Virtual tour of LMD House

CORPORATE PROFILE

1 FLAGSHIP PUBLICATION

Our corporate profile revolves around the company’s flagship publication, Lanka Monthly Digest (LMD). The pioneering magazine was launched in August 1994. Today, it is the only magazine with Superbrand status in Sri Lanka.

2 CORPORATE STATEMENTS

VISION STATEMENT

“To become the nation’s most respected and influential media organisation.”

MISSION STATEMENT

“To be a benchmark for business in this country, to cultivate a team of committed professionals, to enhance the quality of life of team members who contribute to team performance and to contribute significantly to the nation’s big picture.”

3 BUSINESS AGENDA

Sri Lanka’s Voice Of Business strives to achieve excellence in business journalism that is comparable with the best magazines in the world. In Sri Lanka, it has pioneered concepts that are now benchmarks for other publications. LMD’s focus is uniquely on the big picture of Sri Lanka’s business landscape. This encompasses most of the burning issues which confront the nation – winning the peace, bribery and corruption, professionalism and ethics, politicisation, law and order, infrastructure, technology, productivity and poverty, amongst others.LMD was the only publication of its kind in Sri Lanka at the time it was launched. It continues to blaze a trail across the corporate landscape of this country.

4 READERSHIP

LMD enjoys a monthly readership of around 30,000 (a print run of 5,000 copies on average, read by about six people per copy). The target readership comprises business and opinion leaders, and senior managers and professionals. It is increasingly read by the academic and diplomatic communities, and civil-society organisations. LMD’s CYBER EDITION is available on the Web – at www.LMD.lk

5 CONTENT

LMD covers the gamut of business, politics, current affairs and management, catering to corporate leaders, managers, executives and directors – as well as to anyone who is interested in both Sri Lankan and international corporate, economic, financial, political and current affairs. The layout of the magazine is in the form of a digest, which consists of the following.

Business

Contains Key Biz Indicators which include economic indicators such as stock market indices, interest and forex rates, price indices, and government debt and agricultural production, to name a few.
The LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (or BCI) is the only one of its kind in Sri Lanka. LMD’s monthly update is compiled in association with The Nielsen Company and has been tracked for over a decade. The exclusive poll is based on a survey of 100 senior executives in the city of Colombo, and is compiled from answers to a series of questions on business conditions and expectations.
The magazine contains in-depth, unbiased analyses and interviews with leading personalities in the corporate world, opinion makers, key public figures and the next generation of leaders.
LMD’s Business Forum segment focuses on critical issues that arise in Sri Lanka’s corporate landscape, including unprejudiced opinions on what problems exist in key sectors of the economy and how they can be resolved.
LMD provides in-depth analyses of local and regional markets, and monthly industry updates.
The magazine also covers the latest trends in management, including regular columns on leadership, IT, human resources, legal matters and marketing.

Current Affairs

In-depth accounts of local and international current affairs, including an up-to-date business news briefing.

Politics

LMD provides an unbiased analysis of international and national political affairs, painting a broad picture of state proceedings and international events. Political perspectives are provided by both local commentators and through foreign correspondents.
The magazine prides itself on being fiercely independent.

6 THE LMD STORY

A one-of-a-kind coffee-table publication records the inside story of Sri Lanka’s pioneering business magazine, and the team behind LMD and its publishing house Media Services.
The book commemorates LMD’s first 15 years and is being retailed at leading bookshops

7 ADVERTISER PROFILE

LMD boasts what is arguably the most high-profile combination of advertisers in the nation’s print media (Refer ADVERTISER INDEX in LMD).

8 SUBSCRIBERS

Subscribers receive a complimentary slimline diary each year. Readers are entitled to substantial discounts on books, via the LMD-VIJITHA YAPA BOOK CLUB.
Some of the biggest names in business are LIFETIME SUBSCRIBERS to LMD, a unique concept pioneered by Media Services in July 2001. This subscription base now exceeds 850.
LMD has tied up with a leading loyalty card. Nexus is a subsidiary of one of the nation’s largest conglomerates – namely, John Keells Holdings. This is another initiative to add value to LMD’s subscriber base.
Regular competitions in the magazine offer hotel vouchers and numerous gifts to winners.

9 CORPORATE SUBSCRIBERS

The nation’s leading commercial bank HNB offers LMD as a value addition to some of its customers.

10 IN-FLIGHT READERSHIP

LMD is available In-flight to business-class passengers on SriLankan Airlines.

11 RETAIL SALES

The magazine is sold at leading bookstores and supermarkets islandwide.

12 VALUE FOR MONEY

Advertisers in LMD enjoy exclusive coverage, every month, of company news – via the magazine’s Advertiser Forum segment. This consists of exclusive press releases of new products, launches and activities of media interest.

