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Baurs’ iconic colonial corporate building at Fort celebrate 80 years
The iconic Baurs building situated at Upper Chatham Street in Fort, one of Colombo’s strong and longstanding corporate buildings of colonial times, celebrates 80 years with makeover in the reception and front office area to signify its Swiss values of being modern and dynamic but deeply rooted in its traditions.
This elegant, imposing structure and a well-known architectural landmark houses the Head Office of one of Sri Lanka’s leading diversified business group A. Baur & Company Ltd. Since its humble beginnings in 1897 by Swiss national Alfred Baur, the company’s philosophy, value systems and culture are deeply rooted in its Swiss heritage till today.
The Baurs complex, the first shock-proof building in Colombo completed in 1941 and securely located within the Navy Headquarters zone, has seen ten managing directors come and go, nine of whom were Swiss nationals with the most recent being a well-known Sri Lankan business personality, Lakshman Niyangoda who now serves as the company’s Non-Executive Chairman.
“This year marks a historic event in the Baurs journey as our building at Fort marks its 80th anniversary. The walls of this building have heard and witnessed all our plans, prayers and passion and we have a very emotional connection to it. The refurbishment done to the front arenas of the building giving it a modern outlook resembles our ambitious intentions to embrace the future whilst living up to our century-old Swiss values”, says Niyangoda.
Baurs’ distinctive reputation stands for its trust and reliability, quality, and innovation. The company’s bold approach has resulted in initiating many industry ‘firsts’ in Sri Lanka. Widely regarded as an industry pioneer, Baurs was the first company to focus on agriculture fertilizer since 1897.
Its track-record of being ‘first’ includes the usage the Sri Lankan railway for commercial transport of goods and sharing scientific knowledge and expertise with farmers in 1901, deploying tractors in agriculture in 1919 which marked the beginning of mechanization of agriculture, establishing the first fully-electrified tea factory in 1936, ending the malaria epidemic in the country in 1946, bringing Swiss Air to Sri Lanka, producing the first basmati rice in 1965, launching a biopesticide to controlling fall armyworm last year, and most recently initiating a Swiss apprentice model for the country’s hospitality education sector.
Its state-of-the-art fertilizer factory in Kelaniya is one of South Asia’s most advanced, fully automated plant. Throughout the years, Baurs has engaged in a full spectrum of import, export, distribution, and manufacturing, expanding from its core agri business to now include various other sectors such as healthcare, consumer, airlines, machinery, education amongst others.
The culture and values at Baurs are similar to that of its parent Genève-based Alfred et Eugénie Baurs foundation. Just like the foundation, Baurs continuously engages in numerous social responsible agendas in the infrastructure, knowledge, and training domains, with the view of uplifting communities and rural towns in Sri Lanka.
The U.S. Embassy in Colombo welcomed the U.S. Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, former National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) players Stephen Howard and Astou Ndiaye, from June 8 through 14.
The Public Diplomacy section of the U.S. Embassy said that it would launch a weeklong basketball program intended to harness the unifying power of sports, made possible through collaboration with Foundation of Goodness and IImpact Hoop Lab.
While in Sri Lanka, Howard and Ndiaye, both retired professional basketball players, will conduct a weeklong program, Hoops for Hope: Bridging Borders through Basketball. The Sports Envoys will lead basketball clinics and exhibition matches and engage in leadership sessions in Colombo and Southern Province for youth aged 14-18 from Northern, Uva, Eastern and Western Provinces, offering skills and leadership training both on and off the court. The U.S. Envoys will also share their expertise with the Sri Lanka Basketball Federation, national coaches, and players, furthering the development of basketball in the country. Beyond the clinics, they will collaborate with Sri Lankan schoolchildren to take part in a community service project in the Colombo area.
“We are so proud to welcome Stephen and Astou as our Sports Envoys to Sri Lanka, to build on the strong people-to-people connections between the United States and Sri Lanka,” said U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung. “The lessons that will be shared by our Sports Envoys – communication, teamwork, resilience, inclusion, and conflict resolution – are essential for leadership development, community building, equality, and peace. The U.S. Sports Envoy program is a testament to our belief that sports can be a powerful tool in promoting peace and unity.”
SJB Colombo District MP Mujibur Rahuman in parliament demanded to know from the government the reasons for CEB suspending the leave of all its employees until further notice from Thursday.
MP Rahuman said that the CEB has got an acting General Manager anew and the latter yesterday morning issued a circular suspending leave of all CEB employees with immediate effect until further notice.
“We demand that Minister Kanchana Wijesekera should explain this to the House. This circular was issued while this debate on the new Electricity Amendment Bill was pending. There are many who oppose this Bill. The Minister must tell parliament the reason for the urge to cancel the leave of CEB employees,” the MP said.However, Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena prevented Minister Wijesekera responding to the query and said that the matter raised by MP Rahuman was not relevant.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel Management (CIPM) successfully concluded the 8th Annual CIPM Symposium, which took place on 31st May 2024. Themed “Nurturing the Human Element—Redefining HRM in a Rapidly Changing World,” the symposium underscored the pivotal role of human resource management (HRM) in today’s dynamic global landscape. Since its inception in 1959, CIPM has been dedicated to advancing the HR profession through education, professional development, and advocacy, solidifying its position as Sri Lanka’s leading professional body for HRM.
Ken Vijayakumar, the President of the CIPM, graced the occasion as the chief guest. The symposium commenced with the welcome address by the Chairperson, Prof. Arosha Adikaram, followed by the Web Launch of the Symposium Proceedings and Abstract Book by the CIPM President. The event featured distinguished addresses, including a speech by Chief Guest Ken Vijayakumar, President of CIPM, and an address by Guest of Honor Shakthi Ranatunga, Chief Operating Officer of MAS Holdings Pvt. Ltd., Sri Lanka.
The symposium also featured an inspiring keynote address by Prof. Mario Fernando, Professor of Management and Director of the Centre for Cross Cultural Management (CCCM) at the University of Wollongong, Australia.
Vote of Thanks of the inauguration session was delivered by Dr. Dillanjani Weeratunga, Symposium Co-chair.
The symposium served as a comprehensive platform for researchers to present their findings across a wide range of critical topics in HRM. These included Cultural Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Development and Retention, Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility, Adapting to Technological Advancements, Mental Health and Well-being at Work, Global Workforce Challenges, Employee Empowerment, and Reskilling and Upskilling.
The plenary session was led by Prof. Wasantha Rajapakse. Certificates were awarded to the best paper presenters during the valedictory session, followed by a vote of thanks delivered by Kamani Perera, Manager of Research and Development.
The annual symposium of CIPM was a truly inclusive event, attracting a diverse audience that spanned undergraduates, graduates, working professionals, research scholars and lecturers. This widespread interest highlights the symposium’s significance in the field of HRM, offering a unique opportunity for everyone to network and learn from scholarly brains.The CIPM International Research Symposium was sponsored by Hambantota International Port, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), E B Creasy & Co. PLC, and Print Xcel Company.
US sports envoys to Lanka to champion youth development
Rahuman questions sudden cancellation of leave of CEB employees
