Agencies

The Faculty of Brands hosted “Spot On”, an exclusive evening dedicated to celebrating outstanding brand stories, industry insights and marketing excellence in Sri Lanka. Bringing together brand professionals, agency teams, business leaders, students and marketing enthusiasts, the event created a space for the country’s branding community to learn from real campaigns, practical decisions and the people behind them. Held at “The Trace Expert City in Colombo”, Spot On was designed as a curated community event where selected brands and marketers shared the thinking, challenges, strategy, execution and outcomes behind impactful campaigns and business initiatives. Unlike a traditional conference, the evening focused on real Sri Lankan brand stories. The format featured five selected brand stories, with each session offering a focused breakdown of the choices, insights and trade-offs that shaped the work. The event also included a panel discussion, Q&A, networking opportunities and brand activations. For Sri Lanka’s marketing industry, Spot On comes at an important time. As brands face more fragmented audiences, changing consumer expectations and increasing pressure to prove business impact, there is a growing need for practical knowledge-sharing within the industry. Events like Spot On help move the conversation beyond theory. By opening up the process behind successful campaigns and brand decisions, they give professionals and emerging marketers a clearer understanding of how strong brands are built in the real world. The evening also reflected the broader mission of The Faculty of Brands: to strengthen Sri Lanka’s brand-building capability by making practical marketing and branding knowledge more accessible to the industry. Since its launch, the initiative has positioned itself as a platform focused on helping local professionals, teams and businesses compete more confidently against global standards. One of the most valuable aspects of Spot On was its emphasis on learning through local context. While global frameworks and international case studies continue to play an important role in marketing education, Sri Lankan brands operate within their own consumer realities, cultural nuances and business constraints. Spot On placed these local experiences at the centre of the discussion. The event also created space for connection. By bringing together marketers, creatives, founders, students and brand custodians in one room, Spot On encouraged the kind of industry exchange that can lead to stronger ideas, better collaboration and a more confident creative ecosystem. As Sri Lanka’s marketing and branding landscape continues to evolve, platforms such as Spot On play an important role in documenting and celebrating the work being done locally. More importantly, they help turn individual brand successes into shared industry learning. With Spot On, The Faculty of Brands has created more than an event. It has created a timely platform for Sri Lanka’s brand community to reflect, learn, connect and build the next chapter of local marketing excellence.

Sri Lanka’s next generation of creative talent is stepping onto one of the most prestigious global stages in the advertising and communications industry, as an eight-member national contingent represents the country at the Cannes Young Lions Competition 2026 in France. The competition, held alongside the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is regarded as one of the world’s most important proving grounds for young professionals in advertising, media, PR, digital, film, print and design. It brings together national winners from across the world, giving emerging talent the opportunity to compete under intense creative pressure and showcase their thinking on a global platform. This year’s Sri Lankan contingent carries added significance, with six members from Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka – the largest-ever team fielded by a single agency from the country for the competition. Representing Sri Lanka across key categories are Sachintha Gunawardena and Hasith Dilakshana in Media, Azraa Saldin and Nirmala Premachandra in PR, and Afridi Hussain and Maveena Manickam in Film. Their journey to Cannes follows their victories at the Young Lions Sri Lanka Competition held earlier this year. At the global competition, teams are given a real-world brief, often from a non-profit or purpose-led organisation, and must respond with a campaign idea within a highly limited timeframe. This format tests not only creativity, but also speed, clarity of thinking, strategic discipline and the ability to turn an insight into an idea that can influence people. For the Media category, the challenge is to develop a channel-led strategy that can drive meaningful engagement. In PR, teams must create a strong campaign narrative capable of shaping perception and action. In Film, participants are expected to produce an original 60-second film that responds powerfully to the brief. For Sri Lanka’s advertising industry, this representation is more than a participation story. It reflects the growing strength of young local talent and their ability to compete in an environment shaped by global standards, cultural diversity and fast-moving creative expectations. Cannes Young Lions has long been seen as a launchpad for future leaders in the communications industry. For young Sri Lankan professionals, exposure to such a platform can be career-defining – offering access to global thinking, international creative benchmarks and a deeper understanding of how ideas travel across markets. The presence of Sri Lankan talent at Cannes also sends an important signal to the local industry. It shows that the country’s creative community continues to produce professionals who can think beyond market size, budget limitations and local boundaries. In an era where creativity is increasingly measured by impact, relevance and speed, opportunities like Young Lions help sharpen the next generation of industry leaders. The team has been supported in the lead-up to Cannes by senior mentors from Ogilvy Group Sri Lanka, together with Metal Factor, the local representative of the Young Lions Competition. As Sri Lanka’s young creatives compete in France, their participation stands as a proud moment for the country’s advertising and marketing community – and a reminder that world-class ideas can come from anywhere, including Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka’s marketing, media, communications