MAS Holdings made history by being recognized as the ‘Exporting Conglomerate of the Year’, as the overall award was introduced for the first time to appreciate and celebrate export excellence by a Sri Lankan corporate at the Presidential Export Awards 2018.
At the same event, MAS Intimates was honoured with the coveted ‘Exporter of the Year Award’ as well as also receiving the Overall Awards for ‘Net Foreign Exchange Earner’ and ‘Contributor from the Region to the Export Supply Chain’.
In addition to the four overall awards, MAS walked away with two Sectoral Awards, the ‘Highest Foreign Exchange Earner – Apparel’ award won by MAS Intimates and the ‘Highest Foreign Exchange Earner – Footwear’ award won by MAS Fabrics Matrix.
The gala Awards were held under the patronage of His Excellency President Maithripala Sirisena at the BMICH, Colombo.
Commenting on the occasion, Chairman & Co-founder of MAS Holdings, Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean said, “Today, consumer dynamics have evolved, and digital commerce is disrupting the traditional retail landscape. Digitization is creating opportunities while Innovation will play an important role in transforming the apparel industry”. He goes on to state “MAS is proud to have contributed towards positioning Sri Lanka as an ethical and sustainable destination for high value-added, technologically advanced design-to-delivery apparel solutions. These awards are a testament of the hard work and commitment shown by all our associates across the country and beyond.”
Initiated by the Export Development Board in 1981, the Presidential Export Awards (PEA) are the most prestigious awards for exports in Sri Lanka and are presented to exporters who have made a significant contribution to Sri Lanka’s exports.
The Presidential Export Awards recognize and reward the top performers of the export community who contribute largely to national development. The awards are conferred following a stringent selection process, curating those who excel in export business, especially in non-traditional products and services. The Conglomerate of the Year Award was adjudged based on criteria that encapsulated a company’s export turnover, financial performance, value addition and creation of employment opportunities. Focused areas such as product and market innovation as well as the implementation of sustainable policies where MAS Holdings has displayed industry-wide dominance and leadership over the years were also evaluated. Other measures such as a company’s impact through CSR, implementation of Quality Management Systems, incremental growth of exports, and exports under Sri Lankan registered brands rounded the list of criteria that saw MAS claiming the top honour of the night.