Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing (SLIM) was founded in 1970 as the Ceylon Institute of Marketing with a view to harness the available skills in marketing for the growth and development of the profession. It was subsequently incorporated by Act 41 of 1980 of the Parliament of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

In keeping with its mission "To establish marketing as the driving force which enhances business and national value" SLIM actively promotes Marketing as an essential business philosophy. It is a Full Member of the Asia Marketing Federation (AMF) and currently nominees of Sri Lanka Institute of Marketing holds the President and the Secretary General positions in the AMF.

Marketing Education being one of the main projects of SLIM, conducts and manages its own programmes such as Preliminary Certificate in Marketing and Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing. This Diploma, with practical experience satisfies the entry requirement to MBA courses of local and foreign universities.

The Preliminary Certificate in Marketing is a course designed to give a basic introduction into the marketing discipline. It is a course which provides basic theoretical constructs in terms of 40 hour class room sessions over a period of three months. It also carries a practical assignment where students translate their learning's in the class room into real world practical applications. This programme ideally for :

• Students interested to get an idea of what marketing as a subject/discipline is. (After O/L or A/L). This experience will help them to choose their future career moves.
• Junior Marketers who require a basic marketing qualification.
• Middle level marketing rankers who would like to get some theoretical input about marketing.
• Individuals of other professions who would like to understand what marketing is about.

The SLIM Business School, which is a service project of the Institute, is an accredited Tuition Centre of the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK. It conducts coaching classes for the CIM UK examinations and has produced several world prize winners. Also the SLIM Business School provides online education mainly considering the outstation students and students with busy schedules to follow the PCM and the Postgraduate Diploma programmes online. (slim.nodes.lk)

SLIM conducts several seminars and workshops every year. It also provides consultancy and recruitment services and carries out, task-specific training programmes for marketing personnel in individual companies.

SLIM has Business Schools, in Kollupitya, Borella and in Kandy. SLIM also operates a reference library which also has an E-library at the SLIM Business Schools situated in Kollupitya and Kandy.
To regionalize marketing education SLIM Business School has franchised operations to cover all important regions in the country totalling to ten franchisees.