02 June 2023, Colombo: Citizens Development Business Finance PLC (CDB), one of the largest Financial Service Providers in Sri Lanka, announced the successful conclusion of the highly anticipated CDB Advance Green Challenge, an internal event hosted for CDB team members. The grand finale of this impactful event took place recently at the BMICH, in the presence of Chief Guest Dr. Ravi Fernando, Chairman / CEO of Global Strategic Corporate Sustainability Pvt Ltd, where participants showcased their knowledge and dedication to sustainability and mindfulness.
Aligned with CDB’s Sustainability Agenda, the CDB Advance Green Challenge is a flagship program, emphasising the engagement of CDB team members and the inculcation of green practices. This event served as a powerful demonstration of CDB’s commitment to Environmental Stewardship and Social Progress of its team members.
The theme of CDB Advance Green Challenge, “Engage Mindful Team Members,” emphasised the significance of individual and collective actions in building a sustainable future while instilling the right mind-set and proactive behaviour towards climate action. The program aimed to foster environmental consciousness among CDB team members, inspiring them to become agents of positive change in both their personal and professional lives.
Speaking at the finale, Charitha Warnakulasooriya, Assistant General Manager – Marketing & Sustainability, CDB said, “At CDB, we take sustainability very seriously and it is embedded in our business strategy. Accordingly, transforming our people in line with this is of equal importance. CDB Advance Green Challenge is one of the key platforms through which we expand the knowledge of team members, all while inculcating a sense of sustainable living in their lives. We have expanded this year’s edition to feature a green debate and short film competition to drive our messaging even further and I am confident that this will certainly have a lasting impact.”
The CDB Advance Green Challenge’s preliminary round started in February, during which over 400 CDB team members from branches across the island enthusiastically participated in various competitions including a Green Quiz, Green Debate and Green Short Film screening. After intense competition, four teams each comprised of knowledgeable and dedicated team members from the Green Quiz and Debate segments emerged as finalists, along with six short films.
In the highly anticipated grand finale, the teams showcased their knowledge and commitment to green sustainability through a thrilling Green Quiz. Following a series of challenging questions, Team Recovery was adjudged by Amjad Azmeer – Associate – Climate and Water: UN Global Compact Network Sri Lanka and Shiranee Yasaratne – Advisor – Biodiversity Sri Lanka, before emerging as the winner. Finishing 2nd, 3rd and 4th were Team Risk and Compliance, Team Internal Audit, and Team Finance respectively.
Meanwhile, Kaushalya Nawaratne – President: Bar Association of Sri Lanka adjudged CDB’s Team Contact Centre and CDB Team Wellawatta as the winners of the Green Debate Segment in Sinhala and Tamil languages respectively, with Team Legal and Team Trincomalee clinching second place. As a part of the honourable mentions, K. Y. Kaveesha Nethmini from Team Contact Centre and P. Kajenthika from Team Trincomalee clinched the titles of Best Sinhala and Tamil language debaters respectively. I. Gajamugan, Channel Head of Shakthi and MBC Networks contributed as the judge to the Tamil debate competition.
Parallel to the Green Quiz, the Short Film Competition attracted remarkable submissions from branches island wide. Out of the short films submitted during the initial stage, six outstanding entries were shortlisted and showcased during the event. The jury, composed of Kelum Palitha – Director – Siyatha TV, carefully evaluated the submissions and recognized CDB Team Jaffna’s short film as the winning entry, with Team Moratuwa and Team Mawathagama finishing second and third respectively.
CDB dedicates significant time and effort to sustainability initiatives, firmly believing in the power of collective action to create a greener and more prosperous future. The CDB Advance Green Challenge provided a platform to celebrate the dedication and ingenuity of its passionate team, who play a pivotal role in driving positive change within the organisation and beyond.