Group Category Manager for the Croissant, Wafers & Salty Snacks categories
Edita Food Industries
Total years of experience :16 years, 8 Months
- Developing the categories vision and strategy to drive growth and gain market share.
- Preparing and presenting the business plans and feasibility studies for all new investments for the respective categories and new potential ones.
- Assigning the marketing budget for different categories to achieve the business objectives.
- Plans the go to market strategy for the different brands.
- Builds and maintains relationships with agencies and suppliers.
- Plans and oversees the categories' advertising and promotion activities including media planning and acquisition.
- Overlooks the marketing activities in all export markets.
- Directing the operations to penetrate the Moroccan market and oversees the corresponding budget.
- leading the brand team to fulfill the brand architecture and optimize the marketing budget while closely monitoring the execution of all marketing activities.
- Provide statistical reports and recommendations to management after analyzing different brand and market factors such as pricing, distribution, market trends, retail audit data, competitors activities and internal sales performance.
- Populates the company's roadmap with new product developments to expand the company's portfolio.
• Leading the strategic plan for the cakes category (TODO, Hohos & Twinkies) to assess the possible opportunities and the needed investment in order to maintain Edita’s leadership in the cakes market.
• Leading the NPD process and developing the cakes category roadmap for 2017-2018.
• Monitoring the brand performance and profitability to ensure being within the agreed on levels.
• Revamping Twinkies Brand through:
- Finalizing Twinkies new creative concept with the creative agency to communicate the brand new positioning.
- Leading the development of Twinkies thematic & intrinsic copies (3 copies).
- Launching Twinkies 360 campaign in March (T.V, Outdoors, Trade support), which included the launch of Twinkies Facebook fan page.
- Launching Twinkies Icing to the market in May (2 SKUs).
- Leading the development of Twinkies Icing intrinsic copies (2 copies).
- Applying a packaging facelift for Twinkies Extra Brand.
• Continue Building TODO as the premium cakes brand through:
- Launching TODO Bomb in March & TODO Brownies in August.
- Leading the development of TODO Bomb & Brownies tactical copies.
- Launching TODO 360 campaign in October.
- Finalizing TODO Packaging facelift.
- Digital support for the brand to increase awareness for the newly launched SKUs and increase the engagement levels & loyalty through different campaigns.
• Enhancing the brands’ visibility at the trade level through different branding tools (POSM, Kiosks branding, Wholesale shops branding, Gondolas and floor displays).
• Ensuring the team development through on the job training & regular feedback sessions.
• Driving the cakes category growth reaching total sales of 1.2Billion EGP with 6% growth versus FY14.
• Revamping Twinkies Brand through:
- Developing the brand new positioning.
- Launching Twinkies Extra (Twinkies Upsizing & Up-pricing) in October 2015.
- Twinkies Packaging uplifting.
- Leading the development of Twinkies Extra tactical copies (6 copies)
- Launching Twinkies Extra tactical TV campaign to support the upsizing.
• Continue Building TODO as the premium cakes brand through:
- Launching TODO Layered Hazelnut in Feb & TODO Filled Cream in May.
- Launching TODO Thematic Campaign 2nd Burst in Mar-Apr (TV & Outdoors)
- On-Ground sampling activation at different Key accounts to support the Layered Hazelnut launch & induce trial.
- Effectively using the digital platform to support the new launches, establish the brand humour & increase engagement (TODO Summer Competition & TODO-FY microsite development)
- Updating all the product shots on TODO packaging.
- Co-promotion with Danone plain milk to create new consumption occasion.
- Rolling out different trade activities at different channels to support the launches & enhance brand visibility.
• Implementing different cost saving initiatives to increase the brand profitability.
• Leading the NPD process and developing the cakes category roadmap for 2016-2018.
• Bake Rolz full revamp (special project from Jan-Apr 2015):
- Continue hammering on the health platform through launching 1 digital campaign in Feb 2015 & sponsoring Cairo Runners Half Marathon in Mar 2015.
- Leading the development of Bake Family ‘Msh 2armasha 3al Fady” Online Campaign (4 copies).
- Finalizing Bake Rolz family pack in terms of weight, price, size & pouch type.
- Increasing the brand profitability through changing the pouch type into a pillow pouch.
• Ensuring the team development through on the job training & regular feedback sessions.
• Managing the portfolio of different categories across the GCC (Cakes, Biscuits, Wafers, Cookies, & Rusk) from market research, product development, to the brand’s P & L.
• Leading the strategic planning process based on key consumer insights to enhance current portfolio and improve communication with consumers.
