COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — January 12th, 2018: Airtel Lanka celebrated its 10th year in Sri Lanka, unveiling its biggest digital consumer programme – #AirtelThanks to delight its valued customers with exclusive benefits. #AirtelThanks is a first of its kind consumer program that will bring a range of exciting benefits to customers at no additional charge. Some of these would include complementary content access, exclusive recharge deals and attractive partner offers. All these and more will now be available to select Airtel customers throughout the year and the entire experience will be delivered digitally through the My Airtel App.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary, the operator has also rewarded 10 of its the oldest customers with a lifetime of free calls. As a token of appreciation, all the customers who joined the network in the first month of operations in Sri Lanka receive Rs.1000 worth of calling benefit and 10GB worth of data free of charge.

Commenting on this latest and significant milestone, Bharti Airtel Lanka’s Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Jinesh Hegde stated: “We are excited to celebrate an entire decade of Airtel in Sri Lanka. While we have changed the way mobile communications work in the country through the introduction of several innovative services which include the concept of no hidden costs, customised internet packages and handset bundle offers, we have received an amazing love and support from the people of Sri Lanka. And thanks to their support, Airtel has become one of the most successful international brands to be established in Sri Lanka in terms of connectivity and accessibility across the Country.”

“#AirtelThanks is our biggest initiative to celebrate our relationships with customers. This is also a win-win programme for our customers and partners as it gives brands the opportunity to reach customers with highly targeted offerings,” he added.

Along with the commitment towards enhancing Airtel’s network presence across Sri Lanka and continuing to work towards new ways of delivering a seamless network experience to customers, Hegde further stated: “We are thankful to the customers and channel partners who have been with us for the last 10 years. We hope to continue our customer-centric approach with innovative solutions, catering to the needs of the people whilst delivering on our promises hinged on reliability, affordability and accessibility.”

As part of this extensive expansion project, Airtel will continue to deploy robust and world-class network infrastructure and equipment to strengthen its customers’ high-speed data connectivity and mobile internet experience. Airtel has been consistently investing towards Sri Lanka’s critical infrastructure and the telco’s comprehensive network offers unbeatable coverage in urban, suburban and rural pockets across all districts of the country.

Airtel’s impact in the country has not only seen the introduction of affordable technology paired with critical infrastructure but has also provided direct and indirect employment opportunities for over 60,000 citizens island-wide.

Photo caption:
Saumya Narain – Executive Committee of Airtel Sri Lanka rewarding long-standing customers since their inception.

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka — The Buffer Free Data Network; Bharti Airtel Lanka (“Airtel”), is looking to ignite the cricketing landscape with an island wide hunt for Sri Lanka’s fastest bowler. ‘Airtel’s Fastest’ will commence on the 23rd of Feb and will be holding fast bowling auditions across the country; looking to finally unearth Sri Lanka’s fastest Amateur, School Boy and Female in the country.

Commenting at the launch, Minister of Sports, Harin Fernando said “This was something I was deliberating putting together, and am grateful that Airtel stepped up with this timely initiative. There is a lot of undiscovered talent across Sri Lanka, all looking for a way to make their dreams of playing for the national team a reality. ‘Airtel’s Fastest’ is a great opportunity for them and I am confident we will unearth a few stars who will represent the country with distinction.”

Anyone between the ages of 16 – 24 can participate in the open auditions, which will kick off in February 2019 covering, Jaffna, Pollonnaruwa, Batticaloa, Matara, Badulla, Ruwanwella, Gampaha, Kurunegala, Kandy, Horana and Colombo. A hundred fast bowlers will be selected from these trials and will be then put through a coaching camp with Airtel’s ‘Super Star coaching team’ consisting of Lasith Malinga, Anusha Samaranayake and Chaminda Vaas. After which they will be put through a series of challenges to select the fastest in each category.

“Airtel has always stood for youth empowerment, we believe in bringing an exciting platforms and opportunities to showcase and develop their talents. ‘Airtel’s Fastest’ is another example. We’ve invested in some of the best fast bowling coaching talent in the world, and are sure the young boys and girls will benefit from their experience”. We are also exited to announce that the entire talent hunt will be turned into a 20 episode TV reality show with the help of our partners in this project Derana TV” said Mr Jinesh Hegde CEO of Bharti Airtel Lanka.

