Georges Akkaoui

Together with the global team, I co-create and implement the sales strategies and tactics for Toluna MEAT to exceed business and sales targets. For H1 2023, I achieved:
+18.8% in recognized revenue vs. H1 2023 budget
+90.2% in recognized revenue vs. H1 2022 actual

I continuously build and motivate a high-performing team by (1) hiring new talent (onboarded one Account Manager, one BDM and one Sales Support in a span of 10 months between July 2022 and April 2023) and (2) upskilling / reskilling existing sales professionals. Aim is to ensure everyone is equipped with the right skills to deliver while creating and fostering a culture of excellence and cross-departmental collaboration in a matrix organization like Toluna.

While ensuring strong relationships with current clients are maintained, I lead a systematic and aggressive outbound sales strategy focusing on key buyer personae, pre-defined ICP and a target account list. As a result, I managed to bring the business back to growth since joining the organization in July 2022 while helping all team members hit their quarterly targets by building healthy and balanced individual pipelines.

I personally own the largest accounts of Toluna MEAT across four verticals (Brands, Consulting, MR and Marcom agencies) to deliver budgeted profitable growth while identifying untapped, potential growth areas.

As the most senior professional in the MEAT organization, I'm responsible for raising awareness and driving the digital transformation of market research through innovative, agile, SaaS-powered processes while representing Toluna in the media outlets (Dubai One TV, Noor Dubai Radio, Al Bayan Newspaper, Zawya, Bizpreneur ME) and other public events. Please Google me!

Responsible for the commercial strategy and the development of the business in the Middle East, GCC and Africa - covering marketing and sales in order to drive awareness, business growth and profitability.

Leading, managing and growing a multi-million dollars business and a large team across GCC and Levant covering both the commercial activities and suppliers' relationships across five markets focused on pharmaceutical MNCs.

Identifying supply partners across various markets is at the core of the growth strategy by leveraging on various skillsets and solutions including data collection methodologies, analytical platforms - both online and offline - in onshore and offshore markets.

Key responsibilities include:
- Actively pitching for current, new and lapsed clients
- Managing key client relationships
- Increasing the revenue stream
- Making strategic business decisions to optimize business profitability
- Managing sales process and recording activities across all stages on the CRM system
- Analysis of KPIs and development of related action standards

Heading Ipsos Riyadh Office with full P&L responsibility and accountability over all departments and specialties and 25 colleagues, mainly in Research, Media, Fieldwork, Finance, IT, and Admin in order to reach and exceed a yearly budget of USD 3.5 million at optimal profitability.

Responsible for all business development activities across all sectors including - but not limited to - FMCG, Automotive, Banking, Telco, Real Estate, and Government. Responsibilities also include identifying business development opportunities and preparing strategies to tap into new unexplored sectors or organizations.

Responsible for HR-related matters including (1) identifying team capabilities, (2) leading the team’s accreditation process, (3) continuous mentoring and training of colleagues, (4) performing job appraisals, (5) recommending actions in terms of recruitment, training, and promotion, (6) developing strategies for staff retention, growth and development and (7) preparing and implementing succession plans.

Key responsibilities include:
- Increasing the revenue stream
- Managing key client relationships
- Leading the team in delivering projects in line with clients’ requirements
- Making strategic business decisions internally to shape the business
- Working collaboratively with counterparts across the region

Reporting to Country MD, heading three Research BUs covering (1) Quantitative Ad Testing and Brand Tracking Activities, (2) Qualitative Research, and (3) Healthcare Qual & Quant Business by managing 15 full-time professionals in two cities in order to (i) ensure prompt delivery and superior service to clients and (ii) achieve the pre-set financial objectives and other operational KPIs.

Research Development including (i) managing client relationships, (ii) meeting clients to generate business and exceed yearly budgets and OP, and (iii) developing proposals for local, regional, and international clients.

Research Management including (i) managing the Research Team, (ii) conducting and / or supervising research activities across a number of locations across MENA, (iii) proposal development, and (iv) writing and delivering research reports.

Responsible for HR-related matters including (1) identifying team capabilities, (2) leading the team’s accreditation process, (3) continuous mentoring and training of colleagues, (4) performing job appraisals, (5) recommending actions in terms of recruitment, training, and promotion, (6) developing strategies for staff retention, growth and development and (7) preparing and implementing succession plans

Full responsibility for the Business Units'​ P&Ls including ensuring the generation of required revenue, achieving budgets, enhancing profit margin of various projects, controlling payroll and other GE, and ultimately exceeding the targeted operating profits.

Responsibilities include continuous internal and external communication across the Business Units' bodies, with particular attention to positioning the company, onboarding different stakeholders, aligning and engaging key stakeholders to reach objectives, crisis and change management.

Setting up and managing the newly established Executive Education Office within the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) - an AACSB-accredited business school. This has been accomplished over a year by:

- Better understanding the size and characteristics of the Executive Education market in the MENA and GCC regions, identifying the key competitive players and their offerings, developing a SWOT analysis for each type of degree, and gathering market feedback based on in-depth interviews with managers and owners of medium, large, and family owned businesses in the region.

- Developing AUB OSB’s offer, USPs, key positioning, as well as identifying partners for a successful market entry strategy

- Developing the marketing model including program goals, methodologies, and desired learning outcomes.

- Based on the overall strategy and marketing model, developing cash flow statement(s) in order to check the feasibility and return on such an office.

- Seeking to engage all the business school faculty and staff members in the development plan regarding executive education through setting up internal committees and continuous sharing of know-how.

Responsible for leading and managing all corporate executive education initiatives and programs for the Suliman S. Olayan School of Business (OSB) at the American University of Beirut (AUB) including - but not limited to - providing professional support covering all aspects of non-degree executive education provision in all three areas, namely: open-admission programs, company-specific programs, and sector-specific programs.

Such professional support involves market intelligence, prospecting, contribution to product development, program marketing, management, evaluation, follow up, as well as monitoring competitive providers, benchmarking, managing client relations, and conducting site visits to major corporate clients.

First based in Beirut, Lebanon then in Nicosia, Cyprus (EU Member), my responsibilities included managing key accounts and servicing many of the Fortune 500 clients in established and developed European markets (mainly UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain). This was achieved through a close coordination with clients, suppliers and colleagues from various nationalities. This helped me acquire strong project management, supervisory, and communication skills as well as the ability to work efficiently with multi-disciplinary teams.

This function allowed me to gain (i) practical research experience across both qualitative and quantitative techniques, (ii) the ability to develop research solutions customized to client requirements and (iii) experience in ATL and BTL advertising and in most of the non-media communication channels. I also acquired a thorough understanding of the other P’s of a successful marketing mix.

The function includes extensive data management, analysis, recommendation and reporting and covers all stages of marketing research including fieldwork RFQ, proposal writing, qualitative and quantitative research design, questionnaire design, coding, data validation, data processing, analysis and client presentation.

Responsible also for creating, developing and delivering world-class executive training courses in a number of world cities. Training is delivered either on- or off-client site and audiences might vary from 5 to 25 attendees. The function includes regularly updating the framework and content of courses in order to (i) cope with new circumstances, clients and audiences and (ii) take into account the latest industry best practices.

Member of the team responsible for developing the Integrated Marketing and Communications (IMC) Academy. This includes co-writing material & over-seeing the creative, art direction and publishing efforts of our ‘IMC Handbook’ and online course.

This included managing relationships with corporate clients from proposal writing to delivery. This also included planning the training program in terms of logistics such as scheduling, dates, venues, trainers, travels and required material. A special attention is given on building loyalty and growth by understanding customer satisfaction and rating of trainer and training courses.