Operations Manager Middle-East
Louis Vuitton
Total years of experience :29 years, 5 Months
Achievements:
• Cost reduction of -10% in the first two years. Negotiations and challenging existing contracts resulted in more than 1 million AED of reductions.
• Restructuring the Operations Department and revising processes towards a paperless paper work.
• Creating checklists, tracking sheets and digital databases for all aspects of operations.
• Included 2 new stores to the network in the first year of operations
• Opening one more store in the second year of operation and renovating a store in the existing network.
My responsibilities as Operations Manager cover 14 stores in the Middle-East (7 countries: UAE, KSA, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon), two corporate offices (Jebel Ali, Media City) and the logistics centre and include:
Managing procurement and suppliers for more than 40 activities, negotiating their contracts and rates, and assuring the quality of services and goods.
Opex budgeting and Management by controlling costs (-10%), improving efficiency, and negotiating and approving quotations and placing Purchase Orders (SAP), and ensuring timely payments.
Play a key role in new store openings, minor works, refurbishments and maintenance works along with the coordination with local authorities and Mall Management offices in this regard to identify the required formalities and permits.
Management of trade licences and assuring the compliance with local requirements.
Management of insurance policies: PD/BI, TPL, WC/EL, Marine Cargo, CAR and events. Ensuring timely policy renewals. Reporting claims to insurance agents and representing the Company before loss-adjusters.
Ensure the security of people, premises and goods and developing security processes.
Coordinating with all the departments: Marketing, IS & T, RPM, Finance and accounting on the one hand and the stores on the other for different projects and matters.
Reviewing store audits and introducing new procedures to ensure operational compliance.
Sales Associate (1997 - 1999) - Assistant Store Manager (1999 - 2005) - Store Manager (2005 - 2013)
Achievements :
1. Constantly achieved the objectives of all the stores I managed. Mall of the Emirates Store had more than 650 sqm and 53 employees, 2nd largest in the region and 4th globally multi-hundred million Dirhams turnover.
2. Opening half of the stores of the region.
3. Developing 3 Sales Managers into Store Managers and several Team Managers and Supervisors.
Projects:
LV Dubai, BurJuman Centre, 1997: Establishment
LV Dubai, BurJuman Centre, 2004: Relocation& expansion
LV Bologna - Italy, May 2005: Store attachment (Mission)
LV Abu Dhabi, Marina Mall, 2006: Establishment
LV Qatar, VillaggioMall, Doha, 2008: Establishment (Mission)
LV Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, 2008: Mobility
LV Dubai, Mall of the Emirates, 2010: Expansion
LV Amman, TajMall, Jordan, 2012: Establishment (Mission)
London, UK, 2012: Recruitment mission
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 2013: Recruitment mission
My responsibilities as Store Manager included:
Store management:
Strategies and business plans implementation.
Setting individual goals in order to meet the global forecast. Cost control and increasing efficiency through cost control and stock shrinkage.
Monitoring replenishment orders.
Creating and validating Standard Operating Procedures and action plans in order to ensure excellence.
Customer Relationship Management:
Organising and validating periodic mailing campaigns to customers and in-store events through targeted segmentation.
Deciding or validating individual client development plans.
Overseeing the handling of customers’ complaints by Sales Managers and handling unsatisfied cases by phone, e-mail, meetings or with Dubai Economic Department.
Deciding replacements, refunds and commercial gestures.
Holding or organising special client presentations e.g. High-end Jewellery in Burj Al-Arab, Trunk Shows, coordinating virtual bridges with other stores in the zone e.g. England, France, