FMCG Consultant
Consultant
Total years of experience :33 years, 9 months
The alcohol division was sold by Abu Dhabi National Hotels in December 2020. The new owners chose to install their own management team, resulting in my departure.
I established a business consultancy, focussing on FMCG and related hospitality projects across the GCC. In 2021, I handled a number of projects for clients:
- Securing of Abu Dhabi Liquor License and Retail business.
- Non-alcoholic beer launch for a leading global brewer into the Middle East.
- Development of Dubai Oktoberfest, handling all negotiations with drinks suppliers.
- Craft beer launch for small independent brewer.
Leading a diverse team of eighty-five colleagues to deliver a budgeted revenue of over $50m
- Reshaped the business from purely operational focused operator to a ‘people & customer first’ business, improving the team environment and building team capability, resulting in vastly improved levels of employee engagement and satisfaction.
- Developed a lean Management Team to enable effective delivery against our goals and improve customer experiences at every touch point.
- Improved division diversity with female representation hitting a targeted 30%. This initiative increased retail share of female consumers.
- Portfolio improved as new agencies were secured, including Molson Coors Beverage Company, Sierra Nevada, Warner Edwards and Westons Cider, enabling the business to enter new channels, including On Trade, Travel Retail and Diplomatic.
- The business became ideally positioned for growth and was able to successfully weather the Covid-19 challenges of 2020, delivering a fantastic set of results, in line with 2019. This was achieved without being forced to make cost reductions or loss of headcount.
Heading up the Sales and Marketing function for the business.
- 5 direct reports
- Optimising of the portfolio for both retail and wholesale. This included the development of a premiumised range, allowing for improved profit margins and reduced pressure on the Supply Chain and Logistics of the business.
- Established the Truebell as the 'go to' business for premium alcoholic goods across the Middle East & Africa, resulting in strong growth each year.
- Recruited a Head of Marketing resulting in excellent consumer engagement and brand promotions to be executed across the customer base.
- Worked on the design and rebrand of the corporate identity and logos, rolled out in 2016.
- Headed the SAP implementation project, which delivered the new software and working practices in 2017.
Heading the Northern Emirates Trading Channel, Travel Retail, Airlines, Military and Export for Heineken.
- One direct report: Customer Account Manager
- Grew the Northern Emirates Retail and trading business through implementing conditional incentive programme resulting in retrospective discounts.
- Opened a number of export customers in order to access markets not previously covered by the operating company.
- Developed a customer engagement program with Dubai Duty Free, improving staff knowledge and ability to advise on brands, whilst improving brand visibility.
- Secured three year onboard supply with Heineken and Amstel Light with Emirates and Qatar Airways. Secured a new on board listing with newly launch FlyDubai.
- Significant growth in regional military operations through senior level engagement, enabling greater access to hospitality and retail facilities on base.
- Responsible for Strategy and Sales Management for Heineken in Abu Dhabi, Qatar and Bahrain.
- 35% business growth through implementation of comprehensive partnership agreements with distributors in each market.
- Increased marketing investment in market to strengthen brand equity and allow for portfolio extension.
- Developed and ran training courses to improve capability of third party sales teams, enabling much improved brand selling techniques.
- Managed 13% of SABMiller UK volume and 15% of revenue through eighteen key accounts including: ABInbev, Cash Julia, LWC, Marston's PLC, Molson Coors, National Drinks Distributor's and Punch Taverns.
- Achieved CAGR of 40% during three years with the business.
- Increased Sales and Marketing capability of third-party sales forces through sales and negotiation training programme.
- Reduced logistics costs with customers delivering annual savings of £1.5m.
- Managing porterage agreements with Bay Restaurants Groups, Greene King, Whitbread, Enterprise Inns and De Vere Hotels.
Awarded #1 World Beerwith Peroni at Marston’s PLC, following unprecedented brand growth through their estate.
- Grew the European Export business organically and through growing Molson Coors presence from nine to eighteen countries.
- Managed distributors in Austria, Bahrain, Baltic’s, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and UAE.
- Launched Coors Light into Sweden and managed Hooper's Hooch contract in South Korea.
- Negotiated a partnership contract with Heineken Middle East in 2006, leading to the core portfolio being launched in the market.
- Grew volumes and profit in Travel and Military channels significantly through designing and negotiating strategic partnerships with route to market partners.
- Developed the Travel Retail channel with P&O, a variety of cruise lines and leading airlines operating at major UK hubs.
- Launched 'Beers of the World programme with KLM lounges at London Heathrow Airport.
- Responsible for growing volumes to 221khl per annum.
- Improved from #4 supplier to #1 for both volume and revenue.
- Recognised as Coors Brewers ‘Highest Profit Contributor’ in 2004.
- Beat profit, volume and distribution objectives in each of the three years in the role.
- Implemented Category Management programme and range & space initiatives across all customers, delivering c.10% growth.
- One direct report, whom I developed from Development Manager to Account Manager
Barbox was a subsidiary of Coors Brewers developed to take advantage of online ordering and services for licensees in the UK.
I initially worked on the project, developing the system, then built a team to service the IT requirements of our customers. This included both telephone support and field support.
Barbox had 10000 business subscribers and proved a phenominal success in the really days of the internet. As such, many subscribers had limited knowledge of the internet and hardware required and my team played a significant role in firstly building capability and confidence in using the system and in turn, the user comfort in placing orders through Barbox and fully utilising the capabilities of the system.
I worked in a variety of roles at Bass PLC. These included: -
Customer Service Operator
Customer Resolution Operator
Customer Service Manager
Case Based Reasoning Project Team
I did not leave the business, but the brewing business was sold to Coors, a US FMCG business and I continued to work for this organisation.
Customer Service Manager, dealing with private advertiser queries and complaints. I had full autonomy to resolve and compensate customers where I believed this was warranted.
Customers placing advertisements in the magazine (pre internet) could complain if the type setting was incorrect or the wrong photo had been used. This could cause problems in selling their vehicle. I handled all customer queries and implemented measures to reduce the amount of errors occurring. Improvement measures were approved and adopted across the organisation, including trade sales, resulting in much improved customer satisfaction levels.
The role was challenging and interesting, but with limited opportunities to develop a career.
Two year Management Training Programme, working three months in key departments throughout the business:
Human Resources
Debt Recovery
Accounts
Road Reinstatement
Training
Customer Liaison
Magistrate Liaison
In addition to working in each department, I tended weekly off job Management Training, managed internally.
courses: Advanced Negotiation Skills The Gap Partnership Competition Law SABMiller Leadership Development The Industrial Society Leadership Development Programme Heineken Managing Modern Trade Heineken NVQ Business & Marketing Scotwork Negotiation Strategy & Tactics Huthwaite International SABMiller Leadership Program Apter International Time Management & Effectiveness Franklin Covey