From left to right: DFCC Bank PLC Senior Vice President Human Resources Sonali Jayasinghe, IFC Women in Work Sri Lanka Programme Manager Sarah Twigg, Satynmag.com Founder/Editor Nayomini Weerasooriya and CIMA Country Manager Zahara Ansary

DFCC Bank, one of the premier commercial banks in Sri Lanka, through its efforts to create an inclusive and participatory work environment, has been recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s Top 10 Women Friendly Workplaces, at the first-ever Women Friendly Workplace Awards (WFWP Awards) 2021, jointly pioneered by CIMA Sri Lanka and Satynmag.com.

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are integral components of DFCC Bank’s sustainability strategy and DFCC Bank has always placed firm importance on ensuring fair, transparent, equitable and inclusive workplace practices. 

The inaugural Women Friendly Workplace Awards 2021 was jointly pioneered by CIMA Sri Lanka and Satynmag.com, seeking to recognise organisations that are encouraging and empowering women at the workplace. The awards programme showcases the importance placed on the role of women across workplaces in Sri Lanka and further emphasises the nation’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 05 – Gender Equality. The awards programme seeks to pave a path for the betterment and enrichment of gender inclusive workplaces, ensuring the provision of equal opportunity to all employees irrespective of gender. A significant number of banks and corporate entities participated in the awards programme, emphasising the increasing focus of employers in encouraging women to prosper within the local workforce and also towards facilitating their retention.

The awards were judged by a distinguished panel of judges, including leading corporate personality Ravi Abeysuriya, CIMA UK Council Member for South Asia Manohari Abeysekera, Suvaseriya Chairman Dumindra Ratnayaka, University of Colombo Head of HR Prof. Arosha Adikaram, Northern Province Governor Jeevan Thyagarajah, CIMA Country Manager Zahara Ansary and Satynmag.com Founder/Editor Nayomini 
R. Weerasooriya.

Commenting on the bank’s achievement, DFCC Bank CEO Lakshman Silva stated, “DFCC Bank is honoured to have been highlighted as one of the Top Ten Women Friendly Workplaces in Sri Lanka. This can be attributed to our consistent, organisation-wide efforts to empower women in the DFCC Bank workforce, while ensuring we implement best practices to maintain our standing as an equal-opportunity employer. The accolade encourages DFCC Bank to continue on our path to securing an equitable resilient future by creating social and economic value for all stakeholders.”