The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM), the national body for Marketing, has been providing professional training, education and qualifications for prosperous marketing careers to countless professionals since 1970. With a presence of nearly 50 years in Sri Lanka, SLIM, has been adding value to the development agenda of the nation, and is committed to the task of continuously exposing the Marketing fraternity to local and global opportunities for the growth and evolution.

SLIM recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sadaharitha Plantations LTD, to provide a professional Marketing qualification to the staff members of the leading commercial forestry conglomerate. The programme was initiated by Sadahartha Plantations in recognition of an achievement of 1 Billion in revenue for the year 2017/2018. Mr. Pradeep Edward, the President of SLIM and Mr. Sathis Nawarathna, the Chairman of Sadaharitha signed the MoU in the presence of the senior management of both entities.

Under this MoU, SLIM will offer the PCM (Preliminary Certificate in Marketing) qualification for the Sales & Marketing staff of Sadaharitha Plantations LTD and it will be conducted at the company premises in Ratmalana. The programme generates excellent opportunity for the members of Sadaharitha Plantations to enhance and improve their skills and knowledge with a solid foundation in Marketing from SLIM.

Mr. Pradeep Edward, the President of SLIM and CEO of Lanka Hospitals Diagnostics (Pvt) Ltd. said, “The knowledge that will be imparted to the sales staff of Sadaharitha Plantations LTD through this education programme will be a platform to successfully climb the corporate ladder. Sales and Marketing are very important aspects in business, and contribute greatly to the success of any organisation. The corporate sector in Sri Lanka has placed confidence in SLIM’s customized corporate educational programmes, which effectively contribute towards enhancing the performance of their employees. The educational pathway created by SLIM programmes can take any employee in the corporate sector to the helm of their careers”.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr. Sathis Nawarathna, the Chairman of Sadaharitha Plantations LTD, stated, “One of the critical challenges of today’s world is to find the right people and develop them to achieve the goals set by the organization. By exposing our Sales and Marketing staff to this programme, we hope to develop their skills, knowledge and experience so that they in turn, deliver our promise to our customers, which is to provide them with exceptional services to ensure that their future is secured.”

Mr. Jayampathy Mirando, the Director of Sales & Marketing, noted that when the business sector expands, the Marketing section of a company expands as well, making the needs of skilled employees become a competitive advantage to the employer. “As the driving force of the Marketing fraternity of Sri Lanka, SLIM has the strength to conduct customised professional programmes for the corporate sector and we believe SLIM may develop our staff to think differently and proactively through the PCM programme”, he stated.

“The fact that we have signed agreements with leading corporates over the years reflects our contribution to the development of the Marketing profession as well as advancing Sri Lanka’s economic journey.  Further it adds ample proof of the standard and reliability of our educational programmes and their contribution to the corporate world,” said Mr. Sanath Senanayake, the CEO/Executive Director of SLIM. “With these experiences the corporate sector has endorsed the credibility of SLIM’s educational products, thus their relationship with SLIM has grown exponentially,” he added

Sadaharitha Plantations Limited is an organization that contributes towards sustainable forestry by maintaining Mahogany, Teak, Sandalwood and Agarwood plantations with the commitment to continuously improve the effectiveness of the environmental management system by preventing all types of pollution and wastage, whilst complying with all applicable legal and other requirements.

Photo - Official representatives of SLIM & Sadaharitha Plantations LTD