Lilan Dayananda, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Elzian Agro, was celebrated as the Social Entrepreneur of the Year at the prestigious Fifth New Generation Asia Awards held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Colombo. This year’s awards recognized over 40 outstanding young individuals for their contributions across various fields, including leadership, entrepreneurship, politics, technology, media, arts, social media, innovation, sports, agriculture, tourism, and education.
Lilan Dayananda, co-founder and CEO of Elzian Agro, has been garnering significant acclaim in recent years. He was listed on Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia for 2024, recognized among the top ten Youth Social Entrepreneurs at the Global-South Development Expo 2022, and honored with the Commonwealth Youth Award for excellence in development work. His reputation was further solidified by being named among the top 100 meaningful business founders in 2023 by Ernst & Young (EY) and Hogan Lovells Global Law Firms.
The Youth Top 40 New Generation Asia Awards 2024, presented by WIM New Generation Sri Lanka in collaboration with the National Youth Services Council (NYSC), took place under the theme ‘Striving Beyond the Status Quo.’ The event celebrated exceptional youth leadership, innovation, and talent across a broad spectrum of professions.
Distinguished guests attended the ceremony, including Hon. Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon, State Minister of Defence; Mr. Ruwan Wijewardena, Senior Advisor to the President; Azusa Kubota, Resident Representative of UNDP; H.E. Semih Lütfü Turgut, Ambassador of Türkiye; H.E. Badli Hisham Adam, High Commissioner of Malaysia; Fathimath Ghina, Deputy High Commissioner of Maldives; Tetsuya Yamada, Chief Representative of JICA Sri Lanka Office; Navya Singla, First Secretary of the Indian High Commission; Pasindu Gunaratne, Chairman of the National Youth Service Council Sri Lanka; and Senior DIG Ajith Rohana.
The awards, ignited by Sunmatch Company’s flagship brand Soorya, identified and rewarded the best performing youth talent in Sri Lanka. In partnership with Women in Management (WIM) and the Youth Council of Sri Lanka, the event underscored the significance of nurturing and recognizing young talent poised to make substantial contributions to the future.
Elzian Agro, under Lilan Dayananda’s visionary leadership, continues to make strides in precision agriculture, pushing the boundaries of innovation and sustainability. This recognition as Social Entrepreneur of the Year highlights his dedication to creating positive social impact and inspiring future generations to strive beyond the status quo.