13 PRE-PRESS AND PRINTING

Our chief printer Softwave has won awards for both excellence and merit in selected categories, including the coveted Master Printer award.

14 INNOVATIONS

LMD has gained a reputation for innovation over the years. Some of its pioneering concepts and publications include the following.

SRI LANKAN OF THE YEAR

Launched in January 1996, this has been an annual feature ever since. Nominees have included Lakshman Kadirgamar (1995), Deshamanya Arjuna Ranatunga and the Sri Lankan cricket team (1996), Deshabandu Sanath Jayasuriya (1997), Deshamanya Ken Balendra (1998), Deshamanya Dr. Lalith Kotelawala (1999), Susanthika Jayasinghe (2000), Chandra Jayaratne (2001), Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe (2002), K. N. Choksy (2003), Dayananda Dissanayake (2004), Sri Lankabhimanya Lakshman Kadirgamar (2005), Jayantha Dhanapala (2006), Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe (2007), Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya (2008), President Mahinda Rajapaksa (2009), Muttiah Muralitharan (2010) and Kumar Sangakkara (2011).

THE LMD-NIELSEN BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX (BCI)

Refer section 5 (Content).

LMD-TNS TALKING POINT
An exclusive opinion poll commissioned by LMD and executed by TNS Lanka – a leading market research and information-services company – on issues that confront the nation and its leaders.

THE 50 GREATEST SRI LANKANS SINCE INDEPENDENCE

A celebration of the achievements of Sri Lankans and Sri Lanka, in the February 1998 issue of LMD, to coincide with the nation’s golden jubilee.

LIFETIME SUBSCRIPTIONS

Lifetime subscriptions were introduced on LMD’s seventh anniversary, in July 2001. LMD now has in excess of 850 lifetime subscribers.

15 OTHER PUBLICATIONS

Other Media Services publications include, or have included, the following.

LIVING

A glossy bimonthly round-up of leisure and entertainment in Sri Lanka, including restaurant and nightspots guides, airline schedules, hotel and restaurant reviews, cricket and other sports, the arts-and-culture buzz about town, décor/architecture, fashion, glitz and glamour, and diverse aspects of city life. The journal was launched in September 2005.

THE LMD 50

A ranking of the leading listed companies in Sri Lanka, THE LMD 50 has come to be known as Sri Lanka’s version of THE FORTUNE 500. First published in May 1995, not only is THE LMD 50 the first of its kind (in terms of ranking listed companies in Sri Lanka), it is also the first ranking to be published each year. From 2003/04, THE LMD 50 has been published as a standalone edition.

MOST RESPECTED

This standalone edition is published annually and it represents another pioneering venture by Media Services. The ranking of Sri Lanka’s most respected entities is based on a survey of working people undertaken by leading research firm The Nielsen Company, on behalf of Media Services.

BRANDS ANNUAL

Media Services’ fifth publication, Brands Annual lists and profiles Sri Lanka’s leading brands. The launch issue of the yearly publication profiled the top 200 listed, public and private-sector brands in this country. Brands Annual is arguably the most comprehensive analysis of brands in this country – the rankings and analyses are compiled by Brand Finance Lanka. This standalone edition sets yet another benchmark in business media here, in Sri Lanka.

LIVING COLOMBO GUIDE

Released in August 2009, this annual guide to Colombo is one of the most comprehensive city guides available, and is aimed at both tourists and residents. With listings ranging from airlines to clothing boutiques, and diplomatic missions to furniture and more, the Living Colombo Guide is a must have. This unique guide also includes a handy map, distance chart for most large towns and cities, and helpful information, addresses and contact numbers.

VYÁPÁRIKA HANDA
Media Services’ foray into the Sinhala-language medium aims at a wider audience of Sri Lankans covering both urban and rural communities, as well as a growing diaspora. The launch edition was published in June 2010 – as the ‘Best of LMD’ in Sinhala.

SUPERBRANDS

Media Services produces all Sri Lankan editions of Superbrands, for Superbrands Lanka. In order to be considered for Superbrand status, a brand needs to satisfy the criteria of exceptional quality, achievement of consumer trust and confidence and consistency in delivering on its promise. Our flagship publication, LMD, was amongst the 50 superbrands selected by the Superbrands Council in the inaugural Consumer Superbrands edition.

BENCHMARKING COMPETITIVENESS

Published in November 1999, in association with J. E. Austin Inc. (USA), the Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Sri Lanka (FCCISL) and ORG-MARG SMART (now The Nielsen Company), this special issue focused on competitiveness in South Asia and the global challenge.

