Nandana Wickramage wins brand leadership award

by Surekha GALAGODA

Head of Marketing and Sales Ceylon Biscuits Ltd (CBL) Nandana Wickramage won the Brand Leadership award at the recently concluded World Brand Congress (WBC).

Project Director WBC Dr. Raju L. Bhatia said, "Brand Leadership is the most prestigious award and the highest recognition that an individual could receive at the WBC.

It is presented to an individual who has played a pivotal role in shaping and building brands.

Nandana Wickramage

Under the individual able stewardship these brands are then nurtured to an iconic status.

Nandana Wickramage is an individual whose efforts need to be recognised for his contribution to the Munchee brand. We are delighted to honour him with the Brand Leadership award." Wickramage told Sunday Observer that he is delighted to bring honour to his motherland.

During school days he dreamt of bringing honour to his motherland by excelling in sports.

Educated at Trinity College he concentrated on sports to achieve his dream and by 1980 was in the national teams of boxing and athletics.

But his dream was shattered when he suffered a head injury which compelled him to put a stop to his career in sports. "I had to decide what to do and the only option available was to get into sales. I started at Hideki as a trainee sales representative and was at Hitachi and Dimo for small stints.

The turning point in Wickramage's career was when he joined John Keells as a sales representative for their processed meat company.

"I was the first sales representative recruited to do retail sales for the brand Atlas. I worked alone covering the whole country and initiated the brand name change to Keells Food Products from Atlas.

When I left Keells I was their Retail Sales Manager.

From Keells I moved to handle the first multinational FMCG brand Meadowlea."

Within a short time Wickramage was able to ensure that the brand was the market leader in polyunsaturated margarine.

He was invited by Maharaja Organisation to take on the challenge to turnaround the brand S-Lon which was destroyed during the 1983 riots. When Wickramage assumed office it was on the verge of being sold off due to heavy losses.

"I turned around the brand in a short time to be the market leader and it was a milestone in my career."

He said that marketing strategy, sales strategy as well as leadership was put into practice to drive the company to profitability and market leadership.

At Maharajas Wickramage moved to Pepsi Cola and was responsible for redefining the take home market of beverages.

"I coined the word mega and launched the Pepsi Mega which was a roaring success." By the time he left Maharajas he was on its director board."

His next stint was at Cargills as the head of group marketing when the concept of supermarkets was confined to a particular sector of the market.

He had the opportunity of introducing super markets to the mass market.

"I attracted the average consumer to the super markets through strategic marketing campaigns."

He also was responsible for the re-launch of Cargills Meat Products specially the innovative product for children Sams sausages.

The next turning point in his career was joining CBL as Head of Group Marketing and Sales in 2000. The market share of biscuits was less than 30 percent while the chocolate market share was less than eight percent. In addition, Lanka Soy Foods which was taken over by CBL was also a loss making venture. "I put in a lot of strategies and plans which saw Munchee reaching 60 percent, Ritzbury 48 percent and Lanka Soy over 30 percent to become market leaders in their respective markets."

Wickramage was responsible for launching the Tiara brand of cakes as well as Samaposha, market leaders today.

He said that throughout his career he developed people to undertake brands, drive them to success and sustain them in the market. He has had his marketing, sales and retail management education from UK and is a trainer at international marketing forums.

He also composes lyrics for songs with composed over 200 lyrics already composed.

It all started with composing motivational songs for the staff for which the music was by Rukantha Gunatilleke. "Then I was asked to compose other songs as well and the first two songs were for Rukantha and Chandraleka . Since then there has been no turning back I am completely relaxed by doing this."

A father of three, Wickramge is happily married to Nishanthi. He is the youngest son of Samuel and Leela Wickramage.