HALLMARKS OF RESILIENCE
Corporate excellence
Against all odds
Jumping the economic hurdles
Year 2025 was interesting to say the least: challenging and complex, yet resilient nonetheless. Having entered a new season of governance, the economy and national priorities in careful balance, Sri Lanka steps into 2026 with renewed purpose despite ongoing difficulties and uncertainties.
In the first half of 2025, the recovery continued despite the severe economic crisis of 2023 and 2024 – the economy grew at a rate of 4.8 percent. At the same time, deflation took root and remained until August 2025, enabling further easing of monetary policy.
This in turn supported sustained downward adjustments in lending and deposit rates, alongside a marked increase in private sector credit growth to 19.6 percent. For most of the year, gross usable reserves remained broadly stable at about US$ 4.7 billion – equivalent to roughly three months of imports. Companies have much to outmanoeuvre this year compared to 2025.
RECOGNITION MATTERS In such a demanding environment, recognition becomes more meaningful than ever.
Awards offer companies a benchmark against their peers, acknowledging those that sustain performance amid volatility and reform. They not only celebrate achievement but also highlight organisations that pursue governance, innovation and resilience while navigating uncertainty.
Despite the recovery process being a hurdle to overcome within a developing nation framework, many Sri Lankan companies have demonstrated resilience – they have seemingly jumped the hurdles with luminary outcomes.
MEASURED EXCELLENCE Today, awards matter because they serve as independent proof of excellence in a world crowded with claims of many sorts.
As management thinker Peter Drucker notes, “what gets measured gets managed” – and awards provide a structured way of measuring performance against recognised standards.
Recognition also strengthens trust.
Warren Buffett has long emphasised that reputation takes years to build but moments to lose and credible accolades help signal that a company has earned that trust. Awards aren’t merely trophies but signals of discipline, quality and consistency, reinforcing confidence among customers, employees and investors alike.
THE A-LIST Talawakelle Tea Estates tops the sixth annual edition of the Most Awarded rankings, securing 99 awards – up from 93 the previous year. The tea plantations companies’ steady rise has been noteworthy, moving from third place in 2023 to second a year later and now claiming the No. 1 position in the 2025 edition.
Commercial Bank of Ceylon (ComBank) slips to second place after holding the top spot for two consecutive years (2023 and 2024) – in fact, the bank has occupied the No. 1 position on three occasions since the Most Awarded rankings were launched. While ComBank recorded an impressive 115 awards in the previous year, its tally stands at 89 awards in 2025.
And Kelani Valley Plantations takes third place with 52 awards, climbing five places from No. 8 in the previous year. Amana Takaful ranks fourth with 51 awards, maintaining a strong presence in the upper tier of the table.
People’s Bank advances to fifth place with 43 awards, improving from No. 7 in the previous year. And Bank of Ceylon (BOC) makes a notable breakthrough into the top 10, rising sharply from 15th place to sixth with 39 awards.
Seventh place is jointly held by People’s Leasing & Finance (PLC) and Sunshine Consumer Lanka, each recording 34 awards. Softlogic Life Insurance is in 9th place with 32 awards in 2025, and Hayleys Fabric and Pan Asia Banking Corporation round off the top 10 with 31 awards each.
SECTOR DOMINANCE Across the sectors, banking clearly dominates the top 10 with four banks (ComBank, People’s Bank, BOC and Pan Asia Bank) securing positions in the leading tier. Moreover, the sector’s cumulative count of awards (309) is the highest in 2025.
When considering the full list of ranked entities, the food and beverage sector records the highest representation with 62 companies, followed by manufacturing (43) and diversified groups collectively accounting for 34.
This edition of the Most Awarded also features 30 movers and shakers, up from 28 in 2024.
Leading the charge is Hemas Manufacturing, which surges by an impressive 317 places to No. 19 in the Hall of Fame for 2025. It is followed by Home Lands Group (up 294 places) and LOLC General Insurance.
Sector rankings also underscore the strength of the banking, and food and beverage sectors, which lead the pack with 309 and 293 awards respectively. These sectors are followed by manufacturing (217), plantations (186), diversified (106), life insurance (103), finance and leasing (96), healthcare (68), insurance and telecommunications (60 apiece), and apparel (58).
OWNERSHIP MIX The 2025 rankings also highlight the notable contribution of the nation’s listed companies, led by Talawakelle Tea Estates. These corporations account for 1,131 awards.
Private sector companies, spearheaded by Sunshine Consumer Lanka, earned 598 awards in 2025 while the multinational segment secured 215 accolades with Nestlé Lanka leading this category.
State sector entities, headed by People’s Bank, garnered 110 awards, demonstrating representation across multiple ownership models in this year’s rankings.
