Four Glorious Years in Business Development
If someone asked me, ‘what stressed you out the most in AIESEC?’ or ‘what did you enjoy the most in AIESEC?’, surprisingly, the answer to both would be: working in Business Development.
They say AIESEC enables young people to develop their leadership through learning from practical experiences in challenging environments. I can say for certain, I have experienced it firsthand by working in the Business Development (BD) function of AIESEC in Sri Lanka for the past four years of my AIESEC journey.
I remember the first ever cold call I took to a company. I had a script written because the area of Business Development was what I dreaded the most and I was sure I was bound to mess up my pitch. It took me a while to lose the script and speak to the corporate at ease.
Here I am today. Taking a cold call is the least of my worries. Because I learned to muster up the courage through mistakes and practice and since then I have moved far down the line to accept bigger challenges. Currently, I handle AIESEC in Sri Lanka’s most prominent national partnerships and AIESEC international’s global partner accounts.
It is tiring at times to have to match up to the corporate standards while speaking the languages of both the corporate and AIESEC. But nothing is more rewarding and exciting than being the face of AIESEC to the external stakeholders. There is no other privilege than to present the essence of AIESEC, the impact we create on the youth of our community to the corporate.
I have learned much in Business Development, and it is not just about calling companies and pitching your ideas. It is about identifying, nurturing and acquiring the opportunities out there and driving growth in an organization. Because of its high level of challenge and strategic thinking, Business Development helps you build within yourself confidence, consistency and most of all, character. I have witnessed over two hundred members develop the leader within themselves by working for the function of Business Development.
There is massive stereotyping around Business Development with the one at the top of the list being ‘it is the most disliked and difficult department to work in’. However, I’m here to prove that wrong. I have survived and thrived in Business Development for four years and I wouldn’t trade a single day I have worked here for anything else. It is all about accepting challenges and stepping out of your comfort zone. And my story is just one of many beautiful stories out there. It takes real guts, patience and persistence to be a business developer and those who are, are secret superheroes working toward the sustainability of this organization.
Here are some of the highlights of my Business Development journey at AIESEC.
I had the privilege of managing the account of the longest lasting partnership of AIESEC in Sri Lanka with Unilever Sri Lanka which dates back to over a decade. Unilever Sri Lanka is the National Talent Partner of AIESEC in Sri Lanka and the above picture was taken at the annual MoU renewal ceremony. Here I got the opportunity to be the most creative in delivering the best to the partner through talent supply, employer branding and digital campaigns.
Moreover, I was also privileged to work with Expo Freight Global Sri Lanka (EFL), which was the Official Conference Partner of the National Leadership Development Seminar 2022. This partnership taught me the importance of fellowship and collaborative work.
Below is one of the recent partnerships of AIESEC in Sri Lanka that I created with the support of my team. Twinery, Innovations by MAS was the Official Title Partner of one of the biggest YouthSpeak Forums ever to be held in Sri Lanka. This partnership taught me much about corporate standards and gave me the chance to put into practice accountability and responsiveness.
These are just a few of the many learnings and opportunities I gained throughout my four years of experience as a business developer at AIESEC. And through all these, I have managed to directly or indirectly facilitate the leadership development of thousands of young people in Sri Lanka by creating a sustainable AIESEC.
Written by: Maheshi Yatipansalawa
Vice President Business Development
AIESEC in Sri Lanka 2022/23
Head over to the link below if you’re interested in collaborating or partnering with the young talent of AIESEC in Sri Lanka.
https://www.aiesec.lk/for-organizations/
