Hela Apparel Holdings PLC has been awarded the prestigious Overall Award for Best Exporter in Product Diversification and Sectoral Award for Best Exporter – Medium Category, at the 25th Presidential Export Awards Ceremony in Sri Lanka.
The ceremony was held on 23rd November with the patronage of Ranil Wickremasinghe – President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
“It gives me immense pleasure to have received these awards on behalf of Hela,” commented A.R Rasiah, Chairman, Hela Apparel Holdings PLC, adding, “It’s been a challenging couple of years for the apparel manufacturing sector in Sri Lanka and it has been no different for Hela. Despite the challenging global operating environment, we have been steadfast in our commitment to growth across our global footprint, expanding our offerings and creating global partnerships that share our vision. This recognition further cements our journey within the sector and is a true testament to all the hard work, commitment, and dedication of the Hela Group across the globe.”
The annual event celebrated the foremost contributors to the country’s export sector for the years 2021/22 and 2022/23. Divided into two primary categories, the ceremony bestowed 13 Overall Awards and 51 Awards in the Products and Services Sector, acknowledging outstanding achievements in various export-related domains.
Aligning with the prevailing Government Policy Framework and newly devised strategies aimed at fostering exports, a distinguished panel of judges, led by a retired Supreme Court judge, diligently assessed organisations. Their evaluation encompassed commendable efforts in Market Diversification, Product Diversification, Innovation, Value Addition, Introduction of Indigenous Brands to the global market, Sustainable Initiatives in exports, Development in Regional Value Chains, and other noteworthy contributions to the export landscape.
Viraj Fernando, CEO, Private Label Division, Hela Apparel Holdings PLC, shared his thoughts on the achievement, “In today’s industry context, we must look beyond the traditional norms of apparel manufacturing and be willing to offer customers an unappareled service and end-to-end solutions. The market is increasingly competitive, understanding this we at Hela have been working to expand our global partnerships with innovative ideas and unique product and design offerings of the highest quality, prioritising speed solutions, which has helped us continue our operations and achieve milestones such as this despite a challenging global operating environment.”
The awards ceremony was concluded successfully with the participation of over 1,500 guests, including Ministers, Government officials, Diplomats, Well-wishers, and Exporters, and was organised by the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.
It’s worth mentioning here that Hela Apparel Holdings PLC is a social capital-focused company built on the principles of inclusivity, equity, and climate stability. With over three decades of industry experience, Hela focuses on building strategic partnerships with global brands to provide apparel supply chain solutions with distinctive advantages. The organisation has a global presence with 10 manufacturing facilities across Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt, as well as design centres in Sri Lanka, the US, the UK, and France, providing direct employment to over 20,000 people.
