Fairfirst rewards upcoming talent in the Broker Community at the Niranjan Nagendra Award 2022

The Niranjan Nagendra Memorial Award was introduced by Fairfirst Insurance as an initiative that rewards and recognises significant talent in the broker community. Since 2018, this prestigious award has been presented as a token of honour dedicated to the bright talent in the broker community in memory of an industry veteran and close associate, Mr. Niranjan Nagendra.

The selection criteria of this award recognise the efforts of Sri Lanka’s talented and most promising broker professionals who work tirelessly to bridge the protection gap by catering to the insurance needs of corporates, SME’s and individuals so that the economy and the community can progress through life’s uncertainties. Likewise, the notable individuals who have gone beyond limits and boundaries to educate and provide services to their customers and swayed from the norms to introduce modern approaches have been recognised through this award.

This year’s awards ceremony was held at Ramada, Colombo where two individuals, considering their passion and optimism about their roles that helped the insurance community thrive, were recognised as the “Emerging Insurance Broker Professional of the Year 2022” and “Technical Expert of the Year 2022”.

Amidst the grandeur, the “Emerging Insurance Broker Professional of the Year 2022” award was awarded to Channa Prasanga, Manager – Corporate Customer at IIRM Lanka Insurance Brokers, whose contributions in customer services to branch operations, while building a portfolio that consists of reputed domestic and international clients, is remarkable.In addition, his approach to sustainability, new technology and work efficiency also made him the right candidate to receive this prestigious award.

In the following proceedings, Shashika Gunawardena from ADZ insurance brokers was presented with the “Technical Expert of the Year 2022” award. Having worked and acquired knowledge in both national and international insurance arenas, his career commenced as a Senior Executive in Motor Underwriting before his engagement as a Manager – Technical Reinsurance in the UAE. Currently, he continues to provide his services by working with new clients and accommodating policies that serve them best.

Sandeep Gopal, the Chief Executive Officer of Fairfirst Insurance while congratulating the winners stated, “Fairfirst rewarding employees for their exemplary work is part of the company’s culture and the brokers we work with are fundamental to delivering exceptional service to the clients. In addition, he stated “we take pride in our values and the culture we have built up. Niranjan was a dear colleague who contributed to making us the organisation we are today. So, this award is very close to our hearts as it honours his legacy by recognising emerging talent in the insurance industry. We strive for excellence and this award recognises individuals who share the same philosophy.”

Commenting on the recent occasion, Sanjay Siriwardena, Chief Sales Officer expressed, “we have been working very closely with the Broker community and will do so in the future as well. Brokers play a vital role in ensuring that the insurance protection gap (gap between assets that should be insured and ones that are currently insured) in the country is reduced and that the clients are adequately protected. I would like to congratulate the winners and wish them and the rest of the Broker community an optimistic start to a new year.”

Charith Mahendrarajah, the President of SLIBA further commented, “Brokers play an essential role in helping the community and the economy thrive. I wish the winners of the Niranjan Nagendra Awards 2022 all the best and the rest of the Broker professionals a successful new year to becoming the finest at what they do best.”

With over 30 years of local and international exposure in business development and marketing in both life and general insurance, Niranjan Nagendra was one of the foremost experts the insurance industry had seen. Attached to Fairfirst Insurance under the capacity of General Manager Sales and Marketing he was a qualified underwriter of property, engineering, miscellaneous and motor classes of business. He was also an associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute UK and a Chartered Insurer and Alumni of the International Center for Management Development, Switzerland.

Fairfirst Insurance Limited is part of the global Fairfax Group. The Group is a leading property and casualty insurer, reinsurer and investment manager, headquartered in Toronto, Canada. Fairfirst is today among the top general insurance companies of Sri Lanka and was recognised as the only Sri Lankan company among the 2020 Top insurance global giants in Asia-Pacific. Fairfirst serves individuals, businesses and institutions across this beautiful island through a versatile workforce spread across the comprehensive branch network, affinity partners and brokers in Sri Lanka.