and digital industries received a strong regional spotlight this year, with three Sri Lankan professionals being recognised in Campaign Asia-Pacific’s 40 Under 40 2026 list. The annual list celebrates emerging leaders across Asia-Pacific who are shaping the future of marketing, media, technology and communications. For Sri Lanka, the recognition of Arjun Jeger, Praveena Perera and Raveen Wijayatilake is more than an individual achievement. It is a reminder that local talent, built through resilience, creativity and entrepreneurial thinking, can compete on a regional stage. At a time when Sri Lanka’s industry is looking for new confidence, these three names represent different but equally important directions for the future: independent creative entrepreneurship, client leadership in integrated communications, and the growth of gaming and esports as a serious marketing platform. Arjun Jeger: Building an Independent Creative Network from Sri Lanka Arjun Jeger, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of DC Group, represents the new generation of Sri Lankan agency entrepreneurs. His story stands out because DC Group was not built through a traditional agency model or major external investment. It began as Digital Content in 2017 and has since evolved into one of Sri Lanka’s largest independent creative networks, with multiple specialist companies across creative, production, influencer marketing, performance media, martech, media and live experiences. What makes Arjun’s recognition important is the model he represents. He has shown that a Sri Lankan agency can be independent, specialist-led, platform-first and still scalable. DC Group’s growth through some of the country’s most difficult years also reflects a wider truth about Sri Lanka’s creative industry: the best teams here are often built under pressure, not comfort. His recognition is also important for the local digital marketing ecosystem. As President of the Digital Marketing Association of Sri Lanka, Arjun has been part of efforts to connect Sri Lankan professionals with wider regional and global industry conversations. That kind of ecosystem-building matters, because individual success becomes more meaningful when it opens doors for others. Praveena Perera: A Win for Client Leadership and Women in Advertising Praveena Perera, Associate Vice President and Client Services Director at MullenLowe Sri Lanka, brings another important dimension to this recognition. Client servicing is often one of the most demanding roles in advertising. It requires strategic thinking, relationship management, creative judgement, commercial understanding and the ability to bring different teams together around a business problem. Praveena’s recognition highlights the value of strong client leadership in an industry that often celebrates only creative output or media performance. Her journey is also significant for women in Sri Lanka’s advertising and communications industry. She has previously been recognised as an emerging woman leader, and this regional recognition further strengthens the message that women in Sri Lankan advertising are not just participating in the industry; they are leading it. In a market where opportunities can sometimes feel limited, Praveena’s achievement also reflects the importance of organisations that actively create space for talent to grow. Her recognition is a proud moment not only for MullenLowe Sri Lanka, but also for every young professional in client servicing who is building a career through consistency, resilience and strategic contribution. Raveen Wijayatilake: Taking Gaming and Esports into the Marketing Mainstream Raveen Wijayatilake, Founder and CEO of InGame Esports and Gamer.LK, represents one of the most future-facing areas of marketing: gaming and esports. For many years, gaming was treated as a niche youth interest. Today, it is a major cultural and commercial space, with communities, tournaments, creators, brands and media opportunities all converging. Raveen has played a key role in building that ecosystem in Sri Lanka and extending its relevance across South Asia. His recognition is especially important because it validates gaming and esports as more than entertainment. It positions them as credible platforms for brand engagement, youth culture, digital communities and new forms of media experience. For Sri Lankan marketers, this should be a wake-up call. The next generation of influence will not only come from television, outdoor, social media or traditional digital advertising. It will also come from gaming communities, live experiences, creator-led ecosystems and interactive entertainment. Raveen’s inclusion in Campaign Asia’s list shows that Sri Lanka already has leaders shaping that space. Why This Matters for Sri Lanka The recognition of Arjun, Praveena and Raveen is important because they do not all come from the same type of role. One is building an independent creative group. One is leading client relationships and integrated brand communications. One is shaping gaming and esports as a marketing platform. Together, they show that Sri Lanka’s marketing industry is no longer defined by one narrow path. The future of the industry will be built by entrepreneurs, strategists, client leaders, creators, technologists, community builders and platform specialists. It also shows that Sri Lanka does not need to wait for international validation to believe in its own talent. But when that validation comes, it gives the industry a timely reminder: we have people here who can lead regionally, not just locally. A Signal for the Next Generation For young Sri Lankan professionals entering marketing, advertising, media, PR, digital or communications, this recognition sends a powerful message. You do not need to follow one fixed career route. You can build a company, grow inside an agency, develop a new media category, lead clients, create communities or shape an industry association. What matters is the quality of your work, the impact you create and the consistency with which you keep moving forward. Sri Lanka’s presence in Campaign Asia’s 40 Under 40 2026 list should therefore be celebrated not only as three personal milestones, but as a signal of where the industry can go next. Arjun Jeger, Praveena Perera and Raveen Wijayatilake have each built influence in different ways. Together, they represent a more confident, diverse and future-ready Sri Lankan marketing industry. And that is something the whole industry can be proud of.