The first CIM Talking Point Programme for the year 2012, titled "The Global Workplace of the Future" conducted by The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sri Lanka Region, was held on 25 January 2012 at The Ceylon Continental Hotel Colombo. Mrs Chitrangani Herat Guneratne, Chairperson, CIM Sri Lanka Region, welcomed the impressive number of marketers gathered by giving a brief introduction to the programme and highlighting the significance of being aware of evolving technological trends and its impact towards the future global workplace. "Most of us who work for Multi National Corporations (MNCs) or international organisations are aware of the technological transformations taking place at our own companies today", she said.

The programme was conducted by its keynote Speaker Mr. Lewie Diasz, Chief Manager Consumer Finance at Nations Trust Bank PLC. Mr. Diasz, who has worked with some of the top brands of John Keells Group, is at present reading for his PhD at the University of Colombo and holds an MBA from the University of Wales. He also holds the status of Chartered Marketer and Certified Professional Marketer - Asia Pacific Region.

Mr. Diasz commenced his presentation by revealing examples of successful global organisations who are taking the lead as future global workplaces by offering the most extraordinary perks and using the best technology available to date. He then moved on to highlight some technological devices – 3D printers, hologram tables, media screens used as office windows - that would transform the future workplace and envisaged the demise of a central office, minimizing employees reporting to work. Speaking of his own personal experiences, Mr. Diasz went on to explain the differences of the Generation labels of X, Y and Z and the newest 'Gen A' or Generation Alpha who would constitute of those born after 2010. He concluded by emphasizing that marketers should take note of the shifting needs of these generations and also adapt to the constant changes in technology that would shape the future to come.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sri Lanka Region organizes many versatile events for the benefit of its members, thereby adding value to its membership and contributing towards excellence in the marketing profession of Sri Lanka. The CIM Talking Point Series was initiated with the intention of enhancing the knowledge of marketers through discussions of topical themes and current trends. The series is also a part of the Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme, which enables the members of the Institute to further their professional careers and earn 1.5 hours of Chartered Career Progress Development (CCPD) by taking part in the event. The CIM talking Point Series also offers special benefits such as free placements to fifty Chartered Marketers and a 50 percent reduced discounted rate on tickets for all its members, while encouraging all members to avail themselves with such valuable programmes.

Hard work, perseverance and passion for excellence are the prime ingredients for a success story, according to twenty-four year old Dushan Kahandagamage, the recipient of the CIM Top Student Worldwide Award for the Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing,June 2011 examinations of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) UK.

Asked why he chose CIM,Dushansaid, "I chose CIM as my preferred choice of qualification mainly because it is a globally recognized and accepted qualification. CIM is a diverse qualification, which concentrates on other areas in addition to marketing, such as finance, corporate strategy, leadership and planning, and risk management.When it comes to the learning experience, the CIM qualification has armed me with all the necessary knowledge and competencies I require to perform confidently and proficiently in my career."

Dushanfurther emphasized that the CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing is a challenging, high-level two-part marketing qualification that entailsexcellent professional knowledge across many areas and a direction to obtaining the prestigious Chartered Marketer Status. He noted that being a CIM student has allowedhim not only to gain academic knowledge, but it has also provided practical perspectives which made the study an interesting learning process that ensured knowledge retention. He also gave advice to prospective students by adding, "Anyone with the right education and commitment can excel in CIM as I have; all you need to do is to put your heart into it with much determination and passion."

A former student of Ananda College, Colombo, Dushan was interested in pursuing a degree in marketing after his secondary education and chosethe Next School of Business to follow the CIM qualification. He credited his lecturers at the Next School of Business, Mr. Dusty Alahakoon, Mr. Thusitha Abeysekara, Mr. Tharanga Gunasekara and Mr. Reyaz Jeffrey for enabling him to obtain exceptional results right throughout, including the prestigious Top Student Worldwide Award by providing the necessary guidance, knowledge and inspiration. Dushan also did not fail to thank his family and friends who havegiven him constant support and valuable insightthroughout his course of study and particularly to achieve this award. Dushan is currently employed as a Quality Assurance and Data Visualization Specialist at Stax Inc., a global strategy-consulting firm with offices in Boston, Chicago, New York and Colombo, and aspires to become a much sought-after consultant in strategy development in the future.

