Martin Roll, eminent panel of Sri Lankan CEOs to take on brands, strategy and synergy

CEOs and senior managers in Sri Lanka face the daily challenge of a rapidly changing business climate, overtly demanding customers and a constantly emerging competition, forcing companies to respond and evolve more quickly.  

As a world renowned thought leader in value creation through brand equity driven by tremendous global experience and insights on such situations, Martin Roll has helped boardrooms to enhance shareholder value and create sustainable competitive advantage.

From Left: Martin Roll, Rajan Britto, Nimal Gunawardena, Amal Cabraal and Prof. Uditha Liyanage

Presenting his expertise on leadership, strategy and branding, with vast international knowledge and experience, Roll will join forces with a panel of eminent Sri Lankan CEOs to disuses in-depth Sri Lankan brands and their potential on an international stage.

Tuesday 22 March will see the Oak Room of Cinnamon Grand come alive from 5-7 p.m. with dynamic  discourse, astute analysis and important insights as Roll and his CEO panel take on business and brand strategies, synergy and shareholder value in a Sri Lankan context.

Roll will draw on his 20 plus years of management experience and the combined value of being an experienced international business strategist and senior advisor to corporate boards of the world’s largest companies, placing him atop the ladder of brand experts.

As author of the compelling global best-seller ‘Asian Brand Strategy,’ Roll has delved into and extensively researched frameworks for Asian branding and the winning formula for any boardroom, proving himself a guru on building brands in the Asian context.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Prof. Uditha Liyanage, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM). He is also a lecturer at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Adjunct Professor of Management of University of Canberra, Australia.

He counts over 15 years of industry experience, having held senior Marketing management positions in three leading companies in Sri Lanka. Having published many articles on branding and strategic marketing in leading journals, both here and abroad, he continues to address numerous local and international conferences and is a Marketing Consultant to a number of leading local companies and international agencies. He also holds an MBA and is a Chartered Marketer, and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

Esteemed Panellists include Amal Cabraal, Nimal Gunawardena and Rajan Britto, all specialists in their respective fields of multinational FMCG, communications and diversified business conglomerate.

As the Chairman and CEO of Unilever Sri Lanka, Cabraal heads one of the country’s foremost multinational companies. He is an alumnus of INSEAD – France, holds an MBA from the University of Colombo and is a Chartered Marketer by profession. He serves on the Sri Lanka Tourism Advisory Committee and is a Council member of the Employers Federation of Ceylon.  He also serves on the Board of John Keells Hotels Ltd. as an External Director.

Chairman and CEO of Bates Strategic Alliance & Strategic Alliance PR (Exclusive Affiliate of Burson-Marsteller), Nimal Gunewardena heads a leading advertising, PR and IMC enterprise that he founded in 1993, following wide experience in marketing and advertising, and contributes as its chief strategist. He is a Chartered Marketer and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, with over 35 years of experience in marketing and communications.

Prior to starting his own agency, he was CEO of JWT Colombo following ten years with Reckitt & Colman, where he rose to being Marketing Director, and a two-year stint with AFS Inter-cultural Programs New York where he was Regional Director for Asia-Pacific. He has been a Past President of the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing and the Four A’s and holds professional memberships in the Chartered Institute of Public Relations/UK, American Marketing Association, Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing and the Sri Lanka Institute of Directors. He is also a well regarded lecturer in Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations.

Rajan Brito is currently Deputy Chairman and Managing Director of the Aitken Spence Group. He is a Law Graduate of London University, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales and obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the City Business School, London.

Together with this multi-disciplined knowledge, he also brings with him a wealth of 25 years of international experience working with Price Waterhouse – London, British EverReady PLC, Minmetco Group, World Bank and PERC.  Presently, he is Chairman of the Development Finance Corporation of Ceylon and the DFCC Vardhana Bank.   He is a former Chairman of Sri Lankan Airlines, and was a non-executive Director of the Strategic Enterprise Management Agency and Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation.

Judging by the exemplary calibre of the panellists that join hands with the world renowned Roll, the CEO Forum on ‘Business and Brand Leadership – A New paradigm for CEO success’ will no doubt be of utmost value to all CEOs and senior managers in Sri Lanka. Audience involvement and Q&A will also be encouraged making the session interactive.

The forum is organised by The Management Club and sponsored by Sri Lanka Insurance, Bartleet Transcapital, Airtel, Odel, Richardson Projects, VisionCare, Ceylon Biscuits, Alpha Industries and Dimo, while the partners are Cinnamon Grand, Sunday Times/BT, MTV/YES FM and Bates Strategic Alliance.