Akbar Khan

Leading FMCG company Jeddah
Head of Marketing (Aug 2008 - till date)

Select Highlights:
Plan long & short term marketing plans & Brand communication strategies at all levels for maximum profitability in line with corporate strategies & goals.
Lead & monitor the performance of team of professionals to ensure efficiency in operations and meeting of individual & group targets.
Analyse research studies, assess the areas of concern and provide direction to the Sales & Brand Management team to resolve the problems.
Evolve market segmentation & penetration strategies and launch new products & packaging developments to achieve sales targets.
Rationalize SKU’s based on volumes & profitability and enhance the efficiency & effectiveness of the department.
Effectively modified & enhanced packaging designs of two major brands and successfully launched in the market, which resulted in significant contribution in shares with growth by 2% & 3 % respectively.
Successfully introduced new sizes pertinent to the market trend for another brand category which contributed to a 4% share growth for the total brand while the new SKU contributed 5.3% shares in the first year and is growing consistently.
Significantly got down the department operation expenses by 9% and 13% respectively in the last 2 years against the previous year’s respectively.

⇨ Highly astute, energetic and team Marketing Head with an experience of around 22 years, with exemplary record of achievement and demonstrated success in driving revenue growth while providing visionary leadership in highly competitive FMCG sectors.
⇨ Attained proficiency in developing markets, establishing brands & achieving the targeted goals. Demonstrated abilities in enhancing business volumes.
⇨ Adept in planning and executing innovative market strategies to enhance market share and to improve brand awareness.
⇨ Expertise in conducting extensive market research to analyze and assess market potential, tracking competitor activities for providing valuable inputs to fine-tune marketing strategies.
⇨ An enthusiastic strategist with expertise in developing high quality plans that generate new business and produce results.
⇨ Keen communicator with ability to relate to people across all hierarchical levels, liaising with various clients & forging strong relationships with them.
⇨ Recognized for taking on initiatives, coordinating, planning & implementing innovative programs as a part of brand building & business development effort.
⇨ Strong team leader, builder and facilitator, fostering an atmosphere that motivates highly talented professionals to balance high-level skills with maximum productivity.


Professional Experience
Leading FMCG company Jeddah
Head of Marketing (Aug 2008 - till date)

Select Highlights: • Plan long & short term marketing plans & Brand communication strategies at all levels for maximum profitability in line with corporate strategies & goals.
• Lead & monitor the performance of team of professionals to ensure efficiency in operations and meeting of individual & group targets.
• Analyse research studies, assess the areas of concern and provide direction to the Sales & Brand Management team to resolve the problems.
• Evolve market segmentation & penetration strategies and launch new products & packaging developments to achieve sales targets.
• Rationalize SKU's based on volumes & profitability and enhance the efficiency & effectiveness of the department.
• Effectively modified & enhanced packaging designs of two major brands and successfully launched in the market, which resulted in significant contribution in shares with growth by 2% & 3 % respectively.
• Successfully introduced new sizes pertinent to the market trend for another brand category which contributed to a 4% share growth for the total brand while the new SKU contributed 5.3% shares in the first year and is growing consistently.
• Significantly got down the department operation expenses by 9% and 13% respectively in the last 2 years against the previous year's respectively.

Al Romaizan Factory for Solid Surfaces, Saudi Arabia
Deputy General Manager - Sales and Marketing (Oct 2002 - Apr 2007)

Select Highlights: • Directed the sales & marketing initiative for the largest solid surface manufacturer in the GCC.
• Developed and implemented an integrated range of sales & marketing concepts, and strategies consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the business.
• Represented solid surface products in the market and set up sales routes for revenue growth.
• Identified prospective customers, consolidated existing clients and ensured superior customer service standards.
• Defined and developed marketing objectives based on research & competitor assessment, compiled annual marketing & sales budget and implemented pricing & margin management control.
• Conducted periodical meetings with sales & marketing staff, forecasting revenues, reviewing financial performance of the company and led the investigations on product weaknesses & complaints.
• Spearheaded marketing initiatives and promotions to create sales openings as well as improving the brand identity in the markets.
• Proactively contributed to new product launches and negotiated pricing strategies with suppliers.
• Supervised and evaluated the activities of sales executives, and training them for sales achievement.
• Recruited competent professionals and conducted periodic performance reviews.
• Significantly enhanced sales from 17% to 23% within a three year period and achieved 20% sales growth for the same period in the preceding year.
• Led the market penetration of Oman and UAE markets resulting in contribution of 15% and 4% of sales in the first year and ensured consistent sales from the regions over 3 years.
• Successfully reengineered the operations, streamlined processes to maximize productivity as well as attain business profitability.