Upon the announcement that a Sri Lankan student has been awarded the prestigious CIM Top Student Worldwide Award, the CIM Sri Lanka Region organised a felicitation ceremony for Dushan and awarded a cash prize in honour of the great recognition he has brought to Sri Lanka. He will receive both his Professional Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing qualification and the award for CIM Top Student Worldwide at the 2012 CIM Annual Graduation Ceremony, which will be conducted later this year.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region is the fastest growing CIM body in the world and serves over 3,000 student members and more than 1500 members. The qualification helps the members to elevate themselves in their professional careers. The Regional office assists the members by creating value and fostering excellence in Sri Lanka's business landscape by harnessing marketing knowledge and building world-class competencies.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Sri Lanka Region felicitated eight senior tutors, Mr. Bertram Paul, Mr. Prasanna Perera, Mr. G S Sylvester, Mr. Failan Saleem, Mr. Rohantha Athukorala, Mr. Michael Ranasinghe, Mr. Mohamed Adamaly and Mr. Ravi Jayawardena at a recent ceremony in recognition of their noble contribution towards Sri Lanka's marketing profession and for assisting numerous students and professional marketers to develop their marketing knowledge and skills. The felicitation ceremony was a highlight of the Centenary Dinner, which was held to mark CIM celebrating 100 years of marketing excellence and commitment.

Tutors who had completed 15 years of dedicated service and made an outstanding contribution to develop the professional marketing fraternity in Sri Lanka were recognized and honored at the felicitation. His Excellency Mr. John Rankin, the British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka graced the occasion as Chief Guest while the Chairman of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK), Mr. Chris Lenton was the Guest of Honour. The memorable evening honoured the long serving tutors for their teaching excellence which has produced many CIM World Prize winners and Sri Lanka Prize winners, and for making an extraordinary contribution towards the professional development of many Sri Lankans who are today steering several local and international organizations towards success and growth.

Chairperson, CIM Sri Lanka Branch, Mrs. Chithrangani Herat Guneratne addressing the gathering stated, "Very few professional associations are able to produce world prize winners and award-winning students. This continuous success in producing outstanding marketers and receiving such recognition and awards are the results of the effort and commitment of our tutors. Their dedication and support extended over the years have produced several professional marketers in Sri Lanka."

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region is the fastest growing CIM body in the world and serves over 3,000 studying members and more than 1500 members. The CIM qualification helps the members to elevate themselves in their professional careers. The Regional office assists the members by creating value and fostering excellence in Sri Lanka's business landscape by harnessing marketing knowledge and building world-class competencies. The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the only organization with authority to bestow the prestigious Chartered Marketer status to its individual members.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), Sri Lanka Region appointed its Regional Board and Management Committee for 2011 / 2012 at the 16th Annual General Meeting.

The incumbent Chairperson and the Regional Board will continue to serve in the second successive year of their term. “Our focus this year is to drive student and membership growth by offering value to the stakeholders” envisaged Mrs. Chithrangani Herat Gunaratne, Chairperson, CIM Sri Lanka Region and Vice President Quantum Strategic Services Pvt Ltd., elucidating on their focus for 2011 / 2012 at the 16th Annual General Meeting of The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region held on Wednesday 14th December 2011 at Galadari Hotel. Dr. Rohan Fernando, Honorary President of CIM Sri Lanka Region, chaired the meeting.

“With the end of a war that dragged the economy down for three decades our country now has great economic potential and the opportunity is ripe for Sri Lankan Marketers! CIM Sri Lanka Region has undertaken a mandate to ensure that you – Marketers of this century - are armed with the necessary knowledge and skills to face these challenges”, Mrs. Chitrangani Herat Gunaratne expressed further. CIM Sri Lanka Region has been in the forefront of marketing education in the country, harnessing marketing knowledge and world-class competencies throughout the years.

