Health and wellbeing of employees focused on as core business drivers

The Chamber of Young Lankan Entrepreneurs (COYLE), in partnership with the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), has relaunched the Sri Lankan Corporate Health & Productivity Awards (SLCHPA) 2025, calling for a new era of corporate leadership in which employee health and wellbeing are recognised as core business drivers.

- By IrnaM N1zaM

The launch event, held on August 13 at Shangri-La Colombo, marked the revival of the awards after a five-year pause due to the pandemic and economic turbulence. This year’s edition sees JETRO joining as a strategic partner for the first time, bringing Japanese expertise, international benchmarking and proven global best practices to Sri Lankan boardrooms.

Delivering the keynote, JETRO Resident Representative Hiroki Oi said the return of the awards was “not just a beginning — it’s a comeback”, symbolising resilience, shared values and a renewed focus on people as the heart of economic progress.

“Health is not optional — it is essential. Resilient companies are built on the well-being of their people. The path to recovery must be paved with compassion, innovation, and collaboration, Oi emphasised.

He explained that Japan has been developing Health and Productivity Management for over a decade, making it acentral pillar of corporate competitiveness. Today, over 60% of all large corporations in Japan practise it under direct executive leadership, with tens of thousands of companies applying annually for the Japanese national award.