SLIM attracts future branding professionals with DSBM Open Day

Wathsala receiving a token of thanks from SLIM CEO/ED Sanath Senanayake

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Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) recently held an Open Day for the first and only strategic branding qualification in Sri Lanka, the Diploma in Strategic Brand Management (DSBM), ahead of its next intake.

A large number of prospective DSBM students and future branding professionals attended the event at SLIM Home, which was added value with a conversant knowledge sharing session. The highlight was the key speaker Wathsala Aluthgedara, Head of New Business Development at Unilever Sri Lanka. Her session amply demonstrated the power of branding and its manipulative effect on consumers.

The Diploma in Strategic Brand Management is the only avenue opened to marketers in Sri Lanka who aspire to become Brand Managers. In addition to the theoretical element, the DSBM program includes experience sharing sessions featuring eminent personalities in branding and an added focus on practicality to prepare students for the challenges of the corporate world.

SLIM President Upul Adikari noted: “Even though branding has long been a vital component in global marketing, Sri Lanka has suffered from a lack of qualified branding talent for many years. DSBM was designed to address this need, and empowers local marketers to build valuable brands by utilising internationally proven, innovative branding strategies and practices.”

The DSBM course covers important areas such as the Role of a Brand Manager, Brand Marketing, Branding in Merchandising, Campaign Planning and Process, Strategic Level Branding and Brand Finance.

Addressing the gathering at the Open Day, SLIM CEO/ED Sanath Senanayake said, “I welcome you to this Open Day, which will enable you to experience the quality of the DSBM program. I am confident that this event will open everybody’s eyes and minds to the power of branding and inspire you to study it with the aim of developing world class brands in Sri Lanka.”

Extensive research and surveys conducted by SLIM among professionals in various industries has led to an improvement in the quality of the program and added value to the qualification. The program includes a practical exercise in which they are required to launch a brand in a real-life scenario, thereby calling on the students to apply and demonstrate the knowledge of branding that they have acquired.

Wathsala Aluthgedara spoke about her extensive experience as an experienced consumer business leader and marketing professional, counting 14 years of corporate experience, including 10 years experience with one of the leading FMCG giants, Unilever in Brand Building, and four years experience in Corporate Planning and Fund Management. Wathsala has multi-category exposure within the FMCG industry, having handled a variety of brands within Home and Personal Care including Unilever Sri Lanka’s flagship brand Sunlight. Wathsala has held many roles within Unilever Sri Lanka including Category Head – Oral Care, Hair Care and now is the Head of New Business Development.

SLIM is the National body for Marketing in Sri Lanka and has been promoting marketing excellence and elevating the status of marketing since 1970. It is a member of the National Chamber of Commerce of Sri Lanka (NCCSL), Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA) and Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL). Internationally it is affiliated with ESOMAR, the Federation of Marketing Research Industries and is a member of the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF), which is affiliated to the World Marketing Association.