A young female executive employed at Brandix, who won global recognition for herself and her country through her community work, has been felicitated by her company as an inspiration to her peers and co-workers across the group.
Krystle Reid, a Senior Executive – Projects at Brandix Lingerie, was presented with a memento in appreciation and recognition of being adjudged ‘Commonwealth Young Person of the Year 2017’ at the Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work, on her return to work from the awards presentation in London recently.
The Commonwealth Young Person of the Year award recognises the work done by Krystle through the ‘Enable Lanka Foundation’, which she co-founded with her friend Janitha Rukmal, to help persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka to break stereotypes and stigma to secure employment and become self-sufficient in all aspects of civilian life and entitlements as citizens of Sri Lanka.
Krystle and the Enable Lanka Foundation team helped to launch the ‘Enabled Elections’ initiative, which was the first-ever campaign in Sri Lanka aimed at encouraging participation of persons with disabilities in the electoral process and one of the largest civil rights campaigns for the political and electoral rights of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka organised by the Centre for Monitoring Election Violence (CMEV).
“Inspiration is at the core of everything we do and believe in at Brandix and we encourage our associates to always strive to inspire others,” said Brandix Lingerie CEO Rajiv Malalasekera, who presented Krystle with this felicitation plaque. 
“Krystle’s selfless commitment in founding and furthering the reach of the Enable Lanka Foundation is an inspiration not just for all of us at Brandix, but for young people around the world. We hope this token of our appreciation will encourage her to continue her work in the community and Brandix will support her in sustainably expanding the objectives of the Enable Lanka Foundation.”
The Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work, an initiative of the Commonwealth Secretariat’s youth programme, celebrates outstanding young adults aged under 30, who are leading initiatives ranging from poverty alleviation to peace-building. This year’s winners, drawn from over 200 entries, were recognised for spearheading projects that will contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals – a set of 17 global targets that governments have committed to achieve by 2030.