Sri Lankan marketer helps UK company win awards

MARKETING: UK-based Brand Value Realisation Company Charteredbrands won three awards at recently concluded Scottish Marketing Excellence Awards Ceremony.

The company has already been short-listed for UK Marketing Excellence Awards to be held in later June this year.

Sri Lankan marketer Asanka De Silva was recruited by Charteredbrands in 2005 after he left Coca-Cola Sri Lanka to move to UK.

De Silva who was the Deputy Country Demand Creation Manager for Coca-Cola Sri Lanka decided to leave Sri Lanka to broaden his exposure by gaining experience in developed markets.

Since moving to UK and joining charteredbrands, De Silva has been working on all beverage brands of the company. Under his leadership Pomegreat brand has seen its monthly volume doubling over the space of six months to become UK's faster growing juice drink brand.

"In a world which is increasingly loosing borders of trade, it's important for Sri Lankan marketers to gain foreign exposure. Brands are becoming stronger and more powerful than nations. Sri Lanka's competitiveness in global market in future will remain on the skills of marketers. However, only a handful of companies recognise this and provide foreign exposure via placements," de Silva said.