Arosha Perera – CEO, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, with the Master Class graduates of 2019

Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, part of the globally acclaimed agency Leo Burnett worldwide recently concluded the 7th edition of its Masterclass programme, with interns graduating after five weeks of learning, training and receiving world-class exposure at the agency. The only multi-disciplinary programme of its kind in the industry, Masterclass plays a pivotal role in attracting fresh, young talent to the field of marketing communications, and giving them the chance to see the scope, diversity and variety of career options that are available for them within the industry. 
This year’s programme culminated with a graduation ceremony that was attended by the agency’s senior management including Arosha Perera – CEO, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka, Ransley Burrows - Chief Creative Officer, Mehnaz Ilhamdeen – Head of Operations and Dilunika Tejwani – Senior Manager People and Culture. Also present at the event, were the interns’ buddies and mentors, who were assigned to them throughout the duration of their time at the agency, to provide additional support, encouragement and guidance. 

The advertising and communications industry in Sri Lanka struggles to attract fresh talent to fill the diverse roles that are available within it. A key factor for this, is that many young people have a limited understanding of the opportunities that exist within the industry. Masterclass directly addresses this, by providing undergraduates with the opportunity to experience day to day agency life, real client projects and work across a broad spectrum of departments and fields of specialization ranging from media management to publishing, creative design, market research, public relations, digital marketing, event management, strategic planning, client servicing and more. Additionally, interns receive exposure with the agency’s prestigious line-up of partners and clients which include media houses, blue chip conglomerates, recording studios, production houses, research agencies and more, and during their time on the job, they have the opportunity to work on ground-breaking campaigns and award-winning projects. During the programme, the interns work on a special project in small groups and work together to solve a real brief. They present their solution at the end of the programme. As a result of the programme, many young students are able to explore the various roles and options that are available to them within the industry, and end up pursuing a career in marketing communications. 

Commenting on the programme, Arosha Perera, CEO of Leo Burnett Sri Lanka stated: “This truly unique and carefully structured industry internship provides young people who are interested in learning more about a career in marketing communications, with first-hand, on-the-job experience. Over the years, Masterclass has evolved into an impactful programme that exposes young people to a wide range of skills and nurtures their ability to think creatively, solve problems and fine-tune their capabilities. The programme continues to grow from strength to strength and each year, many who participate in it end up embarking on an exciting new career path within the industry.” 

Over the years, Leo Burnett has built many powerful brands and meaningful partnerships with its clients, whilst delivering gratifying results and gaining peer recognition in the industry. This year, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka celebrates 20 years of shaping the marketing communication industry in the country and as the agency looks ahead to the future, its dynamic team of world-class professionals remain dedicated to developing new ideas inspired by HumanKind – Leo Burnett’s philosophy which is rooted in the belief that creativity has the power to change human behaviour.