ANCL HR Chief brings credit

Sanjeevi Jayasuriya

Lalith A.P. Wijetunga won the Pride of HR profession Award at the Asia HR Congress 2009 on September 18 in Bangalore. It is the highest honour which an individual can receive for his or her contribution. Wijetunga was the only award winner this year among the SAARC countries apart from India.

Among the participants at the ceremony were leading HR professionals in India and other parts of the world including globally renowned Management Guru Prof. Indira Parikh, CEO Bharathi Airtel Ltd, Group President HR Essar Group, Executive President HR United Breweries Holding Ltd, Senior Vice President ICICI Bank, Executive Director HR Xerox India and Chief People Officer Reliance (Pvt) Ltd.

“The award is in recognition of my contribution as the President of the Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) for the past two years and the services I rendered as a people manager of various organizations in Sri Lanka”, Wijetunga said.

“I also work closely with other professional bodies locally and globally in contributing HR management expertise to other professional bodies. At present I am the Head of Human Resources at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL), he said.

“I was fortunate to share my experiences with Indian professionals and other global HR professionals. Our HR practices and management are world- class”, he said.

The Institute of Personnel Management (IPM) is the only incorporated professional body for HR managers in Sri Lanka. Our infrastructure facilities are of a very high standard and we have a state-of-the-art seven-storeyed building with well-equipped high-tech lecture rooms and library with over 5,000 books.

Human resources and other disciplines as well. Our business school is conducting HR management programs in various stages to suit HR practitioners and beginners who want to embark on a professional career in HR management, he said.

“Our student base is over 3,500 at present. We conduct the Foundation program for beginners and the certificate course in HRM and the highest professional qualification in HR (PQHRM) programs. Our institution is in the process of preparing a National HR policy at the request of the Government.

We are involved in various services such as consultation in HR management. We also conduct seminars and workshops regularly to update the knowledge of HR practitioners”, he said.

The IPM is the Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Federation of HR Management and a member of the World Federation of HR Management Association.