AMANA TAKAFUL
Amana Takaful Insurance (ATI) exemplifies excellence, driven by dedication to superior products and services upholding takaful principles for all stakeholders. With transparency at its core, ATI empowers employees and encourages openness. It promotes gender balance in its management and staff, fostering an inclusive environment. This extends to its exceptional customer service, ensuring all clients are treated with fairness and respect. ATI’s positive influence extends to the wider community with a sense of responsibility, leading to setting the standard for a world-class service in the insurance sector.
Q: What mechanisms does your organisation have in place to ensure that employees’ voices are heard and respected?
Shehan Feisal (SF): ATI’s primary mission is to dispel the notion of unapproachable CEOs. Our open-door policy ensures accessibility to all – including higher management – at any time. Communication is paramount, with company-wide forums offering a platform to voice concerns and find prompt solutions from management.
We empower our employees to shape our company’s destiny by breaking barriers, promoting innovation and fostering communication – enabling every voice to be heard, valued and respected on our relentless journey to excellence.
Q: How important is it for businesses to uphold corporate respect in times of crisis?
Gehan Rajapakse (GR): We firmly believe in upholding our core principles without compromise especially during challenging times. Crises serve as powerful anchors in fact, reinforcing our commitment to these values. We see adversity as an opportunity to demonstrate our unwavering dedication to transparency, integrity and inclusivity.
Q: What’s the main difference between corporate reputation and corporate respect?
SF: Building a good reputation fosters automatic respect. Our life and general insurance segments have diligently cultivated a robust reputation over the years, earning unwavering credibility and trust from our stakeholders.
The true measure of our integrity lies in standing by them steadfastly in times of crisis.
GR: Reputation is the outcome of positive interactions between a business and its customers while respect is earned through the manner in which things are done. These two elements are inherently interconnected, shaping a healthier, more wholesome and complete organisation.
By valuing both reputation and respect, we foster a culture of trust, integrity and lasting success.
Q: What is the importance that corporates should place on continuous innovation as a means of garnering respect?
GR: At Amana, we recognise that innovation is paramount to staying relevant and avoiding obsolescence. It’s deeply ingrained in our core principles, driving us to invest substantially in business re-engineering to elevate our offerings and enhance customer value.
With customer preferences evolving, we continuously strive to keep pace with their changing needs through innovative ideas. Furthermore, we proactively identify and address the distinct requirements of the younger generation entering the market.
SF: Innovation takes various forms – spanning technology advancements, product/service improvements and beyond. Over the years, we witnessed significant technology-based innovation.
The pandemic accelerated societal evolution in Sri Lanka, enhancing awareness and adaptability through social media and global trends. Consequently, businesses now bear the responsibility of being innovative to cater to people’s ever-changing requirements.
Q: What are the main attributes of your company’s image?
SF: We are immensely proud to be included on this prestigious list. It reaffirms our customers’ respect and trust in our ability to meet their expectations.
While this recognition boosts our confidence, we remain committed to continuous improvement. Our journey of evolution drives us to become even better, delivering exceptional experiences and value to our valued customers.
GR: Over the past few years, our company embraced a transformative strategic shift to prioritise ethnic diversity and gender balance throughout the organisation. This commitment yielded positive results, reflecting a more inclusive and representative workforce.
As a result, we witnessed a marked improvement in overall service quality and customer experience. Furthermore, we embarked on the journey of integrating technology into our operations.
The effectiveness of the strategies and dedicated individuals driving these changes is evident in the successful outcomes achieved.
Amana Takaful Insurance emphasises healthcare, education and children as its focuses for stakeholder outreach programmes. The company remains dedicated to fostering innovation to address the evolving needs of its valued customers. These commitments reflect its dedication to making a positive impact on society.
QUICK-FIRE ROUND
Three priorities for Sri Lankan corporates today
Employee well-being
Staying true to your core principles
Embracing digital
Three most vital professional values for business leaders
Integrity and honesty
Loyalty
Trust
