NEWS IN Brief

SANASA Development Bank unveils new logo

SANASA Development Bank PLC (SDB bank) recently unveiled a new logo, an important aspect of its restructuring program. The bank introduced crucial changes within the institution to provide a wider range of services to the public.

Although the logo is being changed, the bank emphasises that there is no change whatsoever in the registered name and that one of the main reasons for the introduction of the new logo was the current listing of its shares on the Colombo Stock Exchange.

SDB bank has teamed up with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank, to implement this, a bank spokesman said. Chairperson of the SDB bank, Samadani Kiriwandeniya said, "The changes have been introduced to carrying forward our mission in a more orderly manner. The change of the logo is also one such step. With this transformation, we will be widening the scope and efficiency of the services extended to the public."

"We will also be opening our doors to afford opportunities for those who have not yet transacted business with us. Our aim is to make a sustained contribution to the economic development of the country while consolidating the identity of the bank," she said.

General Manager / CEO of SDB bank, Nimal Hapuarachchi said, "We are stepping forward on another journey through a fast-tracked strategic program of work that will add new technology and further develop our operations."

Customer Service Week at DFCC

DFCC Bank's inaugural Customer Service Week ends today. The Bank leveraged on Customer Service Week as an ideal opportunity to deeply inculcate one of its core values - Customer Centricity across the Bank.

A range of activities is being conducted for customers to inspire, appreciate and further reinforce the Bank's commitment to them. The Customer Service Week 2016 is themed 'Service Champions'.

Chief Executive Officer of DFCC Bank, Arjun Fernando said, "We are very passionate about customer service excellence and happy to be joining this international celebration.

This year's theme - 'Service Champions' - recognises that delivering excellent service is only possible with a team of dedicated professionals working together as one. It's a powerful message for everyone to be aware of." DFCC Bank has, over the decades, built strong relationships with its rapidly-growing customer base.

Health & Life insurance for senior citizens

Union Assurance recently launched an health and life insurance policy for senior citizens. 'Union 60 Plus,' is designed to provide comfort and ease during the sunset years of a policyholder's life.

Many of the health insurance plans available in the market are limited for the individuals below the age of 60 and the cover provided usually expires at the age of 65 years.

But, citizens between the ages of 50 and 70 can obtain a Union 60 Plus cover, and continue to receive benefits up until the age of 75 years. The period of the cover is five years, with premium payments only being paid once a year. Three primary coverage plans have been introduced at Rs. 30,000, Rs. 50,000, and Rs. 75,000.

Union 60 Plus policy provides several other benefits as well.

ABSRPSL elects new president

Vice President, Group Risk Management of NDB, Nirmala Rayen was recently elected as the President of the Association of Banking Sector Risk Professionals of Sri Lanka (ABSRPSL).

Formed in March 2012, ABSRPSL is a formal gathering of Risk Management Professionals in Licensed Commercial Banks in Sri Lanka. The association promotes fellowship, co-operation and knowledge, whilst undertaking studies and discussions in the area of Risk Management in Banking. It also affiliates with national, regional or international risk management bodies for training and capacity building and collectively reviews regulatory directives, guidelines ad coordinates with the regulators where necessary.

Mulafer gets Vietnam posting

Publicis Worldwide has appointed Firzan Mulafer as the Director, Client Services of Publicis Vietnam.

The Publicis office in Vietnam is part of Publicis One, a global communications enterprise that brings together the Publicis Group's extensive range of capabilities and expertise under one roof.

Firzan has a Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK and an MBA from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, Sri Jayewardenepura. He was with the Leo Burnett Group for more than nine years and has been instrumental in helping many brands under the agency's purview, to reach beyond their targets to achieve ground-breaking levels of success.

The Trip Square turns one

The Trip Square (Pvt) Ltd recently celebrated its first year of service. Founded by a highly experienced and friendly team, they have been consistently providing both corporate and personal inbound travel services.

Business Travelers are known to have different preferences and habits, all of which affect how they want to plan and shop for their travel. The Trip Square makes travel planning to be as easy as possible whilst maintaining compliance with company policies.

When business clients organisemeetings and conferences particularly with foreign clients, TheTrip Square takes care of all their travel and logistic needs. From logistics to venue, food to audio visual equipment is professionally arranged and ready for you to carry out your business meetings smoothly.

The Trip Square Loyalty program for corporate clients has been launched to celebrate the first anniversary, and will reward the loyal corporate clients with valuable gifts &holiday packages abroad.

Elephant House to expand in UK

Elephant House has signed up with a UK-based bottling facility for the production of 1.5 litre PET plastic variants of its Necto, Cream Soda and Orange Barley beverages. This undertaking will be accomplished with the support of Universal Suppliers Limited, Elephant House’s official beverages distributor for Europe, a company press release said.

Ceylon Cold Stores, Head of Beverages/John Keells Holdings Vice President, Daminda Gamlath said, “Europe is the next big step for Elephant House in terms of export growth, and we are gearing up for it by expanding our range of offerings so as to meet our strategic goal of significantly expanding our presence.” “We are confident that it can achieve even bigger gains in Europe over the coming months, especially considering the already existing demand for Necto, Cream Soda and Orange Barley amongst our European consumers,” he said.

TBWAi Lanka wins Shark awards

TBWAi Lanka won two gold and two silver awards for its work with AIA Insurance and a newspaper publication, at the Kinsale Shark Awards recently. Set up in 1962, the Shark Awards is one of the oldest international awards festivals in the world entirely focused on unconditional creativity.

“It gives me great satisfaction to see our big clients – AIA Insurance and a leading newspaper being recognized on the world stage. It reiterates that Sri Lanka’s offering is second to none. The work awarded not only reflects our differentiator – Disruption and understanding of local insights, but also provides confidence to the team to continue to develop great communication for our clients and their brands,” said Chief Creative Officer of TBWAi Lanka, Subhash Pinnapola.

Prothero - CEO, HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives

Mark Prothero was appointed Chief Executive Officer for HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives on October 1.

After heading HSBC’s operations in Sri Lanka and Maldives since 2013, Patrick Gallagher will bid farewell to Sri Lanka and the Maldives to take up a new role within the Group.

Prothero, during a career of over 26 years with the HSBC Group, has held senior positions in Commercial Banking, Global Banking and Markets, Risk Management and Internal Audit.

His international experience has spanned the regions of North America, the Middle East, Europe and Asia, with roles in markets such as the US, Bermuda, the UK, Egypt, the UAE, Hong Kong and Thailand.

Before his appointment as CEO of HSBC Sri Lanka and Maldives, he was Regional Head of Internal Audit for HSBC’s MENA region, responsible for audit coverage across nine countries.

Group General Manager, Head of International and Head of Strategy and Planning, Asia Pacific, Jayant Rikhye said, “This appointment is a true reflection of HSBC’s global expertise and management strength.

Our operations in Sri Lanka and Maldives will no doubt benefit from the experience gained during his long and varied career with the HSBC Group.”

Brandix gold sponsor of health conference

The Brandix Group will support the annual National Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conference of Sri Lanka for the seventh consecutive year as a key sponsor.

Organised by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Ministry of Labour, this year’s conference, which is part of the National Occupational Safety and Health Week, is themed ‘Emerging Risks and Investing in OSH’. The conference takes place on Wednesday, October 12.

The cheque for the Gold sponsorship of the 2016 National Safety Week program was presented by Brandix to Minister of Labour and Trade Union Relations, John Seneviratne. Secretary to the Ministry, Gotabhaya Jayaratne was also present.