Isuru Suharshana

Isuru Suharshana

Branding & Media Specialist at Al Nabooda Insurance Brokers
Dubai, United Arab Emirates

About me

Born and bred in colombo sri lanka in a family close to art and theatre, I generated an interest on commercial creativity and Tech.

Following that I stepped in to advertising which later lead me to be a part of the national body for marketing and be the one to head the marketing for the body

★ Highly motivated, visionary, and performance driven marketing specialist with over a decade of success in developing highly successful and award winning marketing programs and advertising campaigns.

★ Consistently succeeds in conducting domestic and international market research and developing comprehensive strategies to position products, pricing, and marketing to achieve targeted sales
growth, while maintaining corporate and brand integrity. Recognized for utilizing innovative approaches and smart business decisions to achieve market positioning and revenue drivers.


Accredited as a Marketing Management Professional I bring to the table my 10 years of standout experience in managing essential functions, such as Strategic Planning, Marketing Management, Digital Marketing, Research & Behavioral Analytics, Brand & Communication Strategy, Consumer Behavior and Product Management.

Languages
  • English - Pro

Positions

Brand, Media and Digital Marketing Specialist
Al Nabooda Insurance Brokers LLC
United Arab Emirates
March 2023 - Present (1 year 8 months)
• Develop and implement marketing strategies that align with the company's objectives and goals.
• Work closely with the sales team to identify target markets and create effective campaigns to generate leads and increase sales.
• Conduct market research to stay up-to-date with industry trends and competition.
• Create marketing materials such as brochures, flyers, and presentations to promote our products and services.
• Manage social media platforms and create engaging content to increase brand awareness and engagement.
• Monitor and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Collaborate with other departments such as product development and customer service to ensure a consistent brand message across all channels.
• Maintain accurate records of marketing activities and budgets.
• Record & create online sales reports monthly /quarterly & annually with comparison analysis.
Head | Manager- Marketing, Communication & Sustainability
Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
Sri Lanka
March 2021 - August 2022 (1 year 5 months)
• Worked managing a team of 5 in the marketing team directly reporting to the CEO with a dotted line to elected President at Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing
• Converted the marketing approach of the company from the use of traditional marketing by adopting a digital face for cost effectiveness and increased results
• Uplifted creativity of the marketing team with innovative content, adverts, and agile content
• Initiated and executed lead generation ads for all educational courses at SLIM targeting relevant age groups and audiences
• Improved process streamlining with the sales team to measure and effectively convert leads generated. Achieved a lead to conversion ratio of 15%.
• Implemented a CRM to effectively store student & marketers’ databases and to personalize communication to different segments
• Revamped SLIM Sri Lanka website and implemented Google Analytics to effectively measure performance
• Conducted influencer marketing campaigns and content marketing to cater to the young audience
• Managed the first ever budget conference with marker’s perspective with central bank governor
• Assisted with launching Post Pandemic National campaign with the theme of #FutureReady to uplift the mindset of people in Sri Lanka to enhance their resilience for continuous growth. Successfully pitched for free media support and coordinated on collaborations with top business owners, blue chip company CEOs to take part in the campaign.
• Initiated and launched a new module for students on Data driven marketing to stay ahead of the trending subjects in demand
• Initiated and managed impactful affiliations and partnerships
Senior Manager - Digital
FCBKL.LK
Sri Lanka
March 2020 - February 2022 (1 year 11 months)
• leading the digital arm of 5 members, directly reporting to the CEO
• Managed, trained, and groomed the digital team to ensure building team
spirit and to reach all projects and client deliverables on a timely basis.
• Brands handled: Mercedes Benz, Jeep, Chrysler, Godrej FMCG
brands, Lanka soy,
• Consulted client brands on digital & tech solutions for problem solving
and process improvement (Apps, ecommerce websites, CRM, Chat
Bot, Tech tools, eCommerce solutions etc)
• Initiated and executed influencer marketing campaigns for clients
• Initiated and executed viral campaigns for client brands based on latest
events and trends
• Worked on client pitches and new business development. Brought in 5
new projects to the agency with a budget of LKR 500,000 recurring
revenue
Manager - Marketing
Softlogic Life Insurance PLC
Sri Lanka
March 2018 - December 2019 (1 year 9 months)
Digital transformation & Product Development
• Played a key role is researching, ideating, planning and executing digital products for the financial sector of Softlogic Group Sri Lanka. (Softlogic Finance and Softlogic Insurance). Launched two new products, online medical and accidental life covers.
• Coordinated with actuarial teams IT and external vendors to evaluate and execute tech solutions for process improvement and problem solving.
• Affiliated insurance products for potential affluent customers at other companies of the Softlogic Group (Softlogic Max retail arm and Asiri Hospitals)
• Worked with Softlogic Finance to improve and digitalize the process of loan disbursements by reducing time spent for the process from 7 days to 2 days.
• Handled Softlogic Stockbrokers website revamp with latest standards and SEO friendly features.
• Built an integrated website for all financial services (Insurance, finance, stock brokering, capital management)