Presenting the Annual Review of activities for 2010/2011, Mrs. Chithrangani Herat Gunaratne, Chairperson, CIM Sri Lanka Region highlighted some of the key initiatives taken by The Chartered Institute of Marketing during the past year. Introducing the Regional Board and Management Committee for 2011 / 2012, Mrs.

Chithrangani Herat Gunaratne added “The members who have been appointed have solid expertise in various fields of activities. We are convinced that the new management committee members will contribute fresh perspectives and approaches to the respective activities at CIM”.

The Regional Board comprises of immediate Past Chairperson, Ms. Roshani Cooray, Senior General Manager-Marketing, Lanka Bell (Pvt) Ltd, Senior Vice Chairperson, Ms. Nadi Dharmasiri, Asst-General Manager-Marketing, Asian Alliance Insurance PLC, Vice Chairperson, Mr. Shantha Katipearchchi, Chief Operating Officer, Humming Bird International, Hony Secretary, Mr. Sanjika Perera and Regional Treasurer, Mr. Ajith Medis, Head of Marketing Management and Senior Lecturer at the university of Kelaniya. Other members of the board include Mr. Anuradha Edirisinghe, Senior Customer Manager-Modern trade of Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd, Mr. Brian Selvanayagam, Vice President of The Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment Sri Lanka, Mr. Amal Fernando, Senior Business Manager, Hemas Manufacturing (Pvt) Ltd and Mr. Sujith Silva, Director Sales for Modern Trade, ICL Marketing (Pvt) Ltd.

The appointments to the Regional Management Committee are Mr. Rajiv David, Manager Marketing Communications, Union Assurance PLC, Ms. Shimali Goonerwardena, Senior Research Consultant, Quantum Consumer Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, Mr. Trevine Miranda, Assistant Customer Manager-Modern Trade, Unilever Sri Lanka Ltd, Mr. Dharshana Senarath, Director, Mega Brand Pvt Ltd., Mr. Sumudu Thanthirigoda, Planning and Insights Manager, Ceylon Tobacco Company, Mr. Dimuth Fernando, Director, Emerging Media Pvt Ltd, Ms. Thiyangie De Mel, Manager, Private Banking at Nations Trust Bank PLC, Ms. Piyumi Dias Manager Business Development, Navatis IT (Pvt) Ltd., Ms. Rifka Mubarak, Development Account Executive, MAS Holdings – Bodyline (Pvt) Ltd., Mr. Keith De Silva, Director Corporate Affairs and Investment Analyst, SKM Lanka Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, Ms. Aruni Abeyesundere, Communications Consultant and Mr. Hasika Jayasooriya Channel and Market Development Manager, Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world’s largest and most prestigious professional body for marketing with over 50,000 members worldwide.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing, hosted its Annual Dinner Dance The CIM Marketing Ball 2011 themed 'Night Around the world' was held on Friday 28 October at the Waters Edge, Battaramulla.

The CIM Quiz Night was hosted by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) recently, at the CIM Sri Lanka Region. The Networking Night is organised in order to promote networking and fellowship amongst members and the business fraternity.

The technical sessions of the 11th CIM Annual Conference were held on Wednesday 17th August at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo.

The sessions were split into segments to deal with the four central themes of this year’s conference: strategic marketing, innovation, sustainability, and digital marketing.

The session was kicked off with a brief address by the Technical Chair and General Manager of Sales for Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC, Bertram Paul ‘we see that markets, people and technology have become more complex and competitive. As a result we marketers are expected to do more with less.’

Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management, outlined the overall scope of the conference when he posed the question: ‘Are marketers drivers of business or are they driven by business? This is a question that marketers must ask pointedly. It is a question that defines the role and scope of marketers in organizations.’

Prof. Uditha Liyanage placed emphasis on the need for marketers to move beyond traditional economic theories about customers and marketing and focus instead on marketers as value givers. He also put forward the idea that in addition to the company’s bottom, middle and top line that a topmost line existed which is a customer’s perception of the value of a product minus its price and it is with regard to this factor that marketers should come into play.

