Dr. Kingsley Bernard appointed as new EDB Chairman

Monday, 3 April 2023 00:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Well-known marketer and management specialist Dr. Kingsley Bernard has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board (EDB), the Daily FT learns.

The appointment is akin to a homecoming as Dr. Bernard once served the EDB as its Director of Marketing. Dr. Kingsley Bernard counts over 40 years of experience in the Corporate Sector in Sri Lanka. He has held senior and top management positions in organisations both in the public and Insurance Corporation (SLECIC), Bimputh Finance PLC and PEPSI-Sri Lanka.

He was an active member of the Trade Chambers in Sri Lanka and was the President of the National Chamber of Exporters for two consecutive years from 2004 to 2006. He also led the Joint Business Forum which was the umbrella organisation for major trade chambers in Sri Lanka during 2005-2006. He was also a Vice President of the Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka, affiliated to the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, 1998/1999 and the first President of the Sri Lanka Ceramic Manufacturers and Exporters Association, 1998 /2000.

He is a veteran marketer and an academic specialised in management and marketing. He has also been engaged in social service projects mainly as a member and District Governor of Lions International (2009/2010, District 306B2) and a Board Member of the Association for Social Development (ASD). He also has more than 25 years of experience as a visiting lecturer to several State universities and private higher education institutions in Sri Lanka.

He was also the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Council for Agricultural Research Policy (SLCARP) and a Board Member of the National Institute for Social Development (NISD) from 2019 to 2020. He was a Senior Lecturer of the SLIIT Business School, Faculty of Business having completed two tenures of office as the Head of Business Management and Head of Information Management from 2014 to 20016 and 2016 to 2018 respectively.

He is a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD in Business Management) from the Management and Science University (MSU) of Malaysia. He also holds an MBA from the University of Colombo, Post Graduate Diploma in International Marketing from Colorado State University - USA, Bachelor of Science Degree (Mathematics and Statistics) from the University of Jaffna and a Diploma in Computer Systems Design from CICC - Japan, among other qualifications. He is a fellow member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) and has published many research articles in international journals and training courses in international forums.

He has amply demonstrated his leadership qualities from his undergraduate days as one of the students of the pioneering batch to the University of Jaffna. He made history by becoming the first Student’s Council President and the President of the Science Students Union in its second term.