A Lasting Legacy of Academic Excellence at the Faculty of Management and Finance

We are delighted to share an important milestone for the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo.

At today’s Faculty Board meeting, the proposal to establish the Professor W. M. Jayaratne Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding Performance in Organizational Behaviour was formally approved, with the Faculty Board confirming that the initiative should proceed to the Legislation Committee and thereafter to the Senate for approval.

This proposed annual gold medal will honour Professor W. M. Jayaratne, widely regarded as the founding father of the Faculty of Management and Finance and a pioneer of management education in Sri Lanka.

The initiative carries a particularly meaningful connection to Leadership with Soul – A Global CEO Engagement, featuring Mr. André Lacroix, Global CEO of Intertek. Intertek’s generous contribution of LKR 500,000 towards the programme is now being transformed into a lasting academic legacy—one that will continue to recognize outstanding student achievement for generations to come.

Rather than allowing a contribution to end with a single event, the Faculty is creating something that will live beyond the event itself: a permanent symbol of scholarship, leadership, professional integrity and academic excellence.

The proposed medal will recognize an undergraduate student who demonstrates the most outstanding performance in Organizational Behaviour, subject to the relevant University regulations and approvals.

This is more than a medal.

It is a tribute to a visionary academic.
It is an investment in future generations.
And it is a reminder that true leadership leaves a legacy.

We look forward to taking the next steps through the University’s formal approval process and, in due course, celebrating the first recipient of the Professor W. M. Jayaratne Gold Medal.