Ashan Malasekera, Chairman, Arinma Holdings Group
With the 30 year civil war ending in 2008, Sri Lanka faced a dire need to develop high quality infrastructure to promote the nation’s growth. In the same year, Arinma Holdings Group, one of Sri Lanka’s most innovative architecture, engineering and construction technology services provider, was set up in Colombo, Sri Lanka as a step towards the solution. “We started our journey in 2008 to promote cutting-edge infrastructure solutions to meet the development needs of the country,” says Mr. Ashan Malasekera, the founder and chairman of the group. Over the years, the company has steadily built a national and international reputation for its professional expertise, skill and excellence.
Today, Arinma Holdings Group is the only Sri Lankan company to offer services for the entire infrastructure lifecycle under one brand. Its services encompass planning, end-to-end project management, advisory, design, consultancy, turnkey engineering construction services, heavy machinery procurement, haulage services, top-of-the-line interior solutions, feasibility studies, contract management and more. It’s highly capable of realizing exceptional success for critical public projects across many disciplines including civil engineering, water engineering, fluid dynamics, roadway construction—for any civil, domestic, housing, commercial and industrial necessity.
Why Arinma Holdings Group Succeeds
Mr. Malasekera adds, “Arinma Holdings enjoys strong symbolic partnerships with many international players including leading multilateral financial institutions, development agencies, conglomerates and engineering companies with global presence.” When this powerful network is refined through its sound domain expertise and a decade of experience, the company is able to bring experts from diverse fields together to overlook every stage of the process, from procuring viable proposals to driving up successful results. Without the need to coordinate or liaise with more parties, every client can rest assured that the most competent company is handling their project.
Technology, innovation and a resolve to deliver the holistically best solution possible is integral to Arinma Holdings Group. There are four corporate values that guide the organization’s work culture. First, ‘integrity’ to encourage all employees to act with honesty, respect one another and strive for the best keeping clients, company and stakeholders at heart. Second, ‘innovation’ to promote new thinking and always evolving to become the best in the field. Third, ‘empowerment’ to help employees take initiatives and facilitate a culture of leadership in a diverse cultural mix. And fourth, ‘earthly’ to conduct business in a sustainable and nature-friendly way stemming from a healthy respect for people, the planet and natural resources.
Moreover, in every service delivered, there are two elemental principles engrained: building climate resilient infrastructure and achieving high human centricity.
A Mission to Holistically Upgrade Sri Lankan Infrastructure
A fundamental challenge in construction technology is to realize structures that are resilient to harsh weather conditions and for Sri Lanka especially, resilient architecture is fast becoming a necessity. “According to estimates by climate experts, climate change will significantly erode the living standards of as many as 18 million Sri Lankans by the year 2050. Communities which lack infrastructure development will be the most vulnerable to climate volatility and are likely to suffer the most”, says Mr. Malasekera. So, the company is on a mission to provide climate resilient infrastructure solutions in Sri Lanka and APAC, too.
At the same time, Arinma Holdings Group is highly focused on water stewardship. It’s well on its way in exploring how to create and champion hi-tech solutions to manage water and water-related infrastructure, through networking with global leaders. Mr. Malasekera says, “Together with our partners we hope to continue to innovate and deliver infrastructure solutions across many spheres, with a focus of providing sustainable water solutions with the hope of making clean water and sanitation accessible to all in Sri Lanka and emerging Asia.”
Arinma Holdings Group includes subsidiaries such as Ceywater Consultants Pvt Ltd (the oldest and one of Sri Lanka’s leading engineering consultancies), Squire Mech Engineering Pvt Ltd (a well reputed construction company with over 35 years of specialization in water resource management) and more. Arinma Investments, another one of its subsidiaries, is a vehicle for fellow companies to raise funds and invest in cutting-edge technology solutions.
Till date, Arinma Holdings Group dedicatedly partook in the successful completion of 235 infrastructure projects that are wholly worth about USD 6,000 million. Earlier this year, the company won the Diversity Impact Award at the 2019 edition of the Sri Lanka Best Employer Brand Award for their exceptional cultural inclusivity and strategic human resource management.
With focus and dedication to holistically upgrade Sri Lankan infrastructure, emphasizing on climate resilient infrastructure and practicing high respect for the human element within its architecture, Arina Holdings Group looks confidently ahead to 2020. Mr. Malasekera concludes, “While we continue to innovate and deliver infrastructure solutions in many spheres, providing sustainable water solutions will be the mainstay and focus of our business. As we step into the second decade of our journey, we envision championing water stewardship, achieving universal access to clean water and sanitation and making our communities empowered and prosperous.”