Re-evaluating business models Ranjan Das, Professor of Strategic Management IIM Calcutta and Chairman (Honorary) and Chief Mentor of the Strategy Academy, during the first technical session, spoke of the need for businesses to re-imagine and re-evaluate their business models in light of the drastic changes taking place globally, in order to meet new challenges effectively. ‘Very few people have an understanding of strategic marketing. Managers love to talk about history. Those who talk about history become history. People buy for their own reasons not your reasons’

During the panel discussion at the end of the first technical session Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Chairman of Sri Lanka Tourism, made a few comments on the strategy of Sri Lanka Tourism in marketing Sri Lanka to the world. He said that tourism in Sri Lanka is based on three pillars: Authenticity, compactness and diversity. ‘Most of the tourism elsewhere has to manufacture a product but we don’t have that problem.’

‘One of the best things that the war has given us is the environment. Where the rest of the world built concrete jungles we didn’t and now we should protect that environment. Dr. Nalaka Godahewa also spoke of the potential that Sri Lanka has that is yet to be utilized. With regards to adventure tourism, Dr. Godahewa stated that more could be done with scuba diving as an example with Sri Lanka having 600 shipwrecks around the island with only about 16 currently being exploited.

The third technical session on the topic of innovation was carried out by Dr. Ashish Khandpur, Senior Executive Director, Technical of 3M India and Sri Lanka. Dr. Ashish Khandpur stressed the need for the leadership of a company to adopt a progressive attitude as a crucial pre-requisite to successful innovation.

‘It takes a lot of courage but when CEOs of companies have such a belief, the whole organization aligns itself behind them. Leadership can play a vital role, as it did for example, with President Kennedy setting a date to reach the moon.’

IT potential for Marketing During the following panel discussion Dinesh Saparamadu, former Chairman and CEO of hSenidBusiness Solutions said: ‘a lot of people in IT are technical people and that’s where the gap is. I would like to tell you that there is a lot of potential in the IT field for marking. The technical innovation is as great as it can be. It’s the marketing that’s the issue’

The third session consisted of case studies on sustainability by Holcim Lanka PLC, Hatton National Bank PLC and Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC. The common theme of the case studies was eco-efficiency and the need to benefit all stakeholders in business in the widest sense.

Digitalization The final session of the conference was conducted by former MD/CEO of Tata Sky turned business strategist and brand advisor, Vikram Kaushik, on the future of digital marketing. Among the remarks made by Kaushik was the opinion that: ‘Digitalization is inevitable because it is essential for market expansion in developing economies.’

There was universal praise for the success of the conference. Prof Malcolm McDonald, Emeritus Professor, Cranfield School of Management and chairman of Brand Finance PLC., when asked about his opinion on the conference said: ‘I’ve been going for conferences for about 20 years now and so far this is the best I’ve been to. There are good senior people in the panel with a good message and everything is running to time. A lot of CIM regional conferences could learn from this one.’

While Dr. Rohan Fernando, President of CIM Sri Lanka stated that: ‘The topics were very professional and the speakers were excellent. It was very appropriate for the current context. Dr Godahewa, for example made some excellent points about tourism in Sri Lanka.’

When asked of the significance of this year’s conference, Prof Das responded: ‘The big thing is that they’re trying to expand marketing beyond its traditional field and that is great news for Sri Lanka. Hopefully people will go back and try and ask themselves what they can do differently and that is the great thing to take away from this.’

Prof Liyanage said: ‘It’s very topical, it’s nothing totally new really, but you really need to understand what’s happening now. Unless you can figure out what’s happening it will be impossible to anticipate and respond to future trends.

When asked of his opinion on the conference and what he would take away from it, Dr. Khandpur replied: ‘I was really impressed with the conference. It was an outstanding experience. I’m not a marketer and I can still understand what’s being said because it is of such a general nature and at the same time very important in nature.

