Basma Refaat

• Develop negotiation strategies that deliver value aligned with business objectives.
• Prepare and execute RFQs, contract negotiations, and supplier recommendations to Executive management.
• Identify sourcing projects and spend patterns to identify total cost savings and balance sheet opportunities.
• Monitor and evaluate supplier performance. Drive necessary courses of actions so that deliverables are met.
• Define performance metrics for measurement, comparison, or evaluation of supply chain factors.
• Monitor forecasts and quotas to identify changes or to determine their effect on supply chain activities.
• Responsible for ongoing management of purchasing strategy and activity and for ensuring optimal supplier performance and price.
• Develop or implement procedures or systems to evaluate or select suppliers.
• Analyze inventories to determine how to increase inventory turns, reduce waste, or optimize end user satisfaction.
• Responsible for coordination of Project team changes, product line extensions, or new product launches to ensure orderly and timely transitions in material.
• Develop procedures for coordination of supply chain management with other functional areas, such as End users, Treasury, controllers, Logistics, receiving team and warehouse team, Project management team.
• Understand customers’ needs, service those needs, and maintain and develop positive business relationships with a customer’s key personnel involved in or directly relevant to supply chain activities.
• Collaborate with staff, other departments, senior management, and decision makers to share information, problem solve, and to clarify management objectives by using the daily management method.
• Identify and manage risk within the supply chain management.
• Address tactical and strategic supply chain issues including delivery and follow up phase.
• Establish key performance indicators, monitor ongoing performance, and improve performance against set goal.
• Identify potential projects to deliver changes and improvements to the supply chain and commission select projects.
• Act as global expert of a functional process, set vision and strategy for the process; ensure that global processes are implemented, and best practices are used.
• Lead continuous improvement/optimization of processes/services, facilitate successful implementation of new services; promote the process toward an automated environment.
• Review, evaluate and prioritize process/systems change requests with AUC campus team member.
• Lead cross-functional projects, coordinate, and manage virtual project teams; apply quality management techniques to problem solving in the project, Coordinate the delivery of critical tasks/ milestones in the project, highlight any risks and propose mitigation.
• Ensure that purchasing strategies and processes are in place to meet business objectives and operational needs in terms of price, quality, and delivery targets, which enables the company to function and compete effectively in the market to include Terms and conditions, supplier selection/de-selection, evaluation and rationalization of supply chain solutions including vendor managed inventory, supplier consignments and safety stocks.
• Prepare initial recommendations for the changes to policies and procedures; set standards for process performance; act as member of the policy committee.
• Set sourcing strategy including make/buy decisions.
• Select, qualify, and integrate new and second-source alternate suppliers.
• Rationalize the existing supplier base and optimize for quality, cost, and delivery.
• Develop key suppliers as business partners, including regular review of supplier scorecards.

• Review the Forecast and missing gaps to be fixed by the demand team in order to create correct Order Processing processes.
• Performs planning and scheduling functions involved with coordinating products and materials through various production phases.
• Generate proposals, produce Estimate to Completes and drive day to day results.
• Responsibility for Purchasing and Cost Estimating activities across the business.
• Accountable for managing cost, schedule and quality as related to functions within the Operations organization.
• Update / maintain the safety stocks targets by official distributor, WH to avoid any customer risks and to meet the work capital targets.
• Provides guidance to subordinates and/or team members based on organizational goals and company policy.
• Managing preparing offers and orders for all official distributors.
• Responsible for daily Requests and inquiries from clients through (Sales Force, BFO).
• Responsible to Follow up for the daily reports require for the open orders, finish goods items, billing, and delivery.
• Lead, plan, train, and review the work of staff responsible for providing customer service functions and services.
• Responsible for Claims under warranty and replacement orders through quality system.
• Handel all official distributors’ forecasts and work with the factory team for demand planning reports.
• Take inbound calls and e-mails to support the existing customer base and foster new points of contact and potential accounts.
• Partner with Quality Assurance, Engineering and Manufacturing to resolve supplier problems.
• Partner with engineering to support new product development and product launches.
• Setup/review/adjust purchasing policy in ERP system.
• Regularly analyze, present and act upon a comprehensive set of supply chain KPIs for the company including lead times, on-time delivery, and inventory turns.
• Manage, train and mentor a group of Procurement professionals in a direct reporting relationship.

DESIGNATION CHRONOLOGY:
• May 2014 - Nov 2016, Operations Analyst for Middle East and Africa for indirect Channels (Distributors)
• Dec 2011 - Apr 2014, Branch System Operations Specialist for Egypt

