General Manager
OBS Group
Total years of experience :14 years, 1 Months
Managing a high-end Italian furniture luxury brand called KARTELL. OBS Group has the exclusive distribution rights for the brand in the UAE. Our main showroom is located in Galeries Lafayette in Dubai Mall and we are currently focusing on expanding our operations by signing agreements with other retail stores to increase our presence. I have helped set the company up since its inception in 2014. It was a completely new field to me so that I really had to learn everything from A-Z concerning the retail and the furniture industry.
• Retail and corporate sales.
• Deeply involved in the expansion and negotiation process of the business which entailed opening new outlets.
• Relationship building with interior designers, architects and fit out companies.
• Understanding purchasing habits and adjusting and adapting our orders accordingly.
• Driving and maximising the sales and profitability of the store and business to achieve growth.
• Monitoring staff and store performance on a regular basis.
• Driving sales through maximising team performance.
• Organising, preparing and arranging promotional materials and displays.
• Maximising sales through effective merchandising.
• Leading by example in all aspects of the role.
• Recruiting, training, supervising and appraising staff.
• Maintaining accurate statistical and financial records.
• Creating a combination of real value for money and outstanding customer service.
• Organising warehouse sales and exhibition participation.
• Constantly offering cost cutting solutions to ensure maximum profitability.
• Attending board meetings to report performance, brainstorm strategies and to discuss common goals.
• Spearheading our e-commerce project from beginning to end which allowed us to add an additional revenue stream to our business.
April 2007 - Current Swiss Media Group United Arab Emirates
Business Development Director
Working for a publishing house called LCM Publishing under the Swiss Media Group umbrella. I manage two high-end magazines
called SWR (Swiss Watch Report) and EQUESTRIO Arabia. A third title named EQUESTRIO China is partially managed by our office as well. My primary task is to coordinate between all the different departments found in the publishing business. This meant that strong
communication lines between the editorial, sales, printing, and distribution department are key factors in order to ensure the success of the magazines in our portfolio. Other duties included:
• Being heavily involved in all strategic marketing and operations planning with senior management. We set the objectives and methods to reach our goals.
• Help train new sales people and attend their sales meetings. The recruitment process for various positions is also partly handled by me.
• Developing attractive and innovative advertisement proposals in response to the ever changing print media industry. There is a
constant need to finding new creative ways of complimenting our print advertisement revenue stream.
• Constantly analyzing the progress of our revenue goals and making recommendations and adjustments when needed.
• Actively managing key relationships with existing and prospective clients. This also means that there is a constant need to sales
pitch new and existing clients as well.
• Negotiate new distribution agreements/points and organize the distribution plan together with my distribution manager.
• Proactive in organizing high-goal polo tournaments and other events where we are title sponsors.
• Played a key role in managing the accounts receivables/payables for smoother operations.
• Aided in developing a new property title called Prestige Magazine which was launched in 2012.
October 2003 - March 2007 AFA Holding HQ: Madrid, Spain
International Sales Executive
• Defining the Market - Completed research, preparation, and analysis of companies for the exclusive and personal interviews with the institutional leaders of the prospective companies.
• Creation of Strategy - Created strategies to open doors to potential clients, to focus editorial lines around sales, and to negotiate
financing for the production of socio-economic country reports. Established a network of clients/interviewees in order to gain
political support and influence increased sales.
• Face to Face Negotiations with leading companies belonging to the most prominent sectors of the economy as well as contributing and empowering the image building of the country as a strategic destination for business and investment.
Was involved in the negotiation process during the advertising sales aspect during meetings. Application of strategy and sales
techniques to close contracts on the spot. Creation of personalized proposals.
Dubai - 7473.02
• Different Projects conducted in Poland, Bahamas, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Surinam, Portugal and the UAE. In example: Sharjah - Promoting the Culture of Understanding (distribution with the New York Times) and Mauritius - Becoming a Center of
Excellence (distribution with The Independent)
• Face to Face Presentations and Public Relations
• Editorial Development & Interviews - Personalities Interviewed: "The Movers and the Shakers" of country's
economies such us Presidents, most representative Ministers, Governors, Ambassadors, Board of Directors from both the private and public sectors.
• Trained team members in presentation skills and closing sales skills.
• Was elected "House Captain" by the Dean, members of the board and the students of the boarding school I attended (Lundsberg
Skola) . The tasks involved holding meetings, maintain order and discipline among the students of our fraternity house.
• Languages - Swedish: mother tongue, English: Fluent, French: Fluent, Spanish: Fluent, Moroccan: Basic
• Quick adaptability to languages and living in underdeveloped and developed countries
• Proficient in Microsoft Office, HTML and Multimedia
• Masters in International Business, University of Gothenburg [incomplete] - Gothenburg 2005 (Sweden)
• Diploma in Intensive Spanish, La Universidad de Complutense - Madrid 2002-2003 (Spain)
• International Business School, Saint Louis University - Missouri Campus 2000-2001 (USA)
• International Business School, Saint Louis University - Madrid Campus 1998-2000 (Spain)
• The Royal Swedish Navy, Coastal Ranger School (Amphibious Battalion) . I served as a sergeant - Stockholm 1997 (Sweden)