Leo Burnett Sri Lanka’s iconic leader and world-renowned advertising professional Ranil de Silva, will step down from his role after serving as the agency’s Managing Director for the last 18 years.
After 36 years of making his mark as a mover and shaker in Sri Lanka’s marketing communications industry and taking Leo Burnett to unprecedented heights, Ranil will step down from his role and responsibilities of managing the Sri Lankan office of the Publicis Groupe. Ranil will pass on the baton of the agency’s leadership of Leo Burnett to its CEO Arosha Perera, who along with a seasoned leadership team will take over the management of Leo Burnett Sri Lanka and the other brands within the Groupe.
Arosha Perera has been actively engaged at the company for the last few years and has prepared himself for this new role. He will take over the leadership of the Leo Burnett agency with effect from January 1.
In what has been an incredible innings and a career filled with a multitude of milestones, powerful ideas and life-changing accomplishments as well as countless global awards, Ranil has helped to not only build Leo Burnett Sri Lanka into the most awarded agency in the country, but he has also played a pivotal role in ensuring the development of Sri Lanka’s advertising industry at large.
Ranil started his career at JWT and progressed professionally, taking up a posting in Jakarta Indonesia and returning to Sri Lanka to lead the agency at the age of 32, after which he was called to serve in a regional role based in Singapore. He began his journey at Leo Burnett in the spirit of the agency’s founder himself – by reaching for the stars.
Ranil de Silva – Managing Director, Leo Burnett Sri Lanka said: “I have had the privilege to lead a talented team of the country’s best advertising professionals. These are the people who have made each day I have spent in this industry worth its while, by being the people they’ve grown to be. I believe the best people in this industry reside at R A De Mel Mawatha.”
“The individuals who are playing critical roles in the industry are people who have grown up with us. In fact, many of the industry’s leaders are my former colleagues. It is such a pleasure for me to leave behind for the ad industry and for Leo Burnett a legacy of talented, capable and committed professionals. People whom I know will, as we say at Leo Burnett, “reach for the stars”. These professionals are my gift to the industry. They are also a gift to me for my 36+ years of passion for this industry.
Ranil added: “Arosha has enjoyed an illustrious advertising career spanning over two decades, and fulfilled similar roles to the ones I have done. Like me, he was groomed at JWT.”
Commenting on Ranil’s contribution to the agency network and industry Saurabh Varma, Chief Executive Officer South Asia Leo Burnett Group said: “Ranil has added immense value to Leo Burnett Worldwide’s network over the years, helping us to not only bring home metals but to strengthen our reputation as a world-class communications agency in the region and beyond.”
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