The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) recently held an Open Day for the first and only strategic branding qualification in Sri Lanka, the Diploma in Strategic Brand Management (DSBM), ahead of its next intake.

A large number of prospective DSBM students and future branding professionals attended the event at SLIM Home, which was added value with a conversant knowledge-sharing session. The highlight was the key speaker Unilever Sri Lanka New Business Development Head Wathsala Aluthgedara. Her session amply demonstrated the power of branding and its manipulative effect on consumers.
The DSBM is the only avenue opened to marketers in Sri Lanka who aspire to become brand managers. In addition to the theoretical element, the DSBM programme includes experience- sharing sessions featuring eminent personalities in branding and an added focus on practicality to prepare students for the challenges of the corporate world. 

SLIM President Upul Adikari noted, “Even though branding has long been a vital component in global marketing, Sri Lanka has suffered from a lack of qualified branding talent for many years. The DSBM was designed to address this need and empowers local marketers to build valuable brands by utilising internationally proven, innovative branding strategies and practices.”
The DSBM course covers important areas such as the role of a brand manager, brand marketing, branding in merchandising, campaign planning and process, strategic level branding and brand finance. Addressing the gathering at the Open Day, SLIM CEO/ED Sanath Senanayake said, “I welcome you to this Open Day, which will enable you to experience the quality of the DSBM programme. I am confident that this event will open everybody’s eyes and minds to the power of branding and inspire you to study it with the aim of developing world-class brands in Sri Lanka.”
Extensive research and surveys conducted by SLIM among professionals in various industries has led to an improvement in the quality of the programme and added value to the qualification. The programme includes a practical exercise in which they are required to launch a brand in a real-life scenario, thereby calling on the students to apply and demonstrate the knowledge of branding that they have acquired.

Aluthgedara spoke about her extensive experience as an experienced consumer business leader and marketing professional, counting 14 years of corporate experience, including 10 years experience with one of the leading FMCG giants, Unilever in brand building and four years’ experience in corporate planning and fund management. Aluthgedara has multi-category exposure within the FMCG industry, having handled a variety of brands within home and personal care including Unilever Sri Lanka’s flagship brand Sunlight. Aluthgedara has held many roles within Unilever Sri Lanka including Category Head – Oral Care and Hair Care.