The topics were very relevant. There was a lot of focus on understanding customer needs and I think that’s something that I will take back and we will have another look at the way we traditionally do things.

New batch of Chartered Marketers to be invested in Sri Lanka

In 2011, the Chartered Institute of Marketing will be celebrating 100 years of marketing excellence and commitment towards the development of the marketing discipline worldwide. In line with the numerous celebrations that will take place around the world, the CIM Sri Lanka Region will be hosting a gala dinner titled “Centenary Dinner” on the 28th of November at the Hilton Colombo with the participation of senior members and renowned marketers in the country. The Chartered Marketer Investiture Ceremony will also be carried out during this event, whilst the institute will also utilize this opportunity to recognize the tutors of the CIM qualification for their unstinted support towards the marketing profession and the development of outstanding students and professional marketers. John Keells Holdings PLC has joined hands with CIM Sri Lanka Region as Principal Sponsor of Centenary Dinner.

The British High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Hon. John Rankin will grace the occasion as the Chief Guest and the President of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (UK), Chris Lenton as the Guest of Honour. Fifty Four marketers of Sri Lanka will be awarded the prestigious Chartered Marketer status at the event, whilst the institute will also recognize senior marketers and tutors for their contribution towards the marketing profession. The event will also be a forum for networking for both members and non-members of the institute.

At a time when Sri Lanka’s economy is experiencing a strong growth agenda driven by the private sector that accounts for over seventy percent of the economy, it is vital to identify the role of marketing and its contribution to the growth of the private sector. The Chartered Marketer forum over the years has been the ideal opportunity to recognize those individuals who play a critical role in shaping the future of Sri Lanka’s marketing sphere.

The celebration also marks the yearlong calendar of activities that the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region has been staging, in line with its centenary celebrations.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region is the fastest growing CIM body in the world and serves over 3,000 studying members and more than 1500 members. The qualification helps the members to elevate themselves in their professional careers. The Regional office assists the members by creating value and fostering excellence in Sri Lanka's business landscape by harnessing marketing knowledge and building world-class competencies.

While celebrating 100 years of marketing globally this year, the Chartered Institute of Marketing Sri Lanka Region launched its 11th CIM Annual Conference 2011 yesterday, a flagship event in fastest growing CIM body worldwide.

The conference will look to address the needs of the marketer who will take on the leadership to steer their organization towards sustainable growth and so have aptly chosen the theme of emerging trends in marketing.

With CT Holdings PLC Managing Director Ranjit Page as Chief Guest and one of the UK’s pre-eminent academic authority on marketing strategy and author of more than 40 best selling marketing books Professor Malcolm McDonald as the keynote speaker at the inauguration of the event, it soundly set the stage for the many international and local industry leaders who will be addressing a vast crowd of marketers in Sri Lanka at the conference.

With the idea of the theme of the conference in mind, the organizers have zoned in on four specific areas; namely strategic marketing, innovation sustainability and digital marketing and the technical sessions during the conference will be aligned according to these.

“This year is historic for CIM as we celebrate 100 years of marketing and sales leadership globally. Our conference this year will address emerging themes in marketing as we now move into a new arena of development and as we move towards reconstruction and rebuilding and thereby attract foreign and global investors.

This is turn paves way for the private sector to proactively seize the many opportunities that will enable them to surge ahead in the industry,” stated the CIM Chairperson Chithrangani Herath Gunaratne in her welcome address.

Professor McDonald held the attention of the large audience with his deeply insightful keynote address in which he shot down many tried and true theories and practices and outlined what organizations should focus on in order to enjoy long term growth and success.

13,000 products are launched in America alone every year and 90% of these fail due to poor marketing and market segmentation, he stated in his opening lines.

“If you look at the point of inflection that all markets reach at some stage – where the supply is greater than demand – the immediate reaction of most companies is to start cutting down on costs but things get worse when they do that,” McDonald said. “It’s like there is an excessive desire to become leaner and fitter which eventually leads to emancipation and finally, death.”

