December 1, 2016 saw the best of the life insurance industry gathered at Eagle Ballroom, Waters Edge to celebrate the successful completion of the Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign (held in September 2016) and to recognize and reward the top performers of the programme. 

Presiding over the award ceremony as the chief guest was Insurance Board of Sri Lanka (IBSL) Chairperson Indrani Sugathadasa with IBSL Director General Damayanthi Fernando as the guest of honour. Also present at the event were Insurance Association of Sri Lanka (IASL) President Dirk Pereira, IASL Treasurer Fazal Gafoor, IASL Secretary Surekha Alles, Sri Lanka Insurance Institute President Thusitha Nandasiri, National Insurance Trust Fund Chairman Manjula De Silva and IASL Marketing and Sales Forum (MSF) Chairman Samitha Hemachandra. 

In his welcome address, Pereira stated that he was pleased to note that the insurance industry in Sri Lanka continues to grow. Pereira also stated that he was delighted with the results of the Life Insurance Awareness Month campaign. However, he cautioned the gathering that the insurance industry of Sri Lanka still had a long way to go in order to be prepared to face the challenges of the future. 

Sugathadasa graciously acknowledged the hard work of the top 100 performers and commented that the award ceremony would serve as motivation to the other members of the industry. “The sales force is the thread binding insurers and the insured,” she stated, emphasizing the need for further development in the life insurance sales sector. 
Fernando congratulated the life insurance sales advisors for their performance throughout the campaign. She also went on to thank the MSF for their hard work and dedication towards ensuring the success of the campaign and the award ceremony. 

Hemachandra proudly announced that nearly 60,000 life insurance policies had been secured during the month of September. He went on to state that it was vital that an insurance sales advisor maintains a strong relationship with his/her respective customers. 

At the final prize distribution session, A.G.P. Kumari of AIA Insurance walked away with the top prize in both the highest number of policies sold and premium collected during the campaign period categories. The leading companies that produced the highest number of winners in both categories were Ceylinco Life with 41 awards, Union Assurance PLC with 36 and AIA Insurance Lanka with a total of 19 prizes.