The John Keells Group was recognised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) Sri Lanka for its Triple Bottom Line reporting at the recent Sustainability Reporting Awards 2018 ceremony which awarded companies for their sustainability performance disclosures.

The awards ceremony saw the Group being adjudged the Overall winner of the ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards as well as emerging as the winner of the Conglomerates and Diversified Category, while John Keells Hotels PLC was awarded as the runner-up for the Leisure and Connected Services Category.

This recognition stems from the John Keells Group’s ongoing commitment to sustainable development and a holistic view of performance within the lens of ‘People, Planet and Profit’ as a guiding principle in its business model. Operating across seven diverse industry verticals such as Transportation, Leisure, Property, Consumer Foods and Retail, Financial Services, Information Technology and Others including Plantation Services, the Group has in place a robust sustainability structure and management framework which incorporates the integration of sustainability objectives with financial aims. Under the direction and support of its senior management, the Group’s sustainability strategy incorporates corporate governance, environmental stewardship, human capital development, product and service excellence and value chain development, integrated with financial and non-financial risk management and has entrenched these values within its corporate DNA. Over the years, the Group has continued to strive for ongoing improvement and development of its processes and policies, whilst deepening its commitment to sustainable business performance and value creation for its stakeholders. In addition to seeking to minimize its environmental impacts, a vital part of this strategy has also been to build and maintain social and relationship capital as a means of creating trust and reciprocity, with mutually beneficial relationships, beit engaging with local communities, uplifting and developing its value chain or investing in the training and development of its workforce. With its understanding of the interrelationships between business interest, environmental conservation and benefits to society as a whole, the Group has been able to navigate successfully along its sustainability journey.

This was reflected by the Group’s achievements at the ACCA awards with its sustainability reporting showcasing the values espoused by the Group through transparent and comprehensive performance disclosures to its varied stakeholders. Since its first stand-alone report, sustainability reporting at John Keells has continually evolved and progressed, now taking an integrated approach, encompassing the Global Reporting Initiatives Standards framework and the IIRC Reporting Framework, whilst also relating disclosures to Sustainability Development Goals, providing insight to its operating model of sustainable performance. Its reporting goals are to provide stakeholders with a clear, reliable and concise view of its stakeholder relationships, material impact areas, strategic priorities and focus areas and its future orientation.

Within this framework, Group businesses have been able to embrace a sustainability mindset and reap the benefits of cost savings, operational efficiencies and new opportunities, implementing business strategies and projects to support sustainable operations. Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts (John Keells Hotels PLC) was also awarded for its sustainability efforts in Leisure and Connected Services. Representing eleven hotels in Sri Lanka and four resorts in the Maldives, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to sustainable tourism is exhibited through its concerted effort in delivering service excellence, enhancement of the workforce, guest and staff health & safety, environmental management, conservation of bio diversity and enhancing local communities within which it operates. The company’s annual report adopted the principles of the IIRC Framework as well as GRI Standards in order to showcase how its business is conducted in a sustainable manner through well balanced disclosures and concise assessment of its strategy, performance and outlook in relation to its triple bottom line goals.

The recognition of the Group’s efforts is testament to its commitment to continuing to deliver stakeholder value and the awards received reflect its efforts to ensure its sustainability priorities, strategies and outlook are communicated to its wide and varied stakeholder groups as clear and transparent disclosures.