He also dismissed what he called fads such as total quality management, business process reengineering and yet other tactic, relationship marketing, declaring that it has been statistically proven that if a company tries to delight its customers, it will end up going bankrupt.

Discussing CRM systems on which 12 billion Euros have been spent, McDonald said all research shows that in every sector, customer service levels have gone down which shows that although companies think CRM systems are the answer to everything, they are not, and will only work if a company understands its customers and markets and he urged organisations to grow up when it comes to marketing and to behave more responsibly.

Role of marketing academics

The academic also went on to criticize the work of marketing academics, stating that the output of academics has had zero impact on the practices of marketing.

“I guarantee that proper market segmentation will result at the very least, a minimum of 10% increase in profitability. You put value propositions together to meet the customers’ needs, delivering value and measuring it – what is lacking in most companies is the strategic bit – they lurch from period to period from year to year until they go belly up,” the professor said. “If you have got an effective long term strategy you will survive. If you are doing the wrong thing, you’ll die. Good robust strategy for me is everything and that is what I work towards with world class companies that go on year after year, whatever happens in the global economy.” He added that while needs based segmentation is very complex, it’s absolutely crucial to commercial success.

Most marketing is business to business not business to consumer. People buy things, not companies. Once you can understand this and profile your customers, you can serve their needs. Social media and e-marketing do not make a difference, he went on, as the customers still remain the same and even though they have new technology to use, one must still understand their needs to be successful.

On the subject of standard accounting, McDonald said that a typical balance sheet is out of date, totally useless and don’t work but companies are forced to use them because the accounting community keeps making them.

“Your reputation is the only thing you’ve got. The brand at least in theory represents 20% but I think the brand name represents everything a company does. Nowadays organizations need to work out what their market is going to be like in the future quantitatively to survive. Everything’s changing,” he cautioned. “A typical profit and loss account is garbage that people look at in boardrooms. The last thing you should be doing is trying to measure the return on interest on a marketing campaign. Proper segmentation and proper targets – that’s what is going to work in the long run,” he concluded.

Sustainable growth

The keynote address was followed by a speech by the Chief Guest at the event, Ranjit Page who spoke on sustainable growth, which he admitted was not the easiest thing to achieve as the first thing shareholders and the board of directors ask for is for returns even before making an investment.

Looking back at his career at Cargills, he pinpointed the turning point of both the company and his life; meeting a farming community in a village outside Colombo, back in the day when they stocked their relatively few supermarkets at the time with produce from Colombo. His decision to start a collection centre amidst this farming community proved to be the opportunity that changed the company.

“It’s not about you or the shareholder, it’s all about the customer and how can we serve the customer through a brand and building a brand is not an easy thing as there is competition on a day to day basis but to retain the customer and to believe in what you’re doing as a business model is not the easiest thing,” he admitted.

He went on to say that Sri Lanka needs to concentrate not on the short term but on the long term. “It’s not the easiest thing to do when convincing the shareholders and board of directors but it’s not about the bottom line. The bottom line will eventually come if you understand the top line and your customer.”

To do something totally different is not easy but when doing what the community needs, a company will succeed, he added.

You cannot look at short term goals – it is the number of people we touch that counts not the stock market. The biggest asset this country has are its people, places like Singapore have to rely on more people coming into their country while Sri Lanka has 20 million people with talent, he said.

“All of us here today have a great opportunity to put together where we want to be as marketers. It’s not just our brand and company but the society and community at large. We need to be identified as different to the rest – this is an asset. I urge you to think about how you can make a difference by being yourself as a Sri Lankan,” Page stated.

The 11th Annual Conference of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sri Lanka Region will be held on 16th & 17th August 2011 at the Cinnamon Grand Colombo. The event which focuses on propagating marketing expertise through prominent marketing gurus is one of the institute’s flagship events and brings together marketing professionals, both locally and internationally.

Sri Lanka Telecom has joined hands with CIM Sri Lanka Region as the Strategic Partner of the Annual Conference for the 11th consecutive year. The tie up was announced at a ceremony held on 01st August 2011 at the Sri Lanka Telecom Head Office.

