The MullenLowe Group (MLG) Sri Lanka has announced the appointment of Harendra Uyanage as Chief Creative Officer (CCO), enhancing the Group’s creative leadership as it continues to foster culture-led, business-driven brand strategies across various sectors.

Harendra’s appointment is a testament to his career, which has been built on strategic creativity, filmmaking excellence, and a knack for redefining how both established and emerging brands connect with modern audiences. Over more than twenty years, he has driven transformative projects in personal care, home care, beauty, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, and retail, consistently delivering creativity that holds both cultural significance and commercial impact.

Recognized as one of Sri Lanka’s most acclaimed creative leaders, Harendra has been instrumental in elevating the agency’s creative stature locally and regionally. His leadership has led to multiple Effie awards across various categories, including Gold and Silver accolades in recent years. The agency has also been recognized as one of Asia Pacific’s most effective creative organizations. Several brands revitalized under his guidance have evolved into long-term business success stories, highlighting the value of insight-driven creativity and disciplined storytelling.

Commenting on the appointment, Thayalan Bartlett, Executive Chairman of the MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka, stated, “From a paste-up artist to the C-suite and boardroom of Sri Lanka’s largest brand communications company, Harendra’s journey exemplifies perseverance, humility, and uncompromising creative conviction. At a time when integrity in our industry is under increasing scrutiny, he has been central to building MullenLowe Sri Lanka’s creative reputation on deeply rooted values and inspiring a generation of talent. As Chief Creative Officer, he will continue to set high standards for our work, our people, and for creativity.”

Beyond his campaign work, Harendra has played a key role in shaping industry standards through mentoring and serving on juries at prominent local and regional award platforms. His dedication to nurturing young creative talent is central to his leadership philosophy, reflecting his belief that sustainable creative excellence is achieved by fostering both people and ideas.

Harendra was also the inaugural recipient of the Next Generation Leader Scholarship, a landmark industry initiative recognizing forward-thinking leadership and providing exposure to global creative standards. This accolade underscores his capability to elevate Sri Lankan creativity to the global stage while bolstering the industry domestically.

Speaking on his appointment, Harendra Uyanage said, “This role carries both responsibility and purpose. Creativity has the power to influence culture, shift behavior, and build brands that matter. I look forward to continuing this journey with the team at MullenLowe, mentoring the next generation, and ensuring Sri Lanka is recognized not just for participation, but for leadership in the global creative landscape.”

As Chief Creative Officer, Harendra will lead MLG Sri Lanka’s creative vision, focusing on strengthening integrated storytelling, craft excellence, and talent development across the Group’s diverse client portfolio.

MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka (MLG) is the country’s largest integrated brand communications company and operates eight independent strategic business verticals, including Mainstream, Digital, Activations, MarTech, Media, and Public Relations. MLG’s Sri Lanka office comprises 110 staff members and serves 43 of the nation’s top corporations, managing 111 brands across 33 categories. This includes 80% of the top 10 and 50% of the top 20 most advertised categories in the country, making it a company with extensive cross-category expertise. Ranked among the world’s top 100 agencies and APAC’s top 20, MLG is Sri Lanka’s Effie Agency of The Year and has been a consistent local awards leader for over a decade. It operates as a full member affiliate of MullenLowe Worldwide, recently merged with Omnicom, combining unmatched global knowledge and experience with local insight to deliver comprehensive brand solutions.

Photo Caption: From left: Harendra Uyanage, Chief Creative Officer and Thayalan Bartlett, Executive Chairman of the MullenLowe Group Sri Lanka