John Keells Group recognized for its Sustainability Performance Disclosures

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka recognized John Keells Holdings PLC once again, at the recently concluded Sustainability Reporting Awards 2017 ceremony.

 While John Keells Holdings PLC emerged the winner of the Conglomerates and Diversified Category, Group companies Union Assurance PLC and John Keells Hotels PLC were also awarded winner of the Financial Services and Insurance Category and runner-up of the Leisure and Connected Services Category, respectively. The awards further endorsed the Group’s consistent commitment to sustainability and its integrated and transparent sustainability disclosures to its stakeholders.

 The John Keells Group’s commitment to sustainable development is evident within its business model, operating across its seven industry verticals such as Transportation, Leisure, Property, Consumer Foods and Retail, Financial Services, Information Technology and Others including Plantation Services. This commitment is well supplemented by its robust sustainability management framework and sustainability policies, aptly supported by its senior management’s guidance. In addition, the Group’s integrated approach which enables interlinks between its financial performance, brand image, corporate governance, product and service excellence, productive workforce, environmental stewardship and social responsibility, has enabled sustainability to be entrenched within the Group’s operational DNA.

 The Group constantly strives to create value for all of its significant stakeholders through its various processes and initiatives implemented, in ensuring constant enhancement and efficient management of its capitals. An example of such being the Group’s establishing of energy and water reduction goals for the year 2020, as an innovative stride in its sustainability journey which would further supplement its commitment to minimize its impacts on natural resources and further enhance its environmental stewardship.

 This value creation has in turn been disclosed in the Group’s integrated annual report, emphasizing the various elements of integrated reporting guidelines such as strategic focus and future orientation, connectivity of information, stakeholder relationships, materiality, conciseness, reliability and completeness, consistency and comparability, ensuring comprehensive and concise disclosures to the Group’s stakeholders. The report is further enhanced by the Group’s adopting of the GRI G4 Reporting Guidelines, and also reinforces its commitment to the 10 principles of the United Nations Global Compact initiatives, of which the Group has been a part of since 2002. In addition the report disclosures also illustrate the mapping of all projects carried out by the John Keells Foundation, Group Sustainability, Human Resources division as well as individual businesses, to the Sustainable Development Goals.

 Union Assurance PLC clinched the top award in its relevant category, once again showcasing its consistent performance in concise and comprehensive sustainability disclosures, while focusing on areas material to the business and its stakeholders, aligned to the GRI G4 reporting guidelines as well as the IIRC Framework. The company focuses on creating value for its significant stakeholders, offering a wide portfolio of solutions to its customers, along with high service standards, investing in employee development and training, maintaining strong relationships with its business partners, continuous commitment to the communities within which its operated in and minimizing its environmental and social impacts.

 John Keells Hotels PLC, excelled in its relevant category for its balanced and concise disclosures of its value creation and outlook in relation to its triple bottom line goals, while the company’s annual report adopted the principles of the IIRC Framework as well as GRI G4.  The company which represents eight resorts spread across Sri Lanka and three resorts in the Maldives, has aptly displayed its commitment to sustainable development through its disclosures emphasizing its contribution to responsible tourism, conservation and preservation of the environment and bio diversity, product and service excellence, enhancement of the workforce and upliftment of local communities, through its impressive Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts portfolio.

The awards received further endorse the John Keells Group’s continued commitment to create value for its all of its stakeholders and achieve operational excellence through transparent, comprehensive and balanced sustainability reporting disclosures.