Inspiring Women from Sri Lanka & Maldives Highlighted in "Top50" Professional and Career Women Awards 2023

The eagerly awaited "Top50" Professional and Career Women Awards 2023 honoured outstanding women from Sri Lanka and the Maldives who have made outstanding contributions to their respective fields. The event was organised by Women in Management (WIM) in collaboration with Women in Work, a partnership between the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Government of Australia.

The awards' 11th edition honoured women from a variety of fields, including hospitality, banking and finance, logistics and supply chains, entrepreneurship, journalism, and law, for their excellent accomplishments and motivating impact on their communities.

Additionally, organisations from Sri Lanka were honoured during the event for their crucial contributions to the advancement and empowerment of women in the workplace. The event's chief guest was the Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

The 2023 awards were a celebration of resiliency, hope, hard work, and advancement, said Dr. Sulochana Segera, founder and chairperson of Women in Management (WIM). The winners of this year's awards serve as a reminder of the limitless possibilities and opportunities that may emerge from hardship as we have navigated through extraordinary challenges over the last year.

These women have demonstrated their enormous potential, upending the order of things for the benefit of everybody. The Top50 Awards have given women a stage to display their abilities and accomplishments for the past ten years—but most importantly, to encourage others.

The 'Top50' Professional and Career Women Awards, with over 900 previous award winners both locally and globally, aim to highlight the crucial role women play as leaders, employees, entrepreneurs, and stakeholders in promoting equitable and sustainable economic growth in the nation.

Alejandro Alvarez de la Campa, Country Manager for IFC Sri Lanka and Maldives, who is co-hosting the event for the eighth year in a row, stated, "Unleashing the potential of people, both men and women, is the much-needed remedy for a resilient, strong recovery. Additionally, this may improve how the globe handles next crises. Women's socioeconomic empowerment is thus more important than ever in Sri Lanka. It offers a chance to address pervasive injustices. Less promises and more proactive, coordinated action are needed right now to build a future that works for everyone. Women should be at the forefront of the route to recovery in order to achieve a gender inclusive rehabilitation. For economies and society to recover better, we must "build forward fairer."

This year's Top50 Awards, sponsored by the IFC-DFAT Women in Work initiative, aim to highlight the strong leadership Sri Lankan women have demonstrated in the face of the country's recent back-to-back twin disasters.

Paul Stephens, the Australian government's high commissioner to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, added, "Promoting gender equality is a critical goal for the Australian Government through our development plan and throughout all of our work here in Sri Lanka. I'd like to congratulate every woman who is getting an award. Many young women in Sri Lanka look up to you as an inspiration and role model, and you inspire other women to work hard and achieve great things in their professional lives.”

The judging process for the awards, which received a total of 514 nominations, was carried out solely on the basis of merit. The judging panel was chaired by Kasturi Chelleraja Wilson, Executive Director/Group Chief Executive Officer of Hemas Holdings PLC. Other members of the panel included Dr. Mariyam Shakeela, Honorary Consul of Belgium in Maldives, former Cabinet Minister in Maldives, and CEO of SIMDI; Sarah Twigg, Program Manager of Women in Work at IFC; Santosh Menon, Chairman of FCB Kl.LK; Dinesh Weerakkody, Chairman of the Board of Investment of Sri Lanka; Prof. Selvaraj Oyyan Pillay, UUNIMAS Kuala Lumpur Learning Centre GIA; Dunston Pereira, CEO Private Office of HH Sheikh Ahamed bin Faisal Al Qassimi; Ngozi Oyewole, CEO of Noxie Limited and President of Women in Africa; and Gowri Rajan, Director of Sun Match Company.

The Executive Director/Group Chief Executive Officer of Hemas Holdings PLC, Kasturi Chelleraja Wilson, commented on the award recipients: "It was a privilege to chair the judging panel of the Top50 Professional and Career Women's Awards 2023, where we were tasked with selecting 50 exceptional women from hundreds of applications from around the world. The victors' accomplishments inspire me because they show that women can succeed in any industry they choose. They are an inspiration to all of us with their enthusiasm, tenacity, and devotion. Congratulations to all of the winners! It has been a privilege to take part in the process and see firsthand the extraordinary work that these remarkable women have produced.”

The 'Top 50' Professional and Career Women Awards 2023 were supported by the following companies: Platinum Sponsor Robbialac, Tourism Partner Sri Lanka Conventional Bureau, Official Airline Partner Sri Lankan Airlines, Official Destination Partner MMPRC Visit Maldives, Personal Care Category Partner Earth Essence, Feminine Hygiene Partner Fems, Sponsors EFI (EXPO), Hayleys Agriculture, Dimo, NorthPort Logistics, McLarense Group, Aitken Spence, and Coca-Cola.