John Keells Group’s Imani Perera, Vice President and Head of Learning and Development; Kumudu Munasinghe, Senior Assistant Vice President and Head of Corporate Communications, Group Lead for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion & Head of Operations Social Entrepreneurship Project – Plasticcycle; Kirthana Krishnakumar, Senior Assistant Vice President and Senior Legal Counsel; Carmeline Jayasuriya, Senior Assistant Vice President and Head of Corporate Social Responsibility; Shanez Wijesinghe, Head of Quality Assurance, Health & Safety, Sustainability and CSR – Vice President Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts; Pathumi Abeysekera, Senior Assistant Vice President and Senior Strategist – Corporate Finance and Strategy; and Shelanthi Perera, Senior Assistant Vice President and Financial Controller – Retail Sector, join Echelon to discuss how the Group drives a culture that fosters diversity and inclusion and empowers women, within and outside of the organisation.

In what ways is the Group’s culture enabling women to be the best they can be?

Imani Perera: The John Keells Group fosters an environment that enables a person to discover their potential and grow. Being a meritocracy, the Group champions an equal playing field for all. Opportunities are created to support anyone to become the best version of themselves, whilst achieving positive business outcomes. I believe, one of the key reasons our Group’s culture is conducive to women’s empowerment is having a leadership team that understands the challenges unique to women in different industries at each stage of their lives. This has resulted in the introduction and internalisation of policies, processes, and practices that have helped create an environment where women can thrive professionally and personally, as diverse individuals. Womencentric development is crafted with a focus on managing contemporary challenges, and, current and future roles, driving aspirations for growth and success. The introduction of equal 100-day parental leave and agile working are examples of holistic outcomes through discussions by diverse stakeholders. In my view, the freedom, support mechanisms, frameworks, and practices implemented across the Group, are what enable women to be their best.

A non-discriminating work culture may be ideal, but organisations must create a conducive environment for diversity and inclusion to thrive. How has the John Keells Group achieved this?

Kumudu Munasinghe: At John Keells, our stance is that we maintain respectful workplaces where everyone is happy to do their best work. Since the early 2000s, the Group has had policies and processes to ensure non-discrimination and equal opportunity for all our people. Learning from the progress made globally in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I), and having understood the needs on-ground, we ensure to recruit and retain the best talent, irrespective of ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and physical or non-physical disability.

Launched in 2020, ONE JKH, our DE&I brand, focuses on increasing female participation in our workforce and value chains, ensuring inclusivity of the LGBTIQ+ community, and increasing career opportunities for persons with disabilities. With the commitment of our leadership, we have rolled out DE&I initiatives to address unconscious bias, provide employer-supported childcare and break the stigma associated with menstruation by providing free SanNaps for our women. While these are just some of the initiatives we have implemented, we continue our journey towards maintaining an equitable and inclusive workplace.

The freedom, support mechanisms, frameworks, and practices implemented across the Group, are what enable women to be their best

How would you describe your role at John Keells Group?

Kirthana Krishnakumar: My role at Group Legal includes mergers & acquisitions, legal documentation for large-scale infrastructure projects, and acting as a lead in conveyancing transactions. I have worked on complex projects such as Cinnamon Life and the Colombo West International Terminal, which are two of the largest private sector investments in Sri Lanka and are expected to have far-reaching benefits for our Group and our economy.

The senior team at Group Legal plays a key role in the strategic decision-making of our businesses; I strongly believe that having gender diversity at this level, provides for well-rounded discussions enabling the best triple-bottom-line impact for the business. I am proud that the Group endorses the value of women in decision-making positions, which is also reflected in the ONE JKH goals. The Group also proactively drives change in the legal sphere; like lobbying for regulatory reforms on gender-based violence and gender equality and female empowerment. Through my role as a member of the Legislative Steering Committee of the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, I can also meaningfully contribute towards the formulation of such laws.

How has the Group supported women’s empowerment outside of the workplace and created better opportunities for women?

Carmeline Jayasuriya: I have been fortunate to witness and steer the Group’s support for women’s empowerment through our CSR entity, John Keells Foundation (JKF). Empowering women through education and capacity development, entrepreneurship and market facilitation whilst addressing personal and social impediments to reaching their full potential, are key drivers within JKF’s vision of ‘Empowering the Nation for Tomorrow’.

While JKF’s long-term programmes such as Village Adoption, John Keells Praja Shakthi and Rural Business Process Outsourcing Initiative have facilitated sustainable diversified livelihoods for women through upskilling, supportive ecosystems, and expanding market opportunities, our educational and health-related programmes such as career guidance, vocational training, soft skills development, English and Higher Education scholarships, preventative awareness on gender-based violence, child abuse, and substance abuse are all aimed at enhancing their knowledge, attitudes, and opportunities while building safe and enabling environments to achieve their aspirations and potential.

When women are empowered to be self-reliant, financially stable, confident, and motivated, the resultant economic and social impacts have a ripple effect on their children, family, and the community.

What are the challenges to establishing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace?

Shanez Wijesinghe: While there is progress made in DE&I in the workplace, societal norms that perpetuate gender stereotypes cause women to be underrepresented and this remains one of the key challenges. The hospitality sector is one in which this is most prevalent

Cinnamon, along with ONE JKH, has acknowledged the need to create an environment to address gender equality across the business and increase female participation in non-traditional roles. Cinnamon’s “EmpowHer” is an Employee Resource Group, created as a platform for our female colleagues to network, collaborate, and ideate. As a leading hospitality brand, our vision is to lead by example in making the industry a place where women can excel and prosper, showcasing that there are diverse long-term career opportunities.

Together with robust policies, key recruitment drives, goal-setting, and established monitoring mechanisms to evaluate the success of the programmes initiated, the Group strives to address these biases and increase female participation in non-traditional roles.

What excites you the most about your job?

Pathumi Abeysekera: I’ve had the opportunity to work on many of the Group’s landmark projects, each complex and unique in its own way. In addition to the steep learning curve, the work involved is tremendously diverse and of significant impact to the Group; such as the $325 million refinancing of Cinnamon Life at a time when the sovereign debt rating and outlook for the country were bleak and the structuring of the $50 million private placement to ADB, to name a few.

Underpinning these aspects of work which create excitement and satisfaction around the role I play in the Group is the collaborative work environment, where everyone supports each other to achieve the outcomes. Similarly, the work culture and flexible work environment, where we are empowered to focus on the delivery of our work while ensuring good work-life balance, is something that I value and is a strong contributor towards my sustained passion.

When women are empowered to be self reliant, financially stable, confident, and motivated, the resultant economic and social impacts have a ripple effect on their children, family, and the community

How has the John Keells Group benefitted by tearing down obstacles and creating better opportunities for women?

Shelanthi Perera: The Group understands that by embracing diversity and addressing the challenges in recruiting and retaining women in the workforce, we can increase our talent pool and in turn, achieve better business outcomes. Our retail sector is a prime example of this, with 51% of the workforce at the supermarkets being female. This achievement is a result of bold steps taken over time including initiatives to change outlet infrastructure and address biases related to gender stereotyping. Keells shattered beliefs that were entrenched in the industry while providing a sustainable solution for women in operational roles, such as the meat counter, and creating equity in the workplace. To facilitate more women at the meat counters, infrastructure changes were facilitated at ground level; equipment was reduced in size, counter height was altered, and dangerous tools were removed to ensure the safety of all. The business case for DE&I is clear and the need to seek solutions across the Group, to tear down these obstacles has become a part of our DNA.