Al Romaizan Factory for Solid Surfaces, Saudi Arabia
Deputy General Manager - Sales and Marketing (Oct 2002 - Apr 2007)

Select Highlights:
Directed the sales & marketing initiative for the largest solid surface manufacturer in the GCC.
Developed and implemented an integrated range of sales & marketing concepts, and strategies consistent with the overall goals and objectives of the business.
Represented solid surface products in the market and set up sales routes for revenue growth.
Identified prospective customers, consolidated existing clients and ensured superior customer service standards.
Defined and developed marketing objectives based on research & competitor assessment, compiled annual marketing & sales budget and implemented pricing & margin management control.
Conducted periodical meetings with sales & marketing staff, forecasting revenues, reviewing financial performance of the company and led the investigations on product weaknesses & complaints.
Spearheaded marketing initiatives and promotions to create sales openings as well as improving the brand identity in the markets.
Proactively contributed to new product launches and negotiated pricing strategies with suppliers.
Supervised and evaluated the activities of sales executives, and training them for sales achievement.
Recruited competent professionals and conducted periodic performance reviews.
Significantly enhanced sales from 17% to 23% within a three year period and achieved 20% sales growth for the same period in the preceding year.
Led the market penetration of Oman and UAE markets resulting in contribution of 15% and 4% of sales in the first year and ensured consistent sales from the regions over 3 years.
Successfully reengineered the operations, streamlined processes to maximize productivity as well as attain business profitability.

Ms. Al Rabie Saudi Foods Company Ltd., Saudi Arabia
Marketing Manager (Jun 1994 - Sep 2002)
Select Highlights: • Led a team of professionals, piloted the marketing and operational functions, and coordinated distribution activities.
• Implemented marketing campaigns and business strategies for new product launches, and developed media & advertising strategies including Above-The-Line and Below-The-Line activities to build brand identity.
• Tracked competitor initiatives and formulated long and short terms strategies for national and export markets i.e. devising action plans for different products, trade and market types.
• Innovated brand positioning exercises, segmented products based on market knowledge, devised sales distribution routes based on market survey and analysis.
• Devised the annual marketing plan, forecasted sales and marketing budgets and prepared reports for management with recommendations.
• Conducted market research, followed competitor movements to conceptualize counter strategies.
• Responsible for the complete, branding, communication & media strategies in liaison with the advertising agencies.
• Supervised in-store product displays, prospected economical space for better visibility and managed key retail accounts.
• Analysed the performance of distributors periodically and conducted sales and marketing training for staff & distributors on essentials of sales & marketing.
• Conceptualized & launched various value-for-money promotions and packaging being the first of their kind in the Saudi market.
• Developed business in Kuwait and UAE achieving 7% & 13% growth respectively to the overall business.
• Instigated tie ups with Pizza Hut and sponsored visits of school students based on performance to Jeddah Science & Technology.
• Successfully introduced Products and Packaging for Tetra prisma packing, Nectars - two combination drinks, 1.5 Ltr tetra pack for juices and soft mix ice-cream, fresh plastic bottle juices and different ice-cream flavours.

Previous Assignment
• Vazir Sultan Tobacco (a Leading Cigarette Manufacturing Co.), India

• MS Hyderabad Bottling Co (The largest Distributor of Mc Dowell's Soft Drinks), India

Ms. Al Rabie Saudi Foods Company Ltd., Saudi Arabia
Marketing Manager (Jun 1994 - Sep 2002)

Select Highlights:
Led a team of professionals, piloted the marketing and operational functions, and coordinated distribution activities.
Implemented marketing campaigns and business strategies for new product launches, and developed media & advertising strategies including Above-The-Line and Below-The-Line activities to build brand identity.
Tracked competitor initiatives and formulated long and short terms strategies for national and export markets i.e. devising action plans for different products, trade and market types.
Innovated brand positioning exercises, segmented products based on market knowledge, devised sales distribution routes based on market survey and analysis.
Devised the annual marketing plan, forecasted sales and marketing budgets and prepared reports for management with recommendations.
Conducted market research, followed competitor movements to conceptualize counter strategies.
Responsible for the complete, branding, communication & media strategies in liaison with the advertising agencies.
Supervised in-store product displays, prospected economical space for better visibility and managed key retail accounts.
Analysed the performance of distributors periodically and conducted sales and marketing training for staff & distributors on essentials of sales & marketing.
Conceptualized & launched various value-for-money promotions and packaging being the first of their kind in the Saudi market.
Developed business in Kuwait and UAE achieving 7% & 13% growth respectively to the overall business.
Instigated tie ups with Pizza Hut and sponsored visits of school students based on performance to Jeddah Science & Technology.
Successfully introduced Products and Packaging for Tetra prisma packing, Nectars - two combination drinks, 1.5 Ltr tetra pack for juices and soft mix ice-cream, fresh plastic bottle juices and different ice-cream flavours.