Digital Marketing & Marketing Communications

• Developed and executed media plans and media vendor management for Softlogic Life Insurance
• Deployed all communication assets, initiated, and executed traditional media campaigns, reported on results and recommendations for improvement
• Handled digital media campaigns covering PPC ads, social media, influencer marketing, SEO & affiliated marketing
• Assisted with the launch of Micro Insurance Products with postal department in partnership with the acclaimed Sri Lankan cricketer Kumara Sangakkara
• Successfully managed and distributed the marketing budget for Softlogic Life Insurance
Assistant Manager - Digital Media
Colombo, Sri Lanka
March 2017 - February 2018 (11 months)
• Developed marketing strategies and tactical plans for key clients including Fonterra, Softlogic Life, AMW (Renault), Brother Printers, Laughs Lubricant
• Played a key role in the successful pitches made to clients at a regional level (including P&G and Fonterra in collaboration with Mediacom – India)
• Handled paid media campaigns on platforms including, but not limited to Google, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn as well as local suppliers for native placements
• Optimised media spends across digital channels to arrive at precise KPI's (ROAS)
• Carried out agile mobile led activations in collaboration with Telco partners including Dialog, Mobitel & Etisalat
Senior Digital Media Executive
Neo@Ogilvy
Sri Lanka
January 2015 - October 2016 (1 year 9 months)
• Worked as the lead account manager for pitching for new clients & business development. Brought in new clients generating over LKR 1,000,000 a month on average, maintaining a gross margin of 25% for Neo Ogilvy while managing the existing accounts to ensure client retention.
• Handled cross selling and upselling of products for existing digital clients and media clients of Ogilvy Sri Lanka
• Led the adoption of Facebook workplace (workplace by META now) companywide for internal coordination and communication and was among the first 200 people globally within the Ogilvy global network
• Worked on google certification and Facebook blueprint certificate and got the google partner certificate for Neo@Ogilvy Sri Lanka
• Managed the largest digital campaign budget of at the time in Sri Lanka for FMCG with LKR 5.5Mn budget while successfully executing the campaign & achieving all KPIS
• Executed the lead generation campaign across pacific, east European and other expat markets to generate quality leads for the Sri Lanka’s tallest residential tower project at the time Achilleion (Real estate client)
• Evaluated social listening tools and implemented Melt Water listening tool for effectively identify and manage crisis situations for clients
Digital Media Planner
momentus
Sri Lanka
January 2013 - June 2014 (1 year 5 months)
Momentus Digital (Pvt) Ltd logo
Digital Media PlannerDigital Media Planner
Momentus Digital (Pvt) Ltd · Full-timeMomentus Digital (Pvt) Ltd · Full-time
Jan 2013 - Jun 2014 · 1 yr 6 mosJan 2013 - Jun 2014 · 1 yr 6 mos
• Organization is a fully owned subsidiary of Sri Lanka’s 2nd Largest Media agency, joined as the first digital marketing member of the company and grew the team to 5 members in a span of 1.5 years and worked with the organization on landing, 2nd biggest mobile network provider and the largest ISP and LAN network provider along with other wins such as FMCG brand Prima ( Japanese x Sri Lanka JV) and grew the billing of the company from 250,000 LKR to 1.5Mn
• Conducted hands on digital planning and campaign management including PPC search ads, display ads and social media ads to optimize results.
• Assisted with creating the largest corporate brand community in Sri Lanka at that time with acquiring over 400,000 followers for the mobile telco brand – Mobitel
• Drove online Sales for VAS products with maintaining a 7-15% click through rate
• Conducted search engine optimization activities for clients to help improve rankings for most searched relevant keywords for client websites

Education

Masters in Business Administration

Other professional activities

PHNX 2021

Awards Jury Member

PHNX 2022

Awards Jury Member

PHNX 2023

Awards Jury Member

PHNX 2024

Awards Jury Member

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