Sr. Prof. Henarath HDNP Opatha was appointed as the Chair of HRM in the USJ, Sri Lanka
Senior Professor Dr. H.H.D.N.P. Opatha, who had been the Senior Professor in Human Resource Management (HRM) with effect from 26/06/2011 [formerly Professor of Human Resource Management (on Merit) with effect from 26/06/2003] in the Department of Human Resource Management (HRM), Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura (USJ), Sri Lanka, was appointed by the Authority of the University as per an open (advertised) selection policy and procedure to the Post of Senior Professor of Human Resource Management (Chair) with effect from 12/06/2020.
He is indeed an erudite scholar, a distinguished author, a highly admired and respected teacher, and an exponent of HRM. He became the First Professor of HRM in Sri Lanka and the First Senior Professor of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, USJ.
As a matter of fact, for his unique, pioneering, and outstanding contributions to the dissemination of knowledge of HRM in particular, and to the research and university education in Sri Lanka, in general, he was honoured and recognized locally and internationally. Among the organizations that honoured and recognized him some are:
the Students’ Association of the Department of HRM, University of Kelaniya that presented the Award of Excellence in the Field of HRM in 09/06/2009, the World HRD Congress and the Indian Institute of Personnel Management that awarded the Pride of HR Profession in 12/02/2010; the Charted Institute of Personnel Management (Sri Lanka) that awarded the IPM Gold Medal for the Most Outstanding HR Professional/Personality of the Year in 07/06/2010; the Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo that presented the Award of Honour in 13/12/2013; the Business Administration Graduates Foundation 1987/88 & 88/89 that presented the Award named “Uththama Purusa Upaharaya (Great Man Felicitation)” in 28/12/2013; the National Book Development Foundation, Malaysia that presented The Best Book under the General/Common Book (Motivational) Category of the National Book Award 2015 for the book “Enhancing Your personal Q” in 25/11/2015; the Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka that conferred the Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) in 29/12/2015 (then at the age of 53); the World HRD Congress that recognized him as one of the Best Professors in HRM in 17/02/2018; and the World Education Congress that recognized him as the Best Professor in Human Resource Studies in Sri Lanka in 17/06/2019.
As a matter of fact, by being the best researcher in the Faculty he could win the research awards presented by the Research Council of USJ and they include: Research Award in recognition of achieving the highest h-index in the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce for the year-2014 at the Awarding Ceremony held on 18th November 2015 (and there was only one award per the Faculty). There were about 165 academics in the Faculty in 2014; Research Award in recognition of achieving the highest citations in the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce for the year-2014 at the Awarding Ceremony held on 18th November 2015 and there was only one award per the Faculty-about 165 academics); Research Award in recognition of achieving the highest h-index (the first place) in the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce for the year-2015 and for the year 2016 as well; Research Award in recognition of achieving the highest citations (the first place) in the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce for the year-2015 and for the year-2016 as well (there were three awards per the Faculty-about 169 academics in the Faculty). Indeed at the time of appointing him for the Chair of HRM of USJ, he was (still he is) the academic at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce of USJ having the highest h-index, the highest citations, and the highest Research Gate Score.