customer Officer, Dialog Axiata PLC and Managing Director, Dialog Business Services
Felix Fernando, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Omega Line Ltd
Chethana Liyanage, Chief Talent Officer, Capital Maharaja Group and Chief Executive Officer, Maharaja Institute of Management
Manesh Fernando, Area General Manager, Hilton Colombo
Chandi H. Dharmaratne, Founder and Director, Prism Global Solutions (Pvt) Ltd
Lasantha Dasanayaka, Vice President Human Resources, NDB Bank PLC
Charitha Bandara, Head of Sales Learning Academy, Allianz Insurance Lanka Ltd
Rasini Bandara, International Wellbeing Consultant, International Transport Federation and Counseling Psychologist, Mind Heals (Pvt) Ltd
Senela Jayasuriya, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Women Empowered Global

Their contributions provided practical insights, leadership perspectives, and evidence-based guidance on strengthening parent inclusion and workplace wellbeing.

Impact and the Way Forward

The Parent-Inclusive Workplaces Summit 2025 reaffirmed Parenthood Global’s commitment to driving meaningful and measurable change across workplaces in Sri Lanka. The event strengthened cross-sector collaboration and encouraged organizations to translate dialogue into action.

As workplace expectations continue to evolve, initiatives such as this summit play a critical role in ensuring that working parents are supported and empowered, contributing to healthier organizations and a more inclusive national workforce.