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AS BUSINESS ANALYST FOR MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA FOR INDIRECT CHANNELS (DISTRIBUTORS):
Business Analysis:
• Spearhead the business analysis function on a day-to-day basis, with focus on identifying key business drivers, risk factors and growth imbibing frameworks.
• Conduct thorough analysis of existing sales processes, determine scope for improvement, and recommend changes to sales department.
• Review the order management structure within the company, and suggest corrective measures to improvise upon turn-around-times and customer service parameters.
Operations Management:
• Supervise over the demand-supply cycle, review transportation and logistics position and ensure consistent compliance with pre-defined policies and procedures.
• Initiate and execute several process improvement exercises to enhance cross-functional coordination between sales, marketing, order processing, supply chain and financial administration departments.
• Establish and implement effective internal controls to improve productivity levels, build sustainable growth models and increase operational revenues.
Project Management:
• Render on-going support and assistance for planning, scope of work definition, service / solution delivery and post-implementation support, with regard to various key projects.
• Effectuate business transformations through the deployment of systematic management frameworks, technology solutions and quality control measures.
• Review periodic operational reports, develop in-depth understanding of performance deficiencies and strategize change projects.
• Independently and accurately assessed business needs across Middle East and Africa, prepared a reliable distribution model and developed franchisees to grow operations in the region.
• Streamlined the distribution network by optimizing operational processes and reduced order fulfillment lead times working in conjunction with production and distribution teams.
• Defined key performance metrics, designed a performance tracking model and provided training to business associates and partners to ensure target achievement based on reliable forecasts.
• Monitored business performance using comprehensive performance score-cards, identified process deficiencies and deployed proven measures to improve performance across all functions.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AS OPERATIONS ANALYST FOR MIDDLE EAST:
Pricing Strategy Development
• Handled accountability towards the formulation of pricing strategy for controls, fire and security products offered by Johnson Controls.
• Conducted on-going surveys about competitor activities, studied their pricing models, and communicated changes and updates for 45000+ products to internal / external channels.
• Collaborated with the senior leadership team to take critical decisions for offering discounts or special pricing for sales orders and projects, based on thorough profitability calculations.
Operations Management
• Led and managed the entire operations planning cycle for the activation of internal as well as external distribution channels across Middle East and Turkey regions.
• Spearheaded the business development operations within the assigned territories, monitored sales performance on a monthly basis and forwarded reports to the stakeholders.
• Rendered effective operational support for the execution of projects and orders, while functioning as the primary point of contact to understand and resolve client queries.
Supply Chain Administration
• Ensured regular monitoring of order completion status through timely coordination between manufacturing, distribution, shipping and administration departments.
• Developed the Percentage of Completion report for all direct projects, ensured timely and qualitative delivery of SLAs agreed upon and generated bills / invoices.
• Generated intelligent reports to analyze weekly / monthly revenues, identified critical problem areas for specific product groups, and recommended changes within the sales strategy.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AS BRANCH SYSTEM OPERATIONS SPECIALIST FOR EGYPT:
• Tasked with the in-depth analysis of sales processing and order management flowcharts in order to determine areas for improvement within the existing processes.
• Analyzed scope for reducing the turn-around-time within existing operations and recommended measures to achieve significant reduction.
• Handled accountability towards the standardization of processes through the initiation and execution of various process re-engineering exercises.
• Designed, conducted and executed customer satisfaction surveys, analyzed client feedback and accordingly suggested improvements to concerned departments.
• Involved in the planning, scheduling and implementation of distinctive improvement and transformation projects as assigned by the senior leadership team.
• Provided administrative support to the sales department, expedited order delivery to customers and coordinated with the manufacturing team to increase operational capacities.
• Attended to customer complaints / escalations and rendered effective resolution by seeking status information from various departments.
• Scheduled and presided over conference calls with distribution centers present in various locations and discussed changes in the pricing model, delivery TATs, etc.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Maintained regular coordination with technical sales department for the formulation of offers, quotations and proposals to be presented to potential clients.
• Handled various aspects of the bidding stage, negotiated pricing with end-user customers, and finalized profitable business deals accordingly.
• Worked in association with regional sales team members, allocated day-to-day tasks, and analyzed routine work progress to ensure maximum productivity.
• Recorded spare part and whole unit requirements, coordinated with the warehouse for dispatch of orders placed and ensured timely delivery to customers.
• Led and managed end-to-end activities involved in the distribution and logistics operation, including resolution of customs related issues, resolution of customer queries etc.
• Functioned as an account manager and as the single point of contact for various customers, processed their requests, and sorted out client escalations.
• Acquired all necessary legal approvals for items to be exported and ensured compliance with the various guidelines mentioned within the policies and procedures.
• Drafted and forwards operational reports to the senior leadership team and discussed ways to improve financial, service and individual staff member performance.

HIGHLIGHTS:
• Designated to liaise with principals of the company: Cisco, Fluke, Zhone, APC, Comstor UK, Comstor France & Linksys.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• In-charge of handling operations for Dubai, North Africa and Levant, received and registered orders, prepared an order fulfillment schedule to ensure prompt deliveries as per committed deadlines.
• Oversaw the SCM function to ensure cost effectiveness across all stages of order processing and delivery and effectively maximized the customer satisfaction index.
• Worked extensively in the Cisco System & Oracle System, responded to customer queries / inquiries and resolved problems in a systematic manner.
• Independently managed Linksys product sales and coordinated the entire process that included purchase / inventory replenishment.
• Formally communicated with the Netherlands (Linksys) office to rationalize point-of-sale operations, forwarded details of genuine claims and provided reports on effectiveness of distribution channel management.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Associated as Administrative Deputy / Personal Assistant and Interpreter in-charge of providing executive support to the Factory Manager, maintained the executive calendar and scheduled appointments for corporate / business meetings.
• Handled activities pertaining to office procurement (stationery and supplies) and liaised with vendors to resolve invoice discrepancies and processed payments.
• Interacted with customers, responded to business inquiries / Request for Quotations (RFQs), provided samples to customers to support and influence purchase decisions and maintained the customer database.
• Prepared work allocation plans as per instructions of the Factory Manager, supervised shifts / activities on the production floor and provided reports / updates to the Factory Manager.
• Assisted the Factory Manager in improving labour productivity and implementing process improvements.