Lakshman Peiris

Experience

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  George Steuart Health

  Oct 1990 - Jun 1994

  Medical Representative

  Interacting with the medical fraternity to promote prescription drugs and OTC products. Working with sales teams to achieve product availability in selected medical channels. Providing on the job training and on-boarding new talent.

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  Darley Butler & Company

  Jul 1994 - May 1997

  Product Manager

  Responsibility for managing brands and product lines, in Food and Beverages. Working with R&D and technical teams to develop, test and commercialize innovations and renovations in product and packaging. Collaborating with Creative and Media agencies to develop content and optimum media plans. Providing support materials and execution tool-kits to the sales teams and overseeing execution and tracking KPI achievement. Responsible for brand health and product line profitability.

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  Hayleys Electronics Limited

  Jun 1997 - Mar 1999

  Business Unit Head | Philips Consumer Electronics

  Full P&L responsibility and leading an import & distribute business unit of a large Conglomerate. Leading sales, distribution, imports, shipping, working capital and treasury management functions. Building and managing customer relationships and developing distribution networks. Executing differentiated channel execution plans and driving channel profitability. Lead contact for managing the relationship with Philips regional management teams. Jointly setting up annual business plans and working together to deliver results. Show less

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  Coca-Cola Far East Limited

  Apr 1999 - Dec 2006

  Regional Marketing Manager

  Joined as the Marketing Services Manager and progressed to Regional Marketing Manager overlooking operations in Sri Lanka and Maldives. Was part of the South East and West Asia Division Marketing Team and worked collaboratively with other markets as part of cross market project teams working on categories and emerging opportunities within the region. Working in teams to find solutions to common problems and challenges faced by markets across the region.

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  Coca-Cola Sabco

  Jan 2007 - Dec 2010

  Head of Sales & Marketing for Coca-Cola Operation in Vietnam - Overseeing three Regions (North, Central and South) and working with teams on ground to drive growth. Lead the annual business planning and target setting process along with long-range planning for growth and investment. Responsible for designing Route To Market, Shopper Strategy, Channel Development plans. Responsibility for developing global and local key customers and establishing franchise opportunities and developing key partnerships for growth through value sharing principles (Key Account Management) Show less

  • Country Commercial Manager

    Aug 2009 - Dec 2010

  • Division Commercial Manager

    Jan 2007 - Jul 2009

  • Division Marketing Manager

    Jan 2007 - Dec 2008
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  Aujan Industries

  Jan 2011 - May 2015

  Corporate Commercial Manager

  Setting up the Commercial structure, establishing processes, introducing planning & execution models across a wide range of countries; i.e. Countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Jordan. Developing critical roles and capability development at a senior level of the organization. Opportunity mapping and developing growth strategies in the key markets. Developing price | pack architecture (OBPPC) and occasion based shopper marketing strategies to capture value in different markets/channels Developing and executing segmented execution plans; introducing metrics & tracking methodologies Introducing shopper engagement and channel execution frameworks in selected markets. Show less

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  Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

  Aug 2015 - Oct 2022

  As the Marketing Director of the Bottling business, I provided commercial leadership to accelerate growth in Indonesia. I was the lead contributor to the major strategy reset work undertaken by the global Coca-Cola system leadership team. I led and inspired the teams to execute the strategy, delivering strong double-digit growth after many years of stagnation and range-bound growth.The portfolio strategy, Route to Market design, Shopper and Channel Development strategy, and the approach to overall marketing investments underwent critical changes. The team introduced the "Segmented Execution Framework," leading to a significant improvement in Return on Investment, which garnered global recognition for two consecutive years.I was responsible for developing transformational strategies and translating them into annual growth plans that encompassed all commercial levers. By adjusting our working methods and enhancing visibility and control in the value chain, we were able to greatly improve our execution capability and achieve efficiencies, while still growing on a large scale.During the pandemic, we managed to pivot the business with innovative solutions to order taking and delivering products. We designed strategies and implemented plans to leverage emerging eCommerce and Digital platforms in B2C and B2B environments. Collaborating with start-up and fin-tech communities to develop alternate solutions to reach trade channels cost-effectively, became one of the emerging pillars, which continued beyond the pandemic Show less I was in charge of creating and executing the commercial strategy to deliver the annual business plan, with specific sales and execution responsibilities in the Modern Trade Channel (which accounted for 50% of the revenue). One of the main areas of focus was to rebuild the relationships with top-end Pareto customers across all channels and increase revenue beyond the fair share. To achieve this goal, I designed and implemented a Partnership framework, which is still used by the business. This framework allowed us to secure long-term commitments from customers and move away from a transactional approach.In an effort to implement new work methods, I reorganized the sales team, established routines, and developed capabilities as key elements of a robust commercial strategy. I was accountable for the yearly marketing budgets, delivering ROI, and meeting business KPIs across all commercial pillars, as well as managing assets within the commercial team [Cold Drink Equipment]. I successfully attained balanced and sustainable growth across the portfolio, channels, and regions through effective mix management, resulting in increased profitability. Show less

  • Markeing Director

    Sept 2017 - Oct 2022

  • National Marketing & Sales Services Manager

    Aug 2015 - Aug 2017
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  Kimberly-Clark

  Nov 2022 - Jun 2024

  Category and Commercial Strategy Director

  Lead contributor to the transformational work of the Commercial function post the acquisition of a local business by Kimberly-Clark Corporation. Built a strong Commercial team and worked in collaboration with the rest of the enterprise to put the business fundamentals in place and set up the operation for sustainable growth. Introduced new ways of working and helped the teams to adapt through a structured change management process. Introduced digitally enabled solutions and technology to help manage critical Commercial levers such as Gross-to-Net, Commercial terms, Category & Channel strategy and Customer investments. Lunched targeted strategies to drive Revenue Growth and optimize cost to serve with a focus on people and system capability development. Show less

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  Emissary

  Jul 2024 - Jan 2025

  Strategy Advisor

  Emissary is a network of over 7,000 senior executives offering their insights to growing enterprise teams

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  R & L Business Consultants (Pvt) Ltd

  Jan 2025 - now

  Independent Consultant

  As an Independent Consultant, I help companies to develop strategic direction and road maps, address key business vulnerabilities, provide clarity on "where to play" and "How to Win". I work with the clients to break the strategy down and develop plans as part of the end-to-end process. I work with the teams to execute the plans and help them manage the process through, structure realignment, KPI setting and developing effective tracking, reporting and continuous improvement processes. I help develop an edge within key Commercial levers such as, Gross to Net management, RTM design, RGM, price pack architecture. I help companies elevate their brand appeal and proposition through a structured approach. Show less