An alumnus of Royal College Colombo, Lasindu Hansitha; the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of KOSMOS Group carries out exceptional leadership in the era of digital marketing. He holds a track record as a Digital Strategist in the Digital Marketing industry. Lasindu is an expert in the fields of graphic design, photography, and content development. With a BEng. (Hons) in Networking and Security Systems from Staffordshire University in the United Kingdom, he is a professional entrepreneur.
Lasindu participated in a variety of extracurricular and co-curricular events during his school years. He joined the Media Unit of Royal College in 2012 and was elected Chairman of MURC in 2014. In the same year, he was named Chairman of the Design Club at AOD. Joining MURC was a watershed moment in his life because it taught him new skills in the digital world, such as live streaming, designing, and video editing. He was named as a Senior Prefect of Royal College in 2016, and Lasindu began his digital marketing career as a freelancer the same year. He completed his undergraduate degree in Computer Networking and Cyber Security at APIIT while freelancing for several companies. Lasindu decided to start his digital marketing agency after finishing his degree, and thus KOSMOS was founded in 2019.
Given KOSMOS Group’s impressive marketing capabilities, when asked how he manages steady and continuous growth, Lasindu says the secret formula is good relationships, staying one step ahead of the competition, and staying informed. He went on to say that any client partnership his team and he retain includes positivity and a can-do mentality, which keeps them ahead of the game and allows the organization to freely discuss plans and put their accurate knowledge of the goods and services to use. At any opportunity, the entire team gathers for training sessions to sharpen all of the tools in the arsenal as well as all of the tools at their disposal.
When it comes to how the KOSMOS Group has diversified with the advancement of global technologies, Lasindu points out that the organization was established in an era when technology and social media were integral parts of any company’s marketing strategy. This allowed the company to maximize the potential of its core product, KOSMOS Digital, while also using the same tool to identify untapped markets in the local demographic, which led to the creation of The Perfume Bar and Ceylon Luxury Jewelers.
Inquiring about his new business and the tactics he’s using to stay ahead of the curve, Lasindu says that when he first started Ceylon Luxury Jewelers, the biggest challenge he faced was ensuring the authenticity of the products he had to sell, particularly given the high prices. He made certain that all of his clients went through every phase of the verification process to ensure that they were making the right decision and purchasing the right item. The logistics of delivering the goods to his client in the safest way possible was the next obstacle. To resolve this, he partnered with the best in the industry to ensure that his clients received exactly what they paid for. He went on to say that it all comes down to proper planning, networking, and upholding a quality and work ethic when it comes to running a company.
When asked if The Perfume Bar by LnL is capable of regaining composure with consumer demand given the Covid-19 pandemic, Lasindu responds that The Perfume Bar by LnL is a brainchild of KOSMOS Digital, making it a venture that began right in the middle of the pandemic. Since its inception, the brand has seen steady growth, with an unimaginable number of requests for designer and specialty fragrances.
When Lasindu and his good friend Lasith couldn’t find authentic niche and designer fragrances for fair prices at the time, they decided to start their own company. It wasn’t long before it became clear that they weren’t the only ones dealing with this issue. Taking this into account, Lasindu cannot stress enough the importance of having a thorough understanding of a market before joining one. “There would be no reason to question the demand for it if you are tapping into the right market at the right time, even amid a pandemic,” he said.
Lasindu, as Chief Executive Officer, has a list of qualities he looks for in new workers. He is convinced that a positive mindset at work can have a positive effect on one’s career as well as one’s overall outlook on life. Although having a positive attitude at work will not inherently increase results, it will improve how others view us as individuals, making them more likely to help and cheer us on. He went on to say how important people’s skills are. Technical abilities are easier to define than people management skills. They are, simply put, the attributes you need to handle, work with, and guide your employees for optimum results like a boss. They include skills like communication, confidence, and persistence, to name a few. Finally, he emphasizes the significance of being inventive. Creativity refers to an employee’s willingness to come up with fresh and valuable concepts for goods, practices, and processes at work.
Speaking about the company’s greatest strength in the present, Lasindu says his parents and staff, whom he refers to as his “second family,” are the company’s greatest assets. His parents have been his rock since the beginning of his first company, guiding and assisting him in achieving all of his goals. He also discusses how he founded the company with two of his close friends, Bimsara Palihakkara, the current Chief Operating Officer, and Harindu Gunawardena, the company’s Head of Business Development. According to Lasindu, they each had different levels of expertise in various fields and came together to form KOSMOS to address such issues that were frequently encountered by industry clients. The team is currently expanding, bringing in talented individuals to provide the best service to their clients. The entire team’s can-do attitude in the face of obstacles, while maintaining an unbreakable relationship with the customer, has resulted in nothing but success and is a great strength for the business. He goes on to say that when it comes to running a company, it’s all about maintaining proper teamwork, networking, and maintaining a quality and work ethic.
When asked how it feels to lead a start-up amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Lasindu says that when he started at the end of 2019, a pandemic of this magnitude was not something he expected and caught him off guard. While his clients were taking a different approach to their business model, he needed to change his approach right away to stay on track with their goals and marketing strategy. He went on to say that maintaining an open dialogue with the client about these approaches and amendments was crucial to keeping them through the pandemic. This was also viewed as a business opportunity to reach out to clients who had not yet implemented digital media as part of their marketing plan and encourage them to do so. Lasindu also had to deal with the shift in job dynamics that came with operating remotely. He had to make the most of operating from home, ensuring that KOSMOS delivered on its promises to the client and that their workers were cared for during the pandemic. Concluding, Lasindu aspired that if there were no mistakes, all the success stories would be ignored. Failure should be viewed as a friend who encourages us to give it our all when all is on the line.