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Striving  for  excellence  and  delivering  value  to  its  customers  and  stakeholders,  HNB Assurance PLC (HNBA) and its  fully owned subsidiary  HNB General Insurance  Limited (HNBGI) relocated its Galle Branch recently. TheBranch offers a full spectrum of Life, General and Takaful insurance solutions. Speaking  at  the  opening,  Chief  Operating  Officer  of  HNBA,  Mr.  Prasantha  Fernando stated  “The  Company  has  been  expanding  its  Branch  network  across  Sri  Lanka, offering  the  bestprotection  plans  for  individuals  and  families  to  face  the  challenges of  tomorrow.  The  Branch  is  located  in  the  heart  of  Galle  and  offers  a  range  of  Life, General  and  Takaful  Insurance  solutions.  The  Branch  offers  an  interactive  customer experience intertwined with the expertise of our professional Insurance Advisors and staff  helping customers  select the  best  form of  protection for themselves  as  well as their families both in Life and General Insurance”. Expressing his views, Chief Business Officer of HNBGI, Mr. Jude Benjamin stated “We’re indeed thankful to the team led by the   Galle   HNBA   Cluster   Manager   Harishchandra   Rajanayake   and   HNBGI   Cluster Manager  Madusha  Kulathunga,  for  their  dedication  and  support  as  well  as  for  the efficient management of Branch operations and for their customer service excellence which has led the Branch to foster blooming results”. The Branch is located at No. 46/1/1, Colombo Road, Kaluwella, Galle.

 HNB Assurance PLC (HNBA) felicitated the bright-sparksof its Sales Force atthe 12thSales Convention held recently at the Hilton Colombo. The eagerlyanticipated night of the Company’s event calendarwas graced by the presence of Mrs. Rose Cooray as Chief Guest, the Board of Directors of HNBA as well as the Management of both HNBA and its fully owned subsidiary HNB General Insurance Limited (HNBGI). Sharing her thoughts on this day of celebration, Chairperson of HNBA and HNBGI Mrs. Rose  Cooray  stated  “Tonight   we   celebrate   the   breakthrough   performance,   the enthusiasm  and  the  go-getter  spirit  of  our  Sales  Force.  The  Sales  Forcehas  been  a significant stakeof   the   Companysince   its    inceptionandhas    delivered   an extraordinary  performance in2016,  immensely  contributing  to the growth  of  the Company. I’m  extremely  pleased atthe  outcome  of  their  commitment,  dedication towards constantly striving to raise the bar further”. Sharing  his  thoughts  on  this celebratorynight,Managing  Director/Chief  Executive Officer of HNBA and HNBGI Mr. Deepthi Lokuarachchi stated “Throughout its journey of   15   years,   the   Company   has showcased   its strength  and  stabilityby  yielding significant results. The Sales Forcehas contributed substantiallyto the growth of the Companybycapturingnew  market  segments, as  well  as  byseizingtheexistingmarketgapsin  a challenging  industry.  Tonight we celebrate  the accomplishmentsof the  crèmeof  the Sales  Forceincluding forty oneMillion  Dollar  Round  Table  (MDRT) qualifiers,one  Courtof  the  Table  (COT) qualifierand  one  Top  of  the  Table  (TOT) qualifierand I’m delighted to laud those individuals who have gonethatextra mile to realize achievements such as these”. Speaking  on  the  performanceand  on  the  future  outlook,  Chief  Operating  Officerof HNBAMr. Prasantha Fernando stated, “The devotion the Sales  Forcehasin  no  small measurehelpedthe Company to growover the years to the stature and stability that it has achieved to date. These results have created a favorable mindset amongst our Sales  Force  in  this highly  competitive  market,  and regardless  ofthe  obstacles,I’m sure  theachievements  of  theSales Forceof  HNBA  willcontinue  to grow  from strength to strengthas a result of their resolve to succeed”. The  12thHNBA  Sales  Convention  honored  225Advisors  under  categories  of  Bronze, Silver,  Gold  and  Super  Gold. Amongst  thosegolden  trophies  were  the  accolades  for theBest  Service  Center,Best  Zonal  Manager,  BestCluster  Manager,Best  Regional Office  Manager,  awards  for  MDRT,  COT  and  TOT qualifiers.  The  top  awardeeof  the nightwasMs. U. K. K. C. Silva who was awarded as the Best Sales Personof the Year. Another  specialty  of  the nightwas  thetokensof  appreciation  presentedto  several artists   of   the golden   era, acknowledging   theircontributionto   enlighten   the entertainment  industry  of  Sri  Lanka.  Accordingly  the  acknowledged  artists  wereMr. Prince Udaya Priyantha, Mr. Berty Gunethilake, Mrs. ChandraniGunewardenaandMr. PiyadasaAthukorala.    

