Lion Brewery wins 9 honours at SLIM NASCO Awards 2023

From left: Front Liner – Silver Sanath Priyanka Thennakoon, Front Liner – Gold Isuru Dananjaya Premathilaka, Sales Executive – Gold Sakila Vilochana De Silva, Territory Manager – Gold Thillainathan Thavanithan, Territory Manager – Bronze Thuwan Nusreei Basheer, Sales Executive – Silver Heshani Herath, Sales Executive – Bronze Raveen Jerome De Silva Abeygoonarathne, Territory Manager – Silver Sivakumar Subash, Front Liner – Bronze Gayan Sudharshana Jayalath

• Attributes success to route-to-market excellence in regulated environment 

Lion Brewery has won a slew of awards at this year’s SLIM National Sales Awards which evaluate and recognise the competitiveness, tenacity and talent of sales professionals, while helping to grow the pipeline of talent by driving awareness of the importance of the sales function to the total marketing strategy. 

Nine Lion Brewery employees won honours under the Alcohol and Tobacco Sector, taking home three Golds, three Silvers, and three Bronzes at the packed-out award ceremony held on November Fourteenth at the Monarch Imperial. 

In the Front-Liner category, Isuru Dananjaya Premathilaka was awarded Gold, Sanath Priyanka Thennakoon was conferred Silver, and Gayan Sudarshana Jayalath received Bronze for their individual ability to show drive and deliver exceptional results. 

Sakila Vilochana De Silva, Heshani Herath, and Raveen Jerome De Silva Abeygoonarathne received Gold, Silver and Bronze respectively in the Sales Executive category. 

Territory Managers assessed on their sales leadership within assigned geographical areas included Gold-award winner Thillainathan Thavanithan, Sivakumar Subash, who claimed Silver, and Thuwan Nusreei Basheer who secured a Bronze.

Speaking about this year’s winners, Lion Brewery’s Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Madhushanka Ranatunga said: “Each of them has been front and forward, impacting and inspiring their peers and teams with their outstanding contributions to the business. They’ve chased every sale, but also proven that it’s not only about transactions – it’s equally about engaging relationships and experiences for customers and consumers. Their passion transforms our business and we celebrate their commitment to excellence.”

Lion Brewery is one of the largest capex investors in the manufacturing sector of the economy with its state of the art brewery in Biyagama. In addition to earning foreign exchange for the country’s treasury, it has attracted foreign direct investment to Sri Lanka through Carlsberg’s equity stake in the business. The Brewery is the second largest tax payer in the alcobev segment, contributing Rs. 70 billion during the year ended 31 March 2023 while injecting Rs. 16 billion to the economy through the purchases of goods and services excluding its contribution to Government.