• Executing the brand vision & strategy, the brand positioning & KPIs to ensure profitable growth and growing consumer base.
• Leading the NPD process from Idea to Implementation thorough coordination with different functions within the organization:
o Developed 2014 & 2015 NPD Agenda.
o Led the Development & Launching of 9 SKUs; 4SKUs Cupcakes, 4 SKUs Rolls Cake, & 2 SKUs Soft Cookies.
• Managing the Advertising Agency in the development of suitable and optimal promotional activities and marketing campaigns in accordance with timelines and budgets:
o Developed & rolled out a Mega Modern Trade Activation in March-April 2014 which included: Thematic Display stands in major K.A, different POSM (Category Headers, Shelf Strips & Talkers, Isle Stoppers, Danglers, & Posters) & consumer promotion.
• Managing the Marketing Research agencies to obtain relevant information, including the development and implementation of audit studies and focus groups.
o Managed the Research Agencies in 2 Product tests & 1 Focus Group from methodology approval, Questionnaire/ Discussion Guide finalization, Field work implementation, & final report submission.
o Updating the Retail Audit database with any new launched SKUs, and ensuring that the data is matching with our internal sales figures.
o Ensuring that the Brand Health Tracker questionnaire is regularly updated.
• Monitoring and analyzing business performance vis-à-vis business goals (awareness, share, consumer diagnostics, profitability, etc.) and the competition.
• Implementing the marketing plans by working with internal and external suppliers to deliver in a timely manner and on budget.
• Leading the development of different communication materials such as websites, brochures, packaging and in-store displays.
o Led the packaging development for the 10 newly launched SKUs.
o Led the development of different communication materials as Product Sales Kit, Product Planogram, & POSM.
o Revamped Americana Cakes’ Website to reflect the new identity & updated the website’s content.
• Coordinating regular meetings and preparing regular reports outlining the brands’ performance.
• Developed the Company’s Business Intelligence System and helped the company understand its stakeholders (consumers, retail and competitors) and transform this understanding into opportunities through:
• Managing the relationships with research agencies.
• Preparing brief researches illustrating different marketing inputs.
• Evaluating agencies’ proposals and identifying best methodology within planned budget.
• Measuring and assessing the effectiveness of research tools (questionnaires, discussion guides etc.) in fulfilling research objectives.
• Preparing research findings, presentations and marketing reports.
• Managing fieldwork implementations for different projects.
• Designing and improving standardized research documents (briefs, templates for specific types of research reporting e.g. taste tests, product tests, full mix tests, U&A, etc).
• Issuing retail audit internal reports and benchmarking them with sales data and marketing activities.
• Supported the Marketing Department in all on-going activities for Cakes category (two brands “TODO and HOSTESS”) from July 2012 till March 2013.
• Supported the Marketing Department in all on-going activities for the Salty Snacks category (two brands “Bake Rolz & Bake Stix”) from Jan 2012 till June 2012.
• Supervised and analyzed financial processes.
• Analyzed Sales and Marketing data in order to determine actual sales shipments and marketing spending vs. budget.
• Supported the Brand Manager in managing specific brand related projects.
• Analyzed marketing and sales data in order to identify opportunities for of launching new product(s) in the existing portfolio and/or penetrate a new category with a completely different product.
• Coordinated all activities with the Advertising Agencies on the development of suitable and optimal promotional activities and marketing campaigns in accordance with timelines and budgets.
• Supervised the execution of all “below the line” activities.
• Managed packaging development in coordination with all stakeholders in order to ensure effective implementation.
• On and Off the job training in all departments within the company.
- Making presentations to private clinics' doctors, hospital doctors and pharmacists.
• Organizing conferences for doctors and other medical staff.
• Reaching (and if possible exceeding) annual sales targets.
• Keeping up with the latest clinical data supplied by the company and interpreting, presenting and discussing this data with health professionals during presentations.
• Monitoring competitor activity and competitors' products.
• Developing strategies for increasing opportunities to meet and talk to contacts in the medical and healthcare sector.
• Staying informed about the activities of health services in a particular area
• Reaching (and if possible exceeding) annual sales targets.
• keeping up with the latest clinical data supplied by the company and interpreting, presenting and discussing this data with health professionals during presentations.
• Monitoring competitor activity and competitors' products.
• Staying informed about the activities of health services in a particular area
- MBA with Marketing Specialization. - Courses included Market Research, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Strategies, Supply Chain Management, Finance, Accounting, Economics, HR.
Bachelor Degree of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
- High School Certificate