Bowling legends of the Sri Lankan Cricket team too, took the opportunity in highlighting the importance of initiating local competitions such as “Airtel’s fastest” and how this will impact in building up much stronger national cricket teams in Sri Lanka, in both men and women sectors.

Highlighting the opportunities it creates in powering up the future national cricket team of Sri Lanka, Right arm fast bowling legend and brand ambassador, Lasith Malinga said “At a time when Sri Lanka is in need of fresh talent at national level, this initiative made by Bharti Airtel Lanka is a golden ticket for the young bowlers of Sri Lanka to come into the limelight. I urge all budding fast bowlers to come forward and grab this opportunity with both hands.”

Details of trial locations and dates as well as applications for the competition can be found on Airtel’s facebook page ‘airtellife’. The organisers have also ensured that registrations can be done on the day of the event at the locations. Participants are urged to bring along some kind of photo identification when registering.

Photo caption:
Saumya Narain – With the presence of Sports Minister Harin Fernando, the past and present Cricketers challenge budding fast bowlers to come strike fear into batsmen at the launch of ‘Airtel’s fastest’ with Derena TV.

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Illustrating the Company’s leadership prowess, Airtel Lanka clinched the ‘Company with Great Managers’ title as well as three individual awards for the second consecutive year at the Great Manager Awards 2018 held at the Kingsbury Hotel recently. The Company’s Head of Business Intelligence Rumal Warnakulasuriya, Head of Brand Strategy and Corporate Communications Charith De Chickera and Zonal Business Manager, Shamil Amit received accolades for their leadership skills and performance. The Great Manager Awards identifies, assess and recognize the managerial and leadership quotient of exceptional managers in organisations, providing an avenue for mangers to benchmark with the best, ascertain their strengths, provide guidance for development and enable them to become the best in their domain.

Commenting on the prestigious accolades, Bharti Airtel Lanka CEO/MD Jinesh Hegde said, “The recognition we received at the Great Manager Awards 2018 is testament to the organization’s continuous commitment and efforts in people development. The awards recognize and honour the caliber of our managers and the success of the ‘Lead Right’ programme which is the flagship people manager development programme of Airtel. Through fostering more great managers with specific training and development interventions, we envisage the growth and development of a dynamic and effective leadership pipeline across our organization.”

Great Manager Awards select winners based on a global research-based model known as R-OPTI. The model evaluates management style, focus on results, execution, people management, building team effectiveness and integrity of leaders. A global HR management initiative that revolves around identifying and rewarding inspiring and effective leaders in managerial positions, the Great Manager Awards foster a culture of improving performance capabilities and business acumen of management bodies in organisations.

Photo caption:
Charith De Chickera, Rumal Warnakulasuriya and Shamil Amit receiving the Great Manager awards. Jinesh Hegde-CEO of Airtel Lanka receiving the award for the company with Great Managers

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Unlimited voice calls for Rs 98 from today

Colombo, June 25, 2019: In a move that is set to revolutionize the telecom industry, Airtel Lanka has introduced a new product offering unlimited voice calls. With a price point of Rs 98, many industry analysts see this as something that will create real traction among telecom consumers.

Positioned as ‘the Katha Bus,’ the new product will further simplify Airtel’s prepaid proposition and addresses customers’ need for affordability, convenience and simplicity. The recharge pack is priced at Rs. 98 with a validity period of 30 days making it much more affordable than most essentials in the current context.

With the introduction of the new pack, Airtel customers can make unlimited calls to loved ones on their Airtel mobiles. The affordable pack is suited for heavy callers, reflecting Airtel’s promise to enhance customer experience, offer a complete smartphone experience, and help subscribers to always stay connected.

In addition to unlimited Airtel calls, the recharge card offers up to 1,000 SMS’s and 100 MB of data for free with a validity period of 30 days. The plan was designed to accommodate customer needs for all mobile services to be built into a single recharge pack. By catering to the needs of its customers and delivering on its promise to provide affordable services, Airtel Lanka hopes to continue its customer-centric approach with the launch of many more innovative solutions.

Airtel has always been innovative and unique in its customer offerings, constantly striving to revolutionise the industry. With the launch of the new product, Airtel once again lives up to its reputation.

