Kudos for Sri Lanka from CIM UK

CIM Sri Lanka Region wins award for “Best Overall Improvement Professional & Studying Members – Overseas”

For the fourth consecutive year CIM Sri Lanka Region has been conferred the award for Best Overall Improvement Professional & Studying Members – Overseas at the CIM International Chairmen’s Conference held recently at CIM Head Quarters – Moor Hall – in UK.

Out of the 2 awards presented at this year’s ICC Awards Ceremony, CIM Sri Lanka Region was singled out for this prestigious award amongst all overseas regions for the most innovative, comprehensive and result-oriented strategy and plans for the year 2007/2008, their successful implementation and their outstanding results.

Shiraz Latiff, Chairman, CIM Sri Lanka Region, speaking of the achievement stated “The award that we received is an endorsement of the commitment and passion displayed by the Sri Lanka team in particular and CIM members overall in this Region. We are confident that with the continuous support from our members, we can keep the Sri Lanka flag flying.”

During 2007/2008, CIM Sri Lanka Region has taken several important initiatives towards enhancing value created towards its membership. One such initiative was the extended payment plan and the local currency payment scheme, which has been recognised as one of the most innovative initiatives to have been introduced during the year by an overseas CIM Region.

The CIM Student Chapters was another initiative taken during the year with the objective of introducing the principles of marketing to school children and promoting marketing as a career. CIM Sri Lanka Region took pride in establishing the first CIM Student Chapter at Trinity College, Kandy. The Institute expects to set up fifteen Student Chapters in several other schools by the end of the year.

Taking itself to a greater height, The Chartered Institute of Marketing, Sri Lanka Region launched its first member group outside Sri Lanka in the Maldives in July, 2008. Continuing with its expansion strategy, CIM Sri Lanka Region expects to launch member groups in other neighboring South Asian countries in the immediate future.

CIM Sri Lanka Region has constantly campaigned, inculcating marketing best practices whilst promoting marketing as a profession. During the year, CIM Sri Lanka Region also had frequent CPD programmes, namely CIM Professional Series and CIM Talking Point programmes which addressed diverse themes empowering marketers to face the challenges ahead of them, successfully.

During 2007/2008, CIM Sri Lanka Region recorded a growth of 13.6% in studying members and 23% growth in professional members owing to its continuous drive for excellence and value created around the CIM qualification.

CIM Sri Lanka Region rejuvenated the activities of the Market Interest Groups (MIGs) during the year which have been initiated with the objective of promoting the marketing input in the industrial sector, thereby instilling marketing knowledge within non marketers. MIG - Tea, Leisure, Financial Services and Retail sectors have taken several initiatives towards achieving this objective.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing is the world’s largest and most prestigious professional body for marketing with over 50,000 members in over 80 countries around the world. CIM Sri Lanka Region is the largest CIM Region outside the UK and is the fastest growing CIM body. Presently, it serves over 3000 studying members and 1192 professional members consisting of 21 Affiliate Members, 729 Associate Members, 220 Members, 34 Fellow Members and 188 Chartered Marketers