From left: Madhusoothanan (Assistant Manager-Academic Affairs), Pradeep Edwards (Vice President-SLIM), Dileep Mudadeniya (Vice President-John Keells Group) and Sanjeewa Jayaweera (AGM- Education and Training).

The Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) inaugurated its Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing (PGDIP) program for 2017 on the 29th of January at the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management. 
The event was conducted in order to raise awareness and educate the new batch of students joining PGDIP, about the curricular and the value that it could add to an individual asa fully-fledged marketing professional. The large patronage that graced the occasion represented a cross section of young employees, marketing practitioners, corporate and public sector middle managers and students of SLIM. 
Intakes for the PGDIP programme are now open and students can follow the course at the SLIM Business Schools in Colombo, Kandy and Matara.
Guest speaker at the inauguration was Dileep Mudadeniya, Vice President of John Keells / Head of Brand Marketing Cinnamon Hotels and Founder of theCentre of Research and Sustainable Studies in Tourism. Mudadeniya placed special emphasis upon the definition of marketing, it beinga management process that anticipates, identifiesthe needs and desires of customers and fulfills them profitably.
“I switched from Law to Marketing because it is a process that enables us to make people happy by fulfilling their needs and wants.The top 30 brands have evolved lately in the corporate sector due to the philosophical nature of marketing and not because of finance. Every successful marketer should be fully equipped with the four aspects; passion, customer centric, differentiation and experience gathering”, stated Mudadeniya.
PGDIP is a unique programme of study, which offers prospective students and practitioners of marketing an opportunity to learn thefiner points in marketing and blend theoretical concepts with diverse, day-to-day business scenarios. 
The 24-month part-time program consists of four levels andgears students with marketing competencies from the operational to the management level.Students are provided with a detailed understanding on marketing tools. The strategic level focuses on concepts such as Sustainability and Strategic Marketing Planning and every student is required to carry outan individual research study at the final level.
A budding marketer can secure his/her career path towards obtaining an MBA by qualifying in SLIM-PGDIP.

The Vice President of SLIM, Pradeep Edward, the Director/CEO of GAP Holdings,stressed the importance of gearing oneself with the knowledge in marketing to excel in the existing vibrant business environment. 
“SLIM has designed the PGDIP programme especially to groom quality marketing personnel,who can add value to the marketing fraternity here in Sri Lanka and beyond. Post Graduate Diploma holders of SLIM areeven employed by companies beyond our territoriesand are functioning at senior managerial levels”, he said.
In the opinion of SLIM’s CEO/Executive Director, Sanath Senanayake,SLIM-PGDIP is a contemporary course for students. The course’s content, syllabus and textbooks have been revised according to the changes in the marketing atmosphere in the world and to satiate current industry requirements. 
“The right blend of assignments, individual/group presentations and exams has elevated the PGDIP qualification to its pinnacle. The program will evolve with the changing marketing scenarios in the world to produce fully-fledged marketers who can rub shoulders with veterans in the sphere”, said Senanayake.