AHRP soars to 25th year taking HR to the forefront

The Association of HR Professionals (AHRP), the conclave of discerning human resource practitioners in the country, celebrates 25 years of shaping the professions’ onward march  this year.

Having established in the year 2000 by a futuristic group of practitioners and academics the association has been the catalyst in opening boardroom echelons to the discipline as a business driver and enabler.

At the annual general meeting held on the 1^st of August, the new executive committee led by Thushara Jayawardene, General Manager – Human Resources of South Asia Gateway Terminals unrolled their futuristic strategic canvas for this year and beyond.

The association is set to complete its passed act of incorporation in parliament this year to further strengthen the national and international recognition it enjoys. Top in the priority list is anchoring a core capability model of international standards for the practitioners in the corporate sector in the country and launching a professional certification program with leading bodies of stakeholders.

The association envisages strengthening relations with their international partner society for human resource management (SHRM) USA ably backed by the Indian regional office for professional development, whilst encouraging the government of Sri Lanka to act on the findings of national HR conference held last year which found the talent gaps in pivotal economic sectors in the country

The new executive committee consists HR leaders in the top corporates in the country holding the following positions:

Thushara Jayawardana - President, Roshan Kulasuriya - Immediate  Past President, Ravi Jayasekera - Executive Vice  President, Oshana Dias – Senior Vice President , Dinusha Jayamanne, Isuru Gunasekera, Kaushal Mendis  and Suresh Muttiah - Vice Presidents, Sampath Alwis - Treasurer, Dilani Jayalath - Secretary, Nuwan Jayaweera - Assistant Treasurer, Rehan Anthonis – Assistant Secretary, Darshi Thalpahewa, Thilanka Jayathilake, Ryan Visvanathan, Michelle Senanayake, Chandi Dharmaratne and  Chethana Liyange - Committee Members.

The twenty fifth year is set to bring in a fresh breath of air to the profession with new strategic alignment and brand image leveraging on the foundation and growth achieved collectively by founders and all members in its existence of a quarter century bringing HR to the forefront.