GLOBAL CEO ANDRÉ LACROIX BRINGS LEADERSHIP WITH SOUL TO SRI LANKA, LAUNCHES SINHALESE EDITION AT TWO LEADING UNIVERSITIES

• André meets students, faculty and industry figures at the University of Moratuwa and the University of Colombo to launch the Sinhalese edition of his book and share his ten humanist principles of leadership
• The Sinhalese edition follows earlier translations into French and Chinese, part of a growing effort to bring the book’s ten leadership principles to readers in their own language, wherever they are in the world

Colombo, 13th August 2026 — Global Chief Executive André Lacroix visited two of Sri Lanka’s leading universities today to launch the Sinhalese edition of his book, Leadership with Soul, which challenges conventional leadership thinking and invites current and future leaders to stop, reflect and reinvent their approach to become ever-better leaders.

“The visit comes at a pivotal moment for Sri Lanka. The economy grew 5.1% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, extending ten consecutive quarters of recovery since the country’s 2022 financial crisis. Sri Lanka is also aging faster than any other country in South Asia, with a median age of around 34 years. With its working-age population set to shrink in the years ahead, giving today’s young people the tools and the confidence to lead is more urgent than ever.

The event marks André Lacroix ‘s first visit to Sri Lanka and a landmark moment for Sri Lanka’s testing, inspection and certification (TIC) industry: Leadership with Soul becomes the first leadership book by a FTSE 100 TIC sector leader to be launched in the country and in Sinhalese. As Intertek Group plc CEO, André leads a global Total Quality Assurance business that has been present in the country since 2008 and has since grown to offer its ATIC advantage of Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification to customers across Softlines, Cargo, Oil & Gas, Audits & Assurance, and Environmental.

During his visit, André addressed close to 250 students, faculty and senior figures from Sri Lanka’s textile and apparel industry at the University of Moratuwa, the country’s premier technological university and training ground for many senior leaders in its textile sector. He also addressed an audience of 200 students from the Faculty of Management and Finance at the University of Colombo, the country’s oldest and most prestigious public university.

At both universities, André spoke about the ten principles at the heart of Leadership with Soul and answered questions from students. The Sinhalese edition was launched with senior faculty members and industry representatives, and first signed copies of the book were presented to the university libraries.

Dr. T. S. Jayawardana, Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Textile and Apparel Engineering at the University of Moratuwa, commended the decision to release a translation of the book: “With Leadership with Soul in Sinhalese, we open the door for students to connect more deeply with its ideas in a language that feels like home. This is not just a translation, it is a step toward placing Sinhalese confidently alongside global languages on the international stage. The book brings together ten powerful leadership concepts, which can guide the youth of Sri Lanka as they prepare to enter the world of work and look to achieve their full potential.”

Professor K. A. S. P. Kaluarachchi, Director, Postgraduate Studies at the University of Colombo, further spoke about the value of the book to leadership literature, “Leadership with Soul offers practical guidance and insights for developing a leadership style centred on awareness of self and others, compassion, integrity, authenticity, trust and transparency. Professor Maduka Udunuwara, Acting Dean of the Faculty of Management and Finance, added: “This work is an invaluable addition to leadership literature.”

Speaking about the launch, André Lacroix said: “Leadership with Soul is more than a leadership book. It is a guide to building organisations where people, purpose and performance go hand in hand. “Drawing on more than three decades of my global leadership experience, it offers practical insights on how to inspire people, create customer-centric organisations, and leave a lasting legacy. Today, we are proud to launch the Sinhalese edition, making these timeless leadership principles accessible to an even wider audience.”

In his book, Lacroix reveals his model for business success, built over more than three decades with world-leading organisations including Ernst & Young, PepsiCo, Burger King, Euro Disney, Inchcape, Reckitt Benckiser and Intertek. He attributes his success to an empathetic, humanist approach to driving sustainable growth and value for all: customers, employees, shareholders, communities and society as a whole.

To learn more about Leadership with Soul, please visit: https://www.leadershipwithsoul.com/