Business magazine ‘Echelon’ launched

‘Echelon,’ a new business magazine, covering the islands most dynamic companies, their leaders, the economy and lifestyle in unparalleled depth, is now widely available at bookstores and supermarkets. Echelon’s publisher Capital Media, has brought together one of the most experienced teams of journalists, photographers and designers to create a magazine of international standards that will appeal to a wide audience.

The one thing that will define Echelon magazine will be the quality of the storytelling, according to its publisher. Businesses are not about revenue or bottom line, but really about the people who lead them and ultimately what leaders do or not is what affects the numbers. Echelon will bring insights on how leaders of the most dynamic and successful companies deal with challenge, find inspiration, and find out what their visions are for the future.

“At a strategic level it’s really the people who make a difference in any company, and that’s really the big focus for us,” says Echelon’s Editor Shamindra Kulamannage. “There is really a huge gap in the magazine market for in depth, engaging and independent coverage of companies, markets and the economy, and that’s what we want to fill.” Echelon’s engaging writing style and clear presentation, he says, aims to capture a large readership.

Echelon won’t just be a magazine for the C-suite. Top managers will certainly be able to appreciate its insights and nuances in the coverage, but Echelon will also appeal to middle managers who want to understand what makes companies successful, tertiary students and generally people who have a curious mind and appreciate great journalism. “The whole thing will ideally be an exercise in good journalism, because more than any other magazine we want this publication to be about the readers and we are committed to presenting the complete, unvarnished truth,” says Kulamannage about the monthly magazines editorial focus.

Echelon is published by Capital Media of which former Securities Regulator Channa De Silva is Chairman. Integrity and the separation of editorial from any commercial interest are very important, De Silva said. “We hope Capital Media will play a role in the evolution of the financial services industry here,” added De Silva, who has been associated with the industry for almost two decades.

Coverage will also focus on advice that is practical for the target demographic, like investment strategy coming from the smartest people in the industry, inspirational lifestyle stories of high performers to nudge readers to take up pursuits of their own and gift and gadget guides that make work more fun and productive. Some of the country’s most experienced journalist and opinion writers will be Echelon contributors.  

Echelon’s inaugural issue, now available at Vijitha Yapa, MD Gunasena and Keells Supermarkets, has insightful coverage of the stock market crisis. In one in depth piece, the research and corporate finance team of Jardine Fleming discusses challenges to the market and the status of equity research now. Another story looks at the unprecedented odds a team from Bank of Ceylon overcame to successfully conclude the islands largest international corporate bond. There are stories about the revolution in retail and marketing being done by Anything.lk and for the tech obsessed Echelon looks at Google’s new phone and tab offering.