The Conference will be inaugurated on the evening of 16th August, at the Atrium Lobby, Cinnamon Grand Colombo and will be graced by the keynote speaker Prof. Malcom McDonald, Emeritus Professor, Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield Bedford and Chairman, Brand Finance PLC, who will speak on “Marketing Past, Present and Future”. The Technical Sessions will be held on Wednesday, 17th August 2011 from 8.30 am onwards at the Oak Room, Cinnamon Grand Colombo.

The theme of this year’s Annual Conference is “Emerging Themes in Marketing” which will be addressed by a panel of eminent speakers from both local and international backgrounds, who will share the invaluable expertise they have gained through the years at this event.

Mr. Bertram Paul, Technical Chair of the CIM Annual Conference, explaining the theme of this year’s conference stated “with CIM celebrating its centenary this year, we felt it opportune to examine key emerging themes that are likely to shape the future of marketing. As such, we’ve zoned in on 4 contemporary marketing issues which we believe will impact the next decade at least for marketers”

Ms Nadi Dharmasiri, Vice Chairperson of CIM Sri Lanka Region and Event Chairperson said, “we are delighted and honoured to have SLT as our strategic partner once again. This flagship conference, will be a milestone in the marketing landscape as its enriched with an eminent resource personnel, flagged by a timely theme”.

The Technical Sessions will commence with an address on “Marketers as Value Drivers” by Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director Postgraduate Institute of Management.

The first technical session will be on the topic of “Strategic Marketing” and will involve a presentation on “The Role of Strategic Marketing in increasing Shareholder Value and Risk Management” delivered by Prof. Ranjan Das, Professor of Strategic Management, IIM Calcutta, followed by a panel discussion comprising of keynote speaker Prof. Malcolm McDonald along with Dr. Nalaka Godahewa, Chairman, Sri Lanka Tourism and Mr. Ashok Pathirage, Chairman and Managing Director, Softlogic (Pvt) Ltd.

The second technical session will be on the topic of Innovation and will involve a presentation on “Creating a Culture of Innovation” delivered by Dr. Ashish K. Khandpur, Senior Executive Director, Technical, 3M India & Sri Lanka., followed by a panel discussion by Mr. Nandana Wickramage, Group Director and Head of Marketing & Sales, Ceylon Biscuits (Pvt) Ltd., Mr.Dinesh Saparamadu, Chairman and CEO, hSenid Business Solutions and Mr. Madu Ratnayake, Vice President & General Manager, Virtusa Pvt Ltd.

The third Technical Session will be on the topic of “Sustainability” and will involve three (03) interesting Case Studies on ‘Sustainability’ by Corporates that have been recognized for their work in this area, namely “Holcim (Lanka) Ltd”, “Hatton National Bank PLC” and “Diesel & Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO)”. The presentations will be made by Mr. Rathika De Silva, Mr. Dilshan P N Rodrigo and Mr. Suresh Gooneratne, respectively.

The fourth & final Technical Session for the day will be on the topic of Innovation and will involve a presentation on “The Future of Digital Marketing” by Mr. Vikram Kaushik, Business Strategist and Brand Advisor & Former MD/CEO – Tata Sky. This will be followed by a panel discussion by Mr. Reeza Zarook, CEO, Anything (Pvt) Ltd. & Jt. Managing Partner KonstanzGlobal Pte Ltd., Mr. Suren Kannagara, Chief Executive, Affno (Pvt) Ltd., and Mr. Lalith Sumanasiri, Jt. Managing Director, Ogilvy Media, Phoenix Ogilvy.

The panel discussions for the technical sessions will be moderated by Mr. Bertram Paul, General Manager – Sales, Chevron Lubricants Lanka PLC.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world’s largest and most prestigious professional body for marketing, boasting over 60,000 members world-wide. The Chartered Institute of Marketing - Sri Lanka Region is the fastest growing CIM body, with approximately 1,080 members and almost 3,000 student members in Sri Lanka alone.