Paddy gets ALA’s “Distinguished Brand Leader Award”

Veteran marketer and Janashakthi’s incumbent Head of Marketing Paddy Weerasekera was last weekend bestowed with the coveted “Distinguished Brand Leader Award” at the prestigious Asian Leadership Awards held at the Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai.

Paddy Weerasekera receiving the coveted “Distinguished Brand Leader Award” at the prestigious Asian Leadership Awards held at the Taj Palace Hotel in Dubai last weekend

The ALA Awards is all about recognising Achievers, Super Achievers and Future Business Leaders and showcases the best of the best from Asia. It highlights, recognises and rewards their ability to steer their businesses through turbulent times, applying the best of business modules to manage and keep their missions afloat.

An elated Weerasekera said, “I’m honoured and flattered to have received such an esteemed award and be recognised from among other international marketers who have helped to develop global brands. I wish to thank the management of Janashakthi for the unstinted support and confidence it has placed in me, and, the Sales and Marketing Team which has backed all my efforts. If not for them, this award would not have been a possibility. This is not the victory of an individual award but rather a victory for the entire organisation. It humbles me and spurs me onto greater heights.”

The ALA Awards are hosted by Asian Confederation of Businesses and supported by Stars of the Industry Group. Its strategic partners are CMO Asia, CMO Council and World Brand Congress. The ALA Awards is dedicated to high level knowledge exchange through thought leadership and peer networking among decision makers across industry segments in Asia. Nearly 150 senior leaders and decision makers attended the gala awards ceremony besides bureaucrats from various countries and government officials, thus enabling sharing of knowledge and experiences.

Weerasekera counts over 16 years of experience in marketing and communications in both local and multinational companies. Currently Head of Marketing at Janashakthi Insurance PLC, he leads the Company’s Brand Management, Customer Relationship Management, Research and Telemarketing teams.

Within a short span of just under three years at Janashakthi, Weerasekera contributed towards the company achieving the highest ever bottom line beating the industry’s No 1 player in both first halves of 2010 and 2011, and achieved a top line milestone of Rs. 6 billion in 2010. While achieving these profit objectives, he was instrumental in revamping Janashakthi’s corporate visual identity and also introducing a number of innovative products to the industry including the revolutionary “Vehicle Emergency Policy.” In addition he has also been instrumental in winning many local and international awards for the organisation.

Prior to this he was General Manager at the multinational communications agency ‘Bates 141’. While looking after the agency’s operations, he headed the strategy development for a number of key local and international brands including Nokia, Benson & Hedges, Mitsubishi, Carslberg, 3M, Hutch, DHL, Lanka Bell, Mobitel and Asian Athletic Championships 2002.

Bates 141 went on to win 11 awards including the most converted ‘Campaign of the Year’ award making it the second largest award winner at the Chillies Advertising Awards in 2009 organised by the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association and the International Advertising Association.

Weerasekera was a key figure in the advertising industry and has contributed to many initiatives. He was a Board Member and Vice President of the Accredited Advertising Agencies Association. He also served on the panel of judges at the Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing Advertising Awards in 2005. He currently serves on the Sales & Marketing Committee of the Insurance Association of Sri Lanka (IAS).

An old boy of Royal College, Weerasekera holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management from the Charted Institute of Marketing (MCIM UK) and a MBA from the University of Wales (UK). He was also a lecturer at the Academy of Design and Sri Lanka Professional Advertising and Creativity School (SPAACS).