Renowned academic personality joins hands with SLIM Education Team

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (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 American Marketing Association (AMA) and is a member of the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF), which is affiliated to the World Marketing Association. 

Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the national body for marketing in Sri Lanka, has enlisted the services of renowned academic Dr. M.P.P. Dharmadasa in a strategic move aimed at further strengthening its education arm.

Dr. Dharmadasa has come on board as a Consultant to the Education Division at SLIM and he is highly respected and experienced academic who will add significant value to the premier institute for marketing education in Sri Lanka, while providing valuable insight as it continues to offer world class educational programmes to its students.  

Dr. Dharmadasa is the Head of the Department of International Business at the University of Colombo and is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing and the Faculty of Management and Finance of the same university. He holds a PhD in Business from Bond University in Australia, an MBA from the Faculty of Graduate Studies of the University of Colombo and a Certificate in Packaging from the Indian Institute of Packaging in India. He received the Dean’s award from the Faculty of Business, Technology and Sustainable Development in Bond University for academic excellence followed by a Japan Foundation Fellowship as a Visiting Research Fellow at Chuo University, Hachiji, Tokyo in Japan. 

Dr. Dharmadasa was a Tutor in Accountancy, Business Statistics, and E-Commerce at the School of Business of Bond University in Australia from June 2006 to December 2008. Additionally, he has been a member of the visiting faculties of University of Colombo, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Sabaragamuwa and University of Ruhuna. From April 1991 to July 2001 he served as the Assistant Director of the Sri Lanka Export Development Board.  

The educational portfolio of SLIM includes the most sought after postgraduate and diploma programmes in Sri Lanka and the education arm of SLIM, which is responsible for this leadership position, currently consists of three units. 

The Council of Education is the main body which takes important policy decisions with regards to education while the Board of Study (BoS), which consists of Dehan Senevirathne (Chairman – BoS), Marketing/Management Consultant, Prof. K.U. Kamalgoda, Visiting Professor, University of Sri Jayawardanepura, Former Managing Director, State Pharmaceutical Corporation, Prof. Jayantha Wijeyaratne – Senior Professor of Zoology, University of Kelaniya, Prof. Sampath Amaratunge – Vice Chancellor, University of Sri Jayawardanepura, Prof.  J.A.S.K. Jayakody – Associate Professor in Management and Organisation Studies, Department of Management and Organisation Studies, Faculty of Management and Finance, University of Colombo, Deepal Sooriyaarachchi – Management Consultant, former Chairman, Sri Lanka Inventors Commission and former Managing Director, Eagle Insurance PLC. BoS is the foremost authority on all educational programmes and holds ultimate decision making power for any reforms of these programmes.

The Education Reforms Committee is the third unit and it proposes improvements to all educational products, makes recommendations, evaluates results of examinations, and provides solutions to matters raised by SLIM Council of Education. Collectively, these three units have successfully maintained SLIM’s leadership in marketing education for many years. With the addition of Dr. Dharmadasa to the educational team, SLIM plans to explore new and exciting educational horizons in order to enrich the local marketing field with world class talent.