The  „peoplefactor‟of  an  organization  with  no doubt    is itsgreatest    strength,    making    its management crucial    in    a    highly    competitive industry  such  as  Insurance. HNB  Assurance  PLC (HNBA)and    its    fully    owned    subsidiary    HNB General Insurance Limited (HNBGI)has deployed a Human Resourcestrategyfor   its   staffwhich focuses  onenriching  the  life  of  its  employees,both throughenhancing quality of time at work as well as providing for greater work-life balance. Sharing views on the Human Resource strategy, Managing Director/CEO of HNBA and HNBGIMr.Deepthi  Lokuarachchi  stated,  “The  Human  Resource  strategy  is  akey success  driverof  any  organizationand  it  is  believed  that  the  Human  Resource function adds a great deal of value to the corporationandthe „people factor‟provides for  greater stability  of  the  business  as  well  as  superior  organizational  performance.Cherished   Human   Resource   practices   could   result   in   a   pool   of   competentand dedicated employees.The  Grouppays  great  emphasis  on  its  recruitment  strategy  as well as in retaining its employees. As a Group with over 900 employees,the Strategic Human Resource practices extendbeyond the standard Human Resource practices, to help   our   staff   and   their   families   fulfill   their   aspirations   and   dreams.Extensive measures  are  taken  in  order  to  create  acontemporary  organization culturewith augmented valuesas well asasupport mechanism toenable one to go forthin one‟s career.” Speakingfurther Mr. Lokuarachchi added“The Group has an „opendoor‟ policy where employees  could  access  the  top  management concerningany  matter.  Continuous learning  and  development  is  encouraged  throughout  each  tier  of  the organization. The  Group  envisions creating  charismatic  leaders  andhas  invested  its  resources  in talent  management  and  talent  development  which  helps  in  building  competencies and   skills   within   employees.   As   part   of   the   Human   Resource   strategy,   training programs  are  conducted  on  a monthly  basis  focusing  onprofessionalas  well  as personaldevelopment of employees.These programs rangefrom personal grooming to  professional  training to  workshops  on  striking  the  right  work-life  balance  and healthy  living.A  case  in  point  here  is  the  workshop  that  was  held for  staff  on  the prevention of Dengue and H1N1 as well as a workshop to help individuals understand what  measures  should  be  takeninorderto spend the golden eve of one‟s life in a happy  and  a  healthy  manner. These  workshops  were  conducted  byDr.  Shiromi Maduwage and Dr. Sameera Sennanayake ofthe  College of  Community  Physicians of Sri  Lanka.The  Group  identifies  the  true  potentialofeach  staff  member  and  set  in place   a   compensation   scheme   which   has   both   monetary   and   non-monetary components. The  Group  constantly  encourageemployees  in enhancingleadership roles  and  in  empowering  employees  by  creating  additional  tiers  in  the  managementhierarchyto allow career progression. In addition, the Group has taken a step forward in   implementing   advanced   Human   ResourceInformationsystems and   reward schemes”.