Dilshara Jayamanna Elevated to Chief Creative Officer at MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka

MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka announced the appointment of Dilshara Jayamanna as the group’s chief creative officer (CCO) with effect from 1st September 2020. 

A product of Ananda College, Colombo and West Thames College, London, Dilshara began his career in the creative industry at Young Asia Television in 2000. He was recruited into MullenLowe, then Lowe LDB, as a creative group head in early 2006 by the agency’s legendary founder Lilamani Dias Benson. Learning and growing under Lilamani’s mentorship, he rose steadily within the agency, taking on greater responsibilities. Prior to this appointment, he served as senior vice president and executive creative director (ECD) at MullenLowe Sri Lanka.

Over the years, he has built and nurtured some of the country’s most loved brands across a wide range of industries including FMCG, Telecommunications, Banking, Insurance, FinTech, Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Automobiles and more. Shaping the agency’s creative product, Dilshara has played a pivotal role in MullenLowe Sri Lanka’s rise as the champion of creative effectiveness in the market.

The agency continues to help its brands rise above the clutter and effectively engage with their audiences across mediums, winning several awards and accolades in the process. Most recently, it became the first and only agency office from Sri Lanka to be listed on the Effie Index’s Top 10 Most Effective Agencies of 2020 in the Asia Pacific region, coming in 9th in APAC and 36th in the world.

Commenting on Dilshara Jayamanna’s appointment Thayalan Bartlett, chief executive officer, MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka said: “I am extremely delighted to appoint Dilshara as MullenLowe Group’s Chief Creative Officer, a position he has earned by producing consistently outstanding work and for giving the agency the creative supremacy it is recognised for in the industry. He is a relentless pursuer of high standards and perfection. His appointment makes him one of the youngest C-Suite level creative leaders before the age of 40 which speaks volumes for his capacity and tenacity. With this appointment I have no doubt that Dilshara will reset the bar for creative standards.”

With his elevation Dilshara will also report to Amer Jaleel, group chairman and chief creative officer, MullenLowe Lintas Group, India. “Our teams in Sri Lanka have continued to create outstanding work that nurtures brand love and delivers business results. The innumerable awards and accolades they have accumulated over the years are a testament to this. Leading the charge on the agency’s creative product, Dilshara has been instrumental in driving its stellar rise in the market. It gives me great pleasure to see him take on the role of CCO,” said Amer.

Sharing his thoughts on taking on the new role, Dilshara Jayamanna, chief creative officer, MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka said: “Creativity is in a state of flux all over the world. New, exciting methods of serving up creative ideas are emerging with exhilarating regularity. As a big fan of change, this is both a challenging as well as exciting time to take on this role. I look forward to harnessing these newer facets of creativity to generate greater returns for our clients and continue the MullenLowe Group’s legacy of creating Sri Lanka’s best loved and most effective advertising.”

MullenLowe Sri Lanka was established as LDB Lintas in 1993, and thereafter referred to as Lowe LDB, the agency comes from a powerful creative lineage. It came to be known as MullenLowe as a result of a merger with US-based network Mullen in 2015. A majority of MullenLowe’s business comes from global FMCG giant Unilever. In addition, it works with some of the country’s leading brands in carbonated soft drinks, banking and finance, insurance, biscuits, milk foods, sanitary napkins, foods, FinTech, personal & beauty care products, mobile communications, data and consumer electronics. The company possesses vast cross-category knowledge which gives it an edge when it comes to effective work.  The company continues to dominate the top 10 most advertised categories by 80% and the top 20 most advertised categories by 50%, making it by far, the most influential brand communications company in Sri Lanka.