Jinesh Hegde, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Bharti Airtel Lanka said, “Our customers crave for uninterrupted connectivity to support their busy lifestyle. This revolutionary recharge pack is designed to truly simplify the customer experience and offer great value to anyone. Customers no longer have to curtail voice calling in order to save money.”

He further noted, ”Additionally, with the rise of smartphones in Sri Lanka, consumers won’t necessarily have to go for higher-priced plans in order to enjoy their devices.”

The recharge packs will be available islandwide at any Airtel Store and can be activated via the MyAirtel App, by logging into facebook.com/airtellife/ or https://recharge.airtel.lk/.

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Illustrating the company’s inspiring and conducive working environment, Airtel Lanka has been recognised as a ‘Top 25 Best Workplace’ for the third time by the independent analysts, Great Place to Work Institute. Airtel Lanka has set in place a trust based, empowering relationship; a winning formula for both the company and its employees. Great Place to Work Sri Lanka conducts an anonymous employee survey, an evaluation of people practices and an in-depth culture audit prior to bestowing the credential of Great Place to Work on any company.

“Airtel’s promise is ‘an enabling work environment and an enriching work experience’ which are essential components of a great workplace. The workplace culture at Airtel Sri Lanka is a part of our legacy and is influenced by the notion that a company is only as good as its people.” commented Head of Human Resources at Airtel Lanka, Kanishka Ranaweera.

Building on the values of being ‘Alive, Inclusive and Respectful’, Airtel’s culture respects diversity and promotes equal opportunity for all. Airtel practices an open office culture where even the CEO sits amongst employees, promoting a culture of collaboration. The company upholds equality through open and transparent people practices including the availability of an independent ombudsman based offshore.

Airtel has developed a unique approach to executing the company’s business strategy which is driven by 22 cross functional project teams. This helps to eliminate the fragmented department mentality enabling all employees to pursue a collective goal and be accountable.

“We strive to drive innovation and technology to make telecommunication services accessible and useful to everyone. And We have recognized that in order to achieve that level of success, we have to consistently set the pace for a great work place and prepare for future needs.” commented Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Lanka, Jinesh Hegde.

Airtel provides flexible working arrangements to employees which include flexible hours, a relaxed dress code and sabbatical leave. Women are entitled to 26 weeks of maternity leave, above the legal requirement and also provide paternity leave and adoption leave.

Moreover, Airtel actively promotes Women in Management and accommodate the varying needs of modern working women. The company’s most recent initiative provides training opportunities for the differently abled individuals in collaboration with the Employers’ Federation of Ceylon.

Concluding the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Airtel Lanka, Jinesh Hegde added “Our People have always been our ultimate differentiator. In an Industry where everything else is generic, our success has continuously been our People. It’s only owing to them we are who we are – a Best Place to Work”.

Great Place to Work, headquartered in the USA, is the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures. Through proprietary assessment tools, advisory services, and certification programs, including Best Workplaces lists and workplace reviews, Great Place to Work provides the benchmarks, framework, and expertise needed to create, sustain, and recognise outstanding workplace cultures. Great Place to Work provides executive advisory and culture consulting services to businesses, non-profits, and government agencies in over 57 countries across five continents, including Sri Lanka.

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• Eshan Malinga from Rathnapura crowned as Airtel Fastest and under-19 champ with a scorching 141km/h
• ‘Female Slinga Malinga’ Shayani Senerathna from Kandy clocks in at 104 km/h to win the open-female category
• Malindu Shehan from Tangalle wins over 19 title at 140 km/h

Sri Lanka’s pool of prime fast bowling talent is set to receive a fresh burst of energy as Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest, in partnership with Derana – reached an exhilarating finale with the crowning of its 3 winners.

Emerging as the overall winner of the very first Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest contest was Eshan Malinga, who competed in the under 19 category and set the pace for the entire contest, clocking in at a scorching 141 km/h.

Following closely behind was over 19 winner Malindu Shehan who maxed out the speed gun at the finale at 140 km/h, while crowd favourite who has been dubbed ‘the Female Slinga Malinga’ by fans; Shayani Senerathna – clocked in at a blazing 104 km/h to take the champion’s title in the open female category.

“Airtel is driven by a passion for youth empowerment. We are alive to their needs, and we work with them, anticipating, adapting and creating platforms that enrich their lives. With Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest, we sought to unearth young boys and girls from all over Sri Lanka who had the talent to become fast bowlers and to give them access to world-class coaching and mentoring from their own cricketing heroes to realise their dreams of making it to the national squad.

“The results of our signature youth programme is now quite evident. I am proud to say that whilst some of the boys have been recruited be a part of renowned sports clubs, the highlight truly is that all of the top final girls and the winner of Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest have been called for trials in the national squad. We are all extremely proud of the remarkable improvements and fearless determination shown by all who took part in this competition.” Airtel Lanka CEO/MD Jinesh Hegde said.

Notably, the contest also sought to lend support to the runners-up in each category with Mohammed Akeel setting a fiery pace of 134 km/h in the under 19 category, Mohammed Faheem reached a peak speed of 138 km/h in the over 19 category while pace prodigy Malsha Madushani clocked in at an extremely impressive 101 km/h.

The culmination of an exhaustive talent search and training programme designed to seek out and hone the talents of aspiring pace bowlers across the entirety of Sri Lanka, the Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest winners were selected from an initial pool of 10,000 aspiring hopefuls from across the country.

Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest in partnership with Derana commenced in February under the guidance of Sri Lanka’s former National Bowling Coach, Anusha Samaranayake, conducting open auditions across 11 districts in Sri Lanka with the goal of identifying gifted, young boys and girls with the potential to eventually play for the national team.

Subsequently, 145 fast bowlers were selected and narrowed down to the top 45 fastest who went through to the second round which included coaching camps and sessions with Airtel’s ‘Super Star coaching team’ comprising of Samaranayake and current Sri Lankan T20 captain and legendary death bowling sensation, Lasith Malinga, together with icons of the Sri Lankan game, Chaminda Vaas, Hashan Tilakaratne and Upul Chandana.

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October 16, 2019: Shayani Senarathna, winner of the Female Open Category of ‘Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest’ competition has been selected to represent Sri Lanka at the inaugural ACC Women’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2019 after she was included in the 15-member squad. Consecutively after their exposure into the world of cricket through the competition, six others fom the top 14 next generation of Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest have now gone onto impacting the national arena of Sri Lankan cricket.

Dubbed as the female ‘Slinga Malinga’, Shayani Senarathna, who hails from Kandy, currently clocks a scorching speed of 104 km/h. During the preliminary stages of Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest, the island-wide quest to discover Sri Lanka’s next generation of pace bowling talent, Shayani clocked a bowling speed of 88 km/h. Under the guidance of Sri Lanka’s Former National Bowling Coach Anusha Samaranayake, Shayani improved her speed up to 98 km/h during the third round of the competition where she was selected among the top 14 fast bowlers.

The overall winner of Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest, Eshan Malinga with a speed of 141km/h during the finals is now selected to play for Colombo Cricket Club (CCC). Eshan who is also known as “podi Malinga” began the competition with a speed of 131 km/h. Malindu Shehan who won the over 19 category with a speed of 140 km/h has also been selected to play for the Burgher Recreational Club (BRC). His starting speed in the competition was 123 km/h.

Following their contemporaries from the top 14 finalists, Mohommed Fahim and Rsanjana Aravindu from the over 19 category have now been selected to play for the Police Sports Club and the Tamil Union club respectively. Aravindu has also begun playing for the Sampath Bank Team while Chiran Theikshana and Maleesha Duran from the Under 19 Category have been selected to play for the Burgher Recreation Club.

Airtel Sri Lanka’s Fastest began in February of 2019 with 10,000 participants from over 11 districts entering the competition from across the country at the initial trials. With a select pool of 145 bowlers, the competition progressed through its different levels while asserting a 360-degree approach to hone the full potential of these fast bowlers. From their first musculoskeletal screening, to on-site training camps and even their very first strength and conditioning sessions, the fast bowlers advanced through the competition under the guidance of Airtels superstar coaching team comprising of Anusha Samaranayake, current Sri Lankan T20 captain and legendary death bowling sensation, Lasith Malinga, together with icons of the Sri Lankan game, Chaminda Vaas, Hashan Tilakaratne and Upul Chandana.

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