From left: National Logistics Awards Committee Chairman Sujan Malawana, Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association Treasurer Shavindra Dias, Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association Chairman Channa Gunawardane, Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders Association Vice Chairman Andre Fernando and CL Synergy Limited Managing Director Roshan Silva 

The National Logistics Awards (NLA), an esteemed national level awards ceremony for the logistics industry, will be held on October 23, at the Main Ballroom of Shangri-La Hotel, Colombo.

The National Logistics Awards is presented by the Sri Lanka Logistics and Freight Forwarders’ Association (SLFFA), the leading body for the industry in Sri Lanka.

In addition to honouring the noteworthy accomplishments within the sector, the NLA will serve as a mean of recognising and appreciating industry participants who have made noteworthy contributions to the logistics sector. Together with the ‘Legends in Logistics’ recognition awards, where there will be over 40 awards in 10 major categories, the awards will be given out. 

The award categories include a wide range of sectors, including freight forwarding, airline, ocean carriers, currier companies, transport providers, container depots, software providers, project logistics, customs brokerage and warehousing and distribution that have revolutionised supply chain management.

A total of 28 organisations and bodies, including the Ports and Shipping Ministry, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Sri Lanka Customs, Airport and Aviation Services Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Shippers Council and educational institutions such as CINEC Campus have endorsed NLA 2024. 

NLA 2024 is powered by CL Synergy Ltd, as Main Sponsor while Aitken Spence Maritime, Freight and Integrated Logistic and Hayleys Advantis will join in as Gold Sponsors. Expolanka Freight (Pvt.) Ltd, Scanwell Logistics Colombo (Pvt.) Ltd and Transwing Logistics (Pvt.) Ltd have come aboard as Bronze Sponsors. 

A distinguished panel of judges, including the members of the public, corporate and academic sectors as well as well-known figures in the field of logistics, will evaluate and rank the applications. The panel, led by Professor Lalith Edirisinghe, the CINEC Dean of the Faculty of Management and Social Sciences Campus, will use metrics such as competence, quality of service, track and trace capabilities and timeliness of service delivery in addition to assessment tools like the Logistics Performance Index (LPI).

Speaking about the awards programme, NLA 2024 by SLFFA, Project Chairman Sujan Malawana stated, “This prestigious ceremony is the foremost recognised platform in Sri Lanka, celebrating excellence and innovation in the logistics sector. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our esteemed panel of judges for their expertise and dedication as well as to our generous sponsors whose support has made this event possible. Together, we are not just honouring achievements; we are paving the way for a brighter future in logistics in Sri Lanka.”

The SLFFA hopes to raise awareness among young people about this rapidly expanding and very promising business by presenting the NLA, a biannual programme that will honour and promote service providers in Sri Lanka’s logistics sector. The freight forwarding and logistics industry has faced many challengers over the years such as the pandemic, economic crisis and Red Sea shipping crisis, etc. and having worked throughout the challenges and restrictions, the SLFFA believes that the industry is long overdue for the much-needed recognition of its outstanding achievements.

To institutionalise and professionalise the industry, the SLFFA was founded in 1981 with the goal of uniting all logistics companies and freight forwarders under one roof. The SLFFA is now acknowledged by the government, pertinent government departments and the industry as the premier organisation for the sector. Currently, over 175 of Sri Lanka’s top logistics and goods forwarding companies are members of the SLFFA.