Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Personal Information
References
Extracurricular Activities
Academic Strengths
Research Studies
Languages
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic
Lasitha Gayashan Dharmadasa

Lasitha Gayashan Dharmadasa

Summary

Accomplished marketer and plantation management specialist with expertise in digital applications. Proven skills in business management, sales, and branding, supported by a strong foundation in agricultural operations. Extensive experience across diverse industries, including tea, construction, and FMCG distribution.

Overview

9
9
years of professional experience

Work History

Area Leaf Growing & Sustainability Dep. Manager

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
02.2025 - Current
  • Responsible for four area depots/factories and leading the flagship sustainability project of the company.
  • Manage a base of over 500 farmers to provide more than 300 MT of tobacco to the company.
  • Managing LKR 300 million in farmer payments and field-level deployment.
  • Direct reporting: 14 members.
  • Leading innovation and technology deployment at plantations.
  • Maintain the required EHS environment across four factories, and maintain all the internal and external stakeholders.
  • Delivered key sustainability deployment project for 2024-25
  • Forecasting, formulating, and managing the budget allocated.

Area Manager - Area Growing Operations

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
10.2023 - 02.2025
  • Responsible for the overall tobacco growing, buying, and delivering operation in Haliela and Walapane depots/factories.
  • Managing 400 farmers, including farmer unions across 2 factories.
  • Maintaining all EHS, Sustainability, and other operational level standards across the factories.
  • Forecasting, formulating, and managing the budget allocated.
  • Continuous staff training.

Management Trainee/Global Graduate

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
08.2022 - 04.2024
  • Completed an 18-month fast-track leadership and management trainee program at British American Tobacco.
  • Gained management exposure in Finance, Legal, HR, Operations, and Leaf functions at Ceylon Tobacco Company.
  • Owned key projects and contributed to operational excellence at Ceylon Tobacco Company.
  • Collaborated with global managers and trainees to optimize daily operations.
  • Trained functional teams to enhance performance at Ceylon Tobacco Company.

Trade Marketing Executive

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
08.2020 - 08.2022
  • Awarded as the Emerging Trade Marketing Executive of the Year 2021.
  • Execution of the regional marketing/business plan by achieving the volume target on a monthly basis as the person in charge of the respective territory. (Territories handled: Colombo, North Western, North Central, and Eastern) - Target: LKR +100 million.
  • Channel management, including general trade, modern trade, HoReCa, and military.
  • Formulate and execute the territory business plan annually, quarterly, and on a monthly basis.
  • Execution of business development and promotional activities within the region, and effectively utilize the territory development budget.
  • Execution of Route-to-Market activities, and maintaining and achieving the RTM KPIs.
  • Analyze all the business-related trends of own territories to find the issues, and provide sustainable solutions.
  • Monitor indirect distribution channels (Active and Passive Sub-Dealers).
  • Maintain relationships with regional law enforcement authorities, including the Police Department, Excise Department, etc. As crucial engagement.
  • Execution of new brand launches and responsible for the effective brand cycle management.
  • Provide continuous training and development to sales staff, and build an efficient and motivated sales force within the territory. - Staff: +30 Sales Reps.

Senior Executive – Accessories

United Motors Lanka PLC
11.2018 - 08.2020
  • Responsible for managing the entire operation of Accessories division by reporting to AGM -Spare parts and Accessories.
  • Achieving the monthly and annual sales revenue targets of both branches and dealers.
  • Regular branch and dealer visits, Regular customer visits.
  • Plan the promotional activities with the marketing division. participate and execute trade promotions for auto accessories, recovery management etc.

Sales and Marketing Executive- Environmental Services (Corporate)

Finlay Rentokil (Ceylon) PLC
08.2016 - 11.2018
  • Meet all stakeholders in promoting total product and service portfolio Achieving monthly sales target (Corporate clients).
  • Raise Quotations, proposals and negotiate with key stakeholders.
  • Organize and execute the regular sales visits.
  • Manage the distribution of the product portfolio.
  • Coordinate the technical team to provide a better service to the customer on time.
  • Support and follow the annual marketing plan and budget.
  • Handle the total recovery process and achieve the collection target monthly.
  • Managing dynamic company’s internal and external environment.
  • Update sales and marketing related data to the ERP system.
  • Analyze and present sales outcomes to the management in monthly and weekly basis etc.

Education

MBA - Logistics And Supply Chain Management

Cardiff Metropolitan University
UK
11-2025

Certificate - Power BI

Project Management Institute
Sri Lanka
09-2024

MSc - Digital Marketing

Asia e University
Malaysia
01.2023

Chartered post Graduate Diploma - Professional Marketing

The Chartered Institute of Marketing/CIM
UK
01.2019

Post Graduate Diploma - Marketing

Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing/SLIM
Sri Lanka
01.2018

Bachelor of Science (Honors) - Agribusiness Management

University of Ruhuna
Sri Lanka
09-2017

Skills

  • Negotiation skills
  • Customer service
  • Team collaboration
  • Decision making
  • Innovation
  • Marketing and brand management
  • Economic analysis
  • Business management
  • Research methodologies
  • Agricultural sciences
  • Microsoft Office applications
  • ERP systems: SAP, QuickBooks, Oracle

Personal Information

  • Date of Birth: 02/26/92
  • Nationality: Sinhalese
  • Marital Status: Married

References

  • Prof. K.N.N De Silva, Lecturer Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Ruhuna, nadee@agecon.ruh.ac.lk, 0717553936/0412292200
  • Mr. Damith Baduraliyage, Head of Leaf Operations, Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC, 077-3938798, DAMITH_BADURALIYAGE@BAT.COM

Extracurricular Activities

Mercantile Sports Sri Lanka- Cricket and Football - Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC - 2023-2025

Sports inter-faculty sport meets, University of Ruhuna, runner-up football: 2015, 2016, 2017

Runner-up, badminton 2016

3rd place in the 400 relay, 2013

2nd runner-up, interfaculty fresher’s football, 2014

Former member of the faculty football team, swimming team, badminton team, and athletic team

Junior treasurer and active member of the Agribusiness Association, University of Ruhuna, and former member of the faculty students' council

Academic Strengths

  • Marketing and brand management
  • Supply chain management
  • Economics
  • Business management
  • Research skills
  • Agriculture, food science, soil science, geography
  • Biology, chemistry, and physics
  • MS Office
  • Design - Corel Draw, Photoshop
  • ERP system (SAP, Axpert, Oracle, QuickBooks - UK edition)

Research Studies

  • Possibility of AI integration in courier services in Sri Lanka for effective and customer-centric service - MBA 2025
  • A study to unveil the factors affecting customer perceived value on pest control service of Finlay Rentokil Ceylon Pvt. Ltd., individual research of SLIM Post Graduate Level, subject price winner - 2018
  • Impact of online advertising on consumer buying behavior for electronic devices, final year individual research, University of Ruhuna

Languages

English
Proficient (C2)
C2
Sinhala
Native
Native

Accomplishments

Emerging Trade Marketing Executive of the Year, 2021.

Timeline

Area Leaf Growing & Sustainability Dep. Manager

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
02.2025 - Current

Area Manager - Area Growing Operations

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
10.2023 - 02.2025

Management Trainee/Global Graduate

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
08.2022 - 04.2024

Trade Marketing Executive

Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC
08.2020 - 08.2022

Senior Executive – Accessories

United Motors Lanka PLC
11.2018 - 08.2020

Sales and Marketing Executive- Environmental Services (Corporate)

Finlay Rentokil (Ceylon) PLC
08.2016 - 11.2018

MBA - Logistics And Supply Chain Management

Cardiff Metropolitan University

Certificate - Power BI

Project Management Institute

MSc - Digital Marketing

Asia e University

Chartered post Graduate Diploma - Professional Marketing

The Chartered Institute of Marketing/CIM

Post Graduate Diploma - Marketing

Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing/SLIM

Bachelor of Science (Honors) - Agribusiness Management

University of Ruhuna
Lasitha Gayashan Dharmadasa