Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ GS: VRTU), a global business consulting and IT outsourcing company that accelerates business outcomes for its clients, announced that the company’s chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Kris Canekeratne, has been recognized with a Lifetime Award at the inaugural SLT Zero One Awards held in Colombo recently.

The event was organized by Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT), with the objective of recognizing, honoring and encouraging excellence in digital initiatives in Sri Lanka, with the Lifetime Awards being presented to professionals who had made significant contributions to the country’s digital industry.

Lauding Kris’ contributions to the nation’s ICT sector, the organizers stated that “Mr. Kris Canekeratne is recognized for his exceptional entrepreneurial drive that creates opportunities for Sri Lankan talent to participate in, contribute to, and be recognized on the world stage. In doing so, Mr. Canekeratne has provided opportunities for IT professionals of Sri Lankan origin to work on cutting-edge global platforms that are pushing the contours of innovation, helped integrate the local ICT industry within the global digital ecosystem, and inspired generations of young tech-entrepreneurs.”

“I am greatly honored to receive this Lifetime Award at the SLT Zero One Awards. This was made possible only by our extraordinary team members who are at the forefront of technology innovation, helping our clients reimagine their digital business journeys. I would like to thank Virtusans around the world for their unwavering commitment to applying technology to accelerate innovation and helping us differentiate ourselves in the market,” said Kris. “We remain committed to the Sri Lankan market and will continue to collaborate with all relevant stakeholders to help the country realize its vision of becoming a global digital IT services hub.”

Kris is a holder of the Sri Lanka Sikhamani - one of the most prestigious National awards conferred by the Government of Sri Lanka - that is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to the nation. Only 200 living individuals are permitted to hold this recognition at any given time. He has also received several other awards and accolades including the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors’ prestigious “Young Director of the Year” award, “Entrepreneur of the Year” finalist for New England by Ernst and Young; “The Most Outstanding CEO” in the IT/BPO industry by the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), the “Business Leader of the Year” by Worcester Business Journal in 2013 and “CEO of the Year” by World HRD Congress Thought Leaders International in 2014.

Photo caption: Kris Canekeratne, chairman and chief executive officer (CEO), Virtusa Corporation

About Virtusa: Virtusa Corporation (NASDAQ GS: VRTU) is a global provider of information technology (IT) consulting and outsourcing services that accelerate business outcomes for Global 2000 companies and leading software vendors in banking and financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, technology, and media & entertainment.

Virtusa helps CXOs' address the dual challenge of growing revenues while improving IT cost efficiencies. Virtusa's digital transformation & innovation (DTi) solutions enable clients to reimagine the customer experience, accelerate revenue growth and create lasting business value. The company’s operational excellence (OE) solutions help clients reduce risk, improve operational efficiencies, and lower IT costs.

Virtusa delivers services across the IT lifecycle, including consulting, solution design, technology selection, implementation, testing, and maintenance, including infrastructure support. With a strong heritage in software engineering, Virtusa is highly qualified to both develop and maintain software, using a proven platforming methodology and advanced Agile and Accelerated Solution Design techniques to reliably deliver results on time and within budget.

Holding a proven record of success across industries, Virtusa readily understands its clients' business challenges and uses its domain expertise to deliver distinctive, differentiated and innovative applications of technology to address its client critical business challenges. Examples include building the world's largest P&C claims modernization program; one of the largest corporate customer portals for a premier global bank; an order to cash implementation for a multinational telecommunications provider; and digital transformation initiatives for media and banking companies.

Through the acquisition of a majority interest in Polaris Consulting Services Ltd. in March 2016, Virtusa has created a robust platform to provide end-to-end solutions and services in banking and financial services, strengthening its positioning as a top, global FinTech services provider. Virtusa Corporation is headquartered in Massachusetts and has 50 offices across North America, Europe and Asia.