CTC, PIM PA to create new generation of marketing

Ceylon Tobacco Company in Partnership with the Post Graduate Institute of Management Professional Association (PIM PA) will launch the concept of the Marketing academy, in January 2008, in an attempt to bridge any existing skill gaps within the company. With an eminent panel of lecturers, the project is tipped to be a first of its kind in the country.

The Marketing Academy will tutor over 26 Managers of the company during a period of six months.

As part of CTC’s ‘Strategic Leadership Agenda’ for 2007/08, the Marketing Academy focuses on accelerating organisational growth based on four key pillars. Resting upon one of these pillars is ‘Talent Growth’, which is intricately detailed in CTC’s ‘Grow Talent’ project which attempts to bridge any existing ‘skills gaps’.

Having identified that the most business-critical skill for any organisation is the function of marketing, this discipline was used as the platform to pilot the Marketing Academy. The academy focuses on developing the skills of CTC’s Marketing Managers whilst envisaging their metamorphosis into business managers and eventually, leaders with a strategic and global outlook.

In keeping with the standards set by its parent company – British American Tobacco – CTC has engaged veteran training gurus such as Dr. Uditha Liyanage, as well as members of Postgraduate Institute of Managements Professional Association (PIM PA), to constitute its lecturing panel. Hence, the Marketing Academy will support the development of generic, business and leadership skills as it prepares to deliver an intensive learning experience to participants in its programme.

Ceylon Tobacco Company is committed for the development of its human resources to optimise on its knowledge workers. The annual spend of over Rs. 60 million which is focused on the training and development of its staff across all business functions reiterates this fact.

“Traditionally a Marketer at CTC would initiate his or her career by being exposed to the global marketing excellence programmes compiled by British American Tobacco, its parent company. This would focus on the functional competencies required to operate in a multinational milieu. With a solid foundations being laid, ones career would evolve further to on the job training, rotation of jobs within and outside the function, leading to short term and long term international secondment programmes to other operating companies located over 180 markets globally’ contends Rajiv Herath Meewakkala, the Marketing Director of CTC.

Samitha Perera, the Human Resources Director of CTC elaborates: “This demonstrates CTC’s learning culture and our commitment to training and development. There is also the fact that we are taking on 25 per cent of the marketing-management population for a day every week, which translates to about 20 per cent of their time for a period of at least six months and expecting them to be dedicated to the task of cultivating and developing talent.”