Financial Times

CIMA's new president calls for interaction with employers
Pravir Samarasinghe, unanimously elected President of CIMA Sri Lanka at its recent annual general meeting, says that he plans to meet employers through breakfast meetings, short presentations and CEO forums to build a closer relationship with employers and to make sure their needs are met.

"We need to make sure that CIMA students and members are their number one choice," he said at a recent media briefing. Samarasinghe, a Fellow of The Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, UK, and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and holding a Masters Degree in Business Administration, is currently a Director of Richard Pieris and Co Ltd.

"In a society that was fragmented by political and economic divides, one can see emerging the incipient seed of stability and unity. It is expected that large measures of re-construction and development will take place in the country. Our members will have to play a greater role in such a scenario," he said.

He said the principal purpose is to improve the employability of members and students by continually keeping them abreast of the latest information. High profile training, executive development programmes and soft skill enhancement schemes will be aggressively pursued in partnership with reputed bodies, - and IT and general management have been identified as areas of priority."

He said a key focus of CIMA would be to qualify students. The pass rates in Sri Lanka are steadily improving and much of the credit for this should go to the educational institutions, who have become innovative and dynamic in the delivery of the syllabus.

The Division will continue to support the tuition colleges by assisting and encouraging them to adopt the best practices, and by affording opportunities to train their faculty staff both here and in the UK, Samarasinghe said, adding that he planned to obtain the services of foreign lecturers to enhance the learning capability of the students and to add value to the methodology of teaching.

He also believes promoting the brand is key to the success of CIMA and its members, and the strong marketing campaign in this connection will continue with greater emphasis on the awareness of the CIMA brand and what it stands for.

Ceylinco Life's bonuses through pension policies
More than 7,000 long-standing policyholders of Ceylinco Life are to receive free pension plans from the company as a reward for their loyalty. Policyholders who had kept their policies active for 10 and 15 years as at end 2002 would be eligible to receive these pension plans, with substantial start-up contributions of up to Rs. 50,000 from the company.

This is the second presentation of free pension schemes by Ceylinco Life.
Last year, the company awarded free pension schemes to 10,000 policyholders who had completed 10 years or more with the company.

Some of the policyholders who received these pension plans and have now completed 15 years would receive a second contribution towards their retirement plans this year. Ceylinco Life's free pension plans represent the first ever cash-equivalent bonus in the industry.

The start-up contribution from Ceylinco Life to each individual plan is calculated at Rs. 25 per Rs. 1,000 sum assured for those who have completed 10 years and Rs. 50 per Rs. 1,000 sum assured for those who have completed 15 years, the company said.

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