Young Lankan marketers top with five CIM world prizes

Young marketers of Sri Lanka have emerged best in the globe by winning the most number of World Prizes at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) examinations held in 2010.

The CIM Sri Lanka Region recently felicitated five Sri Lankan students for their outstanding achievements. They were Mohan Perera – Stakeholder Marketing March 2010; Sabrina Edirisinghe – Stakeholder Marketing September 2010; Sajith Samaraweera – Managing Marketing December 2010; Dina Pesumal – Emerging Themes December 2010 and M.A. Malik – Analysis & Decision December 2010.The five will be recognised at the 2011 graduation, where 200 students will be awarded the Postgraduate Diploma on 22 July 2011 at Waters Edge.

CIM Dean of the Senate Professor John Saunders and British High Commissioner John Rankin will grace the occasion as chief guest and guest of honour, respectively.  This will be a historical event since it coincides with the “Centenary Celebrations of CIM UK”; 100 years of outstanding contribution towards marketing and education in the world.

The guests at the event were welcomed by the Chairperson of CIM, Chitrangani Herat-Gunaratne and messages were then read on behalf of the President and Founder Member of CIM Sri Lanka.  Rohan Fernando, in his message said that the winners were an inspiration to all present and prospective students and that CIM was proud of their achievements. While congratulating the study centres and the lecturers, he added that the dedication and perseverance the students had displayed was what would enable these students to conquer the world of marketing.

Eardley Perera, the founder president and past chairman conveyed his best wishes to the winners in his message, stating that these five students had exceeded the expectations, thereby making them world-class. He said that as Sri Lankans, they had made a mark in the world and brought pride to the country and encouraged them to maintain this commitment as they continued their work and study and wished them every success in their endeavours.  

The Head of Education CIM Sri Lanka Region Anuradha Edirisinghe commended and appreciated the tutors and their hard work coupled with dedication. He said that all members of the past committees of CIM Sri Lanka Region have worked tirelessly to promote CIM to maintain and enhance the quality of the institute and the qualification in order to meet the needs of the members in their professional careers.

CIM Sri Lanka Region was established on 20 October 1995 and was the first international branch of CIM, UK. Since then, the Institute has campaigned constantly for greater recognition and excellence in the marketing profession in Sri Lanka through marketing education, training and development. Around 1200 students sit for examinations which are held in four times a year in March, June, September and December.

The Education Team is currently responsible for supporting and promoting the CIM qualification to other institutes and corporates in order to advance the qualification in the industry. Plans are also underway to facilitate career development programmes for students and provide internships. The qualification is also being promoted as a professional 2nd qualification for graduates. CIM Sri Lanka region regularly conducts various activities with universities and schools whilst assisting these institutions by involving them in projects, providing resource personnel, sponsorships, knowledge and sharing expertise.

There is constant upgrading of the CIM UK syllabus which has ensured that the standards are constantly under review. With more practical and a strategic application being introduced to the programme, the knowledge gained is now wider. This promotes the qualification as one that is of high quality and ensures that the holder is prepared to take on a career in a senior marketing position.

The course is delivered through accredited study centres; Synergy School of Marketing, NEXT School of Business, SLIM Business School, STRATEGY, The Knowledge Factory, Synergy School of Marketing – Kandy and IIS City Campus in Jaffna.

Additionally the student services now include a Job Bank; CIM has utilised their wide network of members to procure job opportunities for students and are happy to announce that there are currently over 200 CVs in the bank.