The National HR Conference is an annual event of the Human Resources industry that sets trends in the profession. 

Organized by IPM, it’s the most sought-after event by HR enthusiasts and preferred by participants due to its ability to study the latest trends by industry professionals and for the opportunity created for networking. 

Similar to the previous years, a series of events was lined up this year as well followed by technical sessions that provided both global and local insights of HR practices at the two day conference. Over 900 local participants and delegates from India, UK, Japan and Bangladesh participated at the conference which was held on 16th& 17th of June at the BMICH chaired by Dr. Ajantha Dharmasiri, Acting Director and the Chairman of the Board of Management of the Postgraduate Institute of Management University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka

Day one of the conference entailed a series of events including the HR Service Providers Exhibition showcasing the Finest and Latest HR Solutions followed by the clash of the champions the only debating contest dedicated to the HR fraternity and the preliminary round was held on the 18th of May. 

Of the 13 organizations that participated  the dynamic  teams of Sampath Bank &Virtusa competed at the final round on the 17th of June , Virtusa  emerged winners after a hard-hitting competition between the two teams. Another exciting event was the People Leaders’ Awards and HR Excellence Awards rewarding the most outstanding personalities and organizations in HR and other disciplines. Day one was made even more colourful with a series of entertainment items following the theme of this year’s conference: HR for National Prosperity ,Insights, Initiatives and Implications. 

In rewarding the best performers of all disciplines alongside the quantitative analysis of  Neilsons; Indika Prematunga - Chief Financial Officer AIA Insurance PLC was selected as the winner of the People Leaders’ Finance category, Lasantha Hasrath Munasinghe -Deputy General Manager Marketing Commercial Bank of Ceylon PLC as the People Leaders’ Marketing category winner , Sanka Weerasinghe - Chief Technology Officer/Chief Architect Bileeta (Pvt) Ltd  as the People Leaders’  IT  category winner and M.Indika Lalith Perera - Country Supply chain Manager Coca-Cola Beverages Sri Lanka Limited as the People Leaders’ Supply Chain category winner. Unilever Sri Lanka Limited emerged overall winners of the Talent Management category, where Virtusa (pvt) Ltd. emerged winners of the People Development category, Vivanta by Taj Bentota for Employment Engagement category and Nirosh De Silva - Head of Human Resources & Administration Emerald International (Pvt) Ltd.was awarded the prestigious PQHRM Professional of the year 2015 of the HR Excellence Awards 2015. 

From its modest beginnings in 1959, the Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (IPM) has developed to being the leading Human Resource authority in Sri Lanka, focusing on proactively meeting the needs of the HR practitioner. Through the years, IPM has adapted to the many changes and developments in Human Resource Management, remaining committed to upholding the highest standards in the profession.