CRICKET WORLD CUP – SPECIAL ISSUE

LMD’s 1999 World Cup Special Issue featured contributions from David Frith (former Editor of Wisden), Sidath Wettimuny and Anura Tennekoon.

SRI LANKA TRAVEL PLANNER

Media Services was appointed official publisher of this annual travel publication by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board for a period of three years. The first two editions of the Sri Lanka Travel Planner were published in 1999 and 2000. The third edition, which was published in 2001, was renamed the Sri Lanka Travel Manual.

SRI LANKA TRAVEL MANUAL

Media Services published the nation’s official travel manual in 2001. The manual was Sri Lanka’s guide for international tour operators and travel agents. The venture followed the appointment of Media Services as publisher by the Sri Lanka Tourist Board.

THE CHARTERED ACCOUNTANT

Media Services was commissioned to publish the journal of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka in 2004, commencing with the second issue for the year.

ANNUAL REPORTS

Media Services produced the annual report of People’s Leasing Company for two consecutive years.

16 TELEVISION PRESENCE

BENCHMARK is a weekly, half-hour, business programme on TV. The programme was launched in August 2001, in collaboration with the nation’s leading production house – the wrap factory.

The programme airs on TNL every Sunday (including a repeat), as well as on cable TV – LBN. TNL also airs on LBN and Dialog TV.

LMD provides and presents the content for this programme, which include the following.

Interviews with leading businesspeople, emphasising their perceptions of current issues and expectations for the future.
The week’s key business indicators.
Regular survey segments on public life, especially issues affecting the corporate sphere.
A monthly update on business confidence, featuring the unique LMD-Nielsen Business Confidence Index (BCI).

BOARD OF MANAGEMENT

Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief
Hiran Hewavisenti

A member of the Institutes of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and Australia, and a former Senior Manager of Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers), in Australia. Hiran has worked in the UK and Australia, with short stints in the US.

Marketing Director
Brian Emmanuel

An associate member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, UK. Formerly of Commercial Stock Brokers. Brian is a member of a sub-committee at the Chartered Institute of Marketing in Sri Lanka and a long-standing Rotarian. Brian was President of the Rotary Club of Cinnamon Gardens in 2006/07.

General Manager
Lalin Goonesekera

Holds a B.Com. Degree from the University Of Colombo. A finalist at the examinations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Lalin is a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians of Sri Lanka. He completed his audit and accountancy training at KPMG, Sri Lanka.

General Manager – Business Development
Anil Boudewyn

Having spent over two decades of his career in Thailand and Singapore, in the publishing industry, he relocated to Sri Lanka to join Media Services in 2009.

TEAM LMD

MARKETING

MARKETING MANAGER Tania Manthri		DEPUTY MANAGER – MARKETING SERVICES Asha Greig

MARKETING COORDINATOR Lien Keerthisinghe		MARKETING COORDINATOR Rashmi De Silva

MARKETING COORDINATOR Viran Fernando

EDITORIAL
GENERAL MANAGER – EDITORIAL ASSOCIATE EDITOR Thilal Nanayakkara MBA		EDITORIAL SERVICES MANAGER Edine Weerawardane

DEPUTY MANAGER – EDITORIAL SERVICES Natalie Kelaart		EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Zulfath Saheed

EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Anushan Selvarajah		EDITORIAL EXECUTIVE Nadeesha Rathnayake

GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION
GRAPHICS & PRODUCTION MANAGER Wasantha Amarasinghe		GRAPHICS SUPERVISOR Lakmal de Silva

GRAPHICS COORDINATOR Sanjaya de Silva		GRAPHICS COORDINATOR Chamikara Jayawardana

COMMUNICATIONS & PR
COMMUNICATIONS SUPERVISOR Sharon Thiele		COMMUNICATIONS EXECUTIVE Harshini Amarasinghe

FINANCE & IT
FINANCE & RESEARCH SUPERVISOR Prasanna Ranaweera		IT SUPERVISOR Naushan Sariffodeen

SYSTEMS COORDINATOR Rohan De Silva		FINANCIAL SERVICES COORDINATOR Sujith Widanagamage

FINANCE & RESEARCH COORDINATOR Steven Samaratunga		FINANCIAL SERVICES EXECUTIVE Luxshmi Ellawala

CIRCULATION
PROMOTIONS SUPERVISOR Nilusha Amarasinghe		CIRCULATION SUPERVISOR Shafin Iqbal

DISTRIBUTION & LOGISTICS
EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTS – LOGISTICS Gopalsamy Selvakaran		TEAM ASSISTANT – DISTRIBUTION Pradeep Kanth
Lionel Rupasinghe		Eshan Silva
Rohana Jayasinghe		Imesha Chathuranga