Prof. John Saunders to officiate as Chief Guest at CIM’s Graduation Ceremony

Emeritus Professor John Saunders, Past Chairman of the Senate of The Chartered Institute of Marketing UK, will officiate at CIM Sri Lanka’s Graduation Ceremony as Chief Guest this year.

Scheduled for Friday, 22 July, the annual ceremony will be held at the Grand Ballroom of Waters Edge. Professor Saunders is also scheduled to host the CEO Breakfast Forum delivering key insights on the theme titled ‘The Brave New Future of Marketing’ on 22 July at Cinnamon Grand.

During his visit, Saunders will focus on ways for Sri Lanka to position, rejuvenate and reinvent its industries to actively participate in the economic development beyond the war. Attention will especially be focused on the strength of marketing in building and recreating viable lines of business.

Saunders is Emeritus Professor of Marketing, Aston Business School, Aston University, England and a Distinguished Professor at AUDENCIA Grade École Nantes, France.  His major research interests are Evolutionary Marketing (the application of evolutionary theory to marketing), Sustainable Marketing and the Future of Marketing.  He holds degrees from the universities of Loughborough (BSc), Cranfield (MBA) and Bradford (PhD).

His research has appeared in many A-rated marketing journals (Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science and the International Journal of Research in Marketing) as well as in A-rated journals in allied disciplines (MIS Quarterly and the Journal of International Business Studies).  Along with marketing gurus Philip Kotler, Gary Armstrong and Veronica Wong, Professor Saunders authors Europe's best selling marketing text, Principles of Marketing: The European Edition.

Among his contributions to the academic community are the editorship of International Journal of Research in Marketing, President of the European Marketing Academy and Dean of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.

He is also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (FCIM), the British Academy of Management (FBAM), the European Marketing Academy (FEMAC), Freeman of the City of London and Member of the Worshipful Company of Marketors.  In 2009 he became a Companion of the Association of Business Schools.

Throughout the years, he has acted as a consultant to many organizations including The Singapore Government, The Asian Development Bank, Nestle, Rolls-Royce, Unilever and Ford and has also advised several business schools and universities.

Prior to joining Aston University, he functioned as Head of Loughborough University Business School.  He stepped down as Head of Aston Business School and Pro-Vice Chancellor of Aston University in 2007.