Seylan expands accreditation of Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belts

Continuing its commitment to operational excellence, Seylan accredited the Bank’s second batch of Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belts recently. The certification ceremony was attended by Mr. Kapila Ariyaratne – Dir/CEO, Mr. Ramesh Jayasekara – Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Malik Wickramanayake – Deputy General Manager Operations, Mr. Ruchith Liyanage – Head of Cards and Mr. Ranmore VanDort – Senior Manager Business Process Re-engineering and 19 newly certified Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belts.

Seylan Bank initiated Lean Six Sigma training at the Yellow Belt level in 2019 with the aim of transforming operations into the next level of efficiency. The projects focus on several key aspects such as improving customer experience by reducing product delivery time, optimizing the usage of consumables, improving service quality by reducing rework/mistakes and saving staff time and creating capacity for sustainable business growth.

The training and certification are carried out by Seylan Bank’s own experienced and certified Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt trainers. The certification undergoes a well-defined approval process where approvals from different levels are required for the projects to be certified. With the success of the Yellow Belt training, Seylan also commenced Green Belt training in 2021, maintaining its bid to empower internal stakeholders while providing simplified solutions to customers.

Commenting on the initiative, Malik Wickramanayaka – Deputy General manager (Operations) at Seylan Bank stated, “The key objective of the programme is to create a culture of continuous improvement across the Bank. Having Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt and Green Belt trained and certified staff is a true asset to the organization.

Acting as ground level change agents, they will continue to implement similar Operational Excellence projects within the Bank and share their knowledge and experience with others. This advantage will reflect in two ways. On one hand, the Bank can better optimize our products and services so that our customers benefit with solutions and support further. From an employee perspective, being accredited with Lean Six Sigma adds much value to one’s career.”

Employees who receive the certification are empowered with the knowledge and skills of the effective problem-solving methodology that is focused at eliminating waste and improving quality of business processes. This knowledge is then transcended to the customers with efficient processes, further improving customer experience. The new way of thinking that is instigated through Lean Six Sigma creates sustainability for all stakeholders including customers, employees, shareholders and the environment, leading to a wholistic understanding of the best ways to improve stakeholder experience.