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| Sunday, 17 October 2004 |
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CIM Sri Lanka: regional marketing core for South Asia by Elmo Leonard The Chartered Institute of Marketing - CIM Sri Lanka was awarded regional status by its parent body in UK. The local CIM branch will now shortly submit plans for the development of CIM in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and the Maldives, CIM Chairman Lasantha Wickremasuriya said. Wickremasuriya reiterated that in 1985 Eardley Perera as ELO initiated that CIM be introduced to Sri Lanka. In 1986, with a small group of members who had passed out, he had formed the AMCIM body and made this the vehicle to promote CIM and marketing, effectively and efficiently. Due to untiring efforts, in 1995 CIM Sri Lanka was granted the first branch status outside UK; a great achievement in a short space of time. Perera soon set very high standards in the branch and became an example to other branches around the world, Wickremasuriya said. Sri Lanka was the first CIM branch to hold a graduation ceremony which is now followed by the rest of the world. Today, CIM Sri Lanka boasts a membership of 5056 of which 3519 are students 698 are full members of which 130 are chartered marketers. This group of 130 chartered marketers make up Sri Lanka's elite marketers who have proven records in their fields, Wickremasuriya said. Of the markets outside the UK, Sri Lanka is the largest in terms of membership. Sri Lanka and is also experiencing significant growth in people taking to marketing as a profession. Today, CIM has a global membership of around 55,000. With 1500 marketers, the time is now right to Integrate CIM with industry with more vigour and enthusiasm, Amarasuriya said. The local CIM Council is now in the process of formulating a new directional plan for the island covering the next 3-5 years. CIM will introduce a new professional series beginning January, designed in to take into account the employer and individual needs relevant to marketing in the 21st century, being the first step in integrating marketing with business. In this direction Sri Lanka is the first in the world to introduce a Postgraduate Diploma (course of study) in Marketing specific to apparel. It has been done in consultation with CIM UK, on a request made by the Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association, intended to make the country competitive in exports. |
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