‘IPM - The Great HR Debate’ ends

‘The Great HR Debate’, reached its grand finale at the BMICH on June 24, with the ‘Clash of the Banking Giants’, namely HSBC vs Commercial Bank.

The audience in the main hall of the BMICH was treated to a debate like no other with the protagonists from both banks displaying all their verbal wrangling, albeit suave and intense; their oral and convincing skills emerged to near perfection.

The Commercial Bank’s Team led by Delakshan Hettiarachi proposed the topic: ‘There should be a cap of executive pay’ - refuted and challenged by Nimali Welikala, captain of the HSBC’s debating team.

And so each of the respective members representing the two ‘Banking Giants’ held centre stage when promulgating their varying stances on the subject - it was an education by itself to listen to these young and vibrant ‘warriors’ who had obviously researched their respective stands so extensively.

The panel of judges at this debating finals were: Chairman - Panel of Judges and Past President IPM, Management Consultant, Jayanta Jayaratna, Former CEO, Director - DFCC Bank and former CEO Nations Trust Bank, ex-Chairman CEB, M.R. Prelis, Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo Prof. Gamini De Alwis and Akshaya Singh Shekhawat of Hewit Associates, India.

The winner was Team Commercial Bank who was awarded the trophy especially crafted for this innovative ‘The Great HR Debate’. HSBC were the runners up. Both CEOs of the two banks, Nick A Nicolaou of HSBC and Amitha Gooneratne of Commercial Bank were present at the occassion.

The awards were handed over by the President IPM Lalith Wijetunge and key-note speaker Prof Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategic and International Management - London Business School.