Students of the Colombo Academy of Hospitality Management (CAHM) at SLIIT have once again showcased their creativity, talent and professional skills by achieving remarkable success at two prestigious national-level hospitality competitions held recently in Sri Lanka.
Established in 2013 and located at the SLIIT Main Campus in Malabe, CAHM is recognised as one of Sri Lanka’s leading private hospitality education institutes. Through its partnership with William Angliss Institute, Australia’s specialist hospitality education institute, CAHM delivers internationally recognised vocational qualifications combining global industry standards with practical training and real-world experience.
At the 31st National Bartenders Competition (NBC), organised by the Sri Lanka Hospitality Graduates Association (SLHGA) in partnership with International Distillers Limited (IDL), CAHM student Anurasi Chandrasoma from Commercial Cookery Batch 22 secured the championship title in the highly competitive Hotel School Category.
The competition, held on 26 May 2026 at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management (SLITHM), Colombo, featured more than 75 participants representing hospitality education institutions from across the country.
Joining Anurasi in representing CAHM were Dishala Gunawardhana from Hospitality Management Batch 37, Sunera Sathindu from Commercial Cookery Batch 21, and Devindu Amarasekara from Patisserie Batch 11. Their impressive performances highlighted CAHM’s commitment to developing industry-ready hospitality professionals with strong technical skills and creativity.
Continuing this outstanding momentum, CAHM students delivered another series of impressive performances at Dainties 2026 – Season III, an annual hospitality competition organised by the Department of Tourism Studies at Uva Wellassa University of Sri Lanka.
Held on 16 and 17 June 2026 at Uva Wellassa University, the competition brought together participants from universities, vocational training institutes and hospitality organisations nationwide.
CAHM students achieved exceptional results across beverage and culinary categories. In the Cocktail VTA Category, Anurasi Chandrasoma claimed the Winner’s title, while Dishala Gunawardhana was named Runner-Up and Sunera Sathindu secured the 2nd Runner-Up position, giving CAHM a complete sweep of the top three places.
These achievements further reinforce CAHM’s reputation as a centre of excellence in hospitality education, nurturing young professionals who continue to make their mark in Sri Lanka’s growing tourism and hospitality industry.
HNB General Insurance Strengthens Board with Appointments of Lakshman Silva and Sandra De Zoysa
HNB General Insurance Ltd. (HNBGI) has announced the appointment of Mr. Lakshman Silva as Non-Executive/Nominee Director and Ms. Sandra De Zoysa as Independent/Non-Executive Director to its Board of Directors, strengthening the company’s leadership as it advances its digital transformation and customer-centric growth strategy.
The new appointments mark an important step in HNBGI’s long-term vision to enhance operational excellence, expand digital capabilities and redefine customer service experiences. The addition of two experienced professionals brings together extensive expertise in financial services, corporate governance, customer experience and digital innovation.
Mr. Lakshman Silva’s extensive background in banking, financial governance and stakeholder management is expected to provide valuable strategic guidance in strengthening the company’s financial direction and regulatory framework. Meanwhile, Ms. Sandra De Zoysa’s expertise in customer experience transformation and digital leadership will support HNBGI’s efforts to develop innovative service solutions and future-ready insurance platforms.
Together, their combined expertise will help reinforce HNB General Insurance’s ambition to become Sri Lanka’s most customer-focused general insurer while creating sustainable value for customers, employees and stakeholders.
Mr. Lakshman Silva brings more than three decades of experience in financial leadership and governance, having held several senior positions within the DFCC Banking Group. He served as CEO of DFCC Vardhana Bank in 2010, later becoming Deputy CEO of DFCC Bank PLC before being appointed CEO of DFCC Bank PLC from 2017 to 2021.
During his distinguished career, Mr. Silva has held several key board and governance positions, including Chairman roles at DFCC subsidiaries such as DFCC Consulting (Pvt) Limited, Lanka Industrial Estates Limited and Synapsys Limited. He has also served as Chairman of the Sri Lanka Banks’ Association and Acuity Partners (Pvt) Ltd.
Currently, Mr. Silva serves as Chairman of LankaPay and Panasian Power PLC, while also holding independent directorships at Seylan Bank PLC, Melstercorp PLC, Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC and HNB Life PLC. He is also a member of the Stakeholder Engagement Committee of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.
A former President of the Association of Professional Bankers, Mr. Silva holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Special) degree from the University of Kelaniya and an MBA from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.
The appointments further strengthen HNB General Insurance’s commitment to innovation, strong governance and delivering enhanced value through a digitally enabled insurance experience.
AHM Students Achieve Top Recognition at National Bartenders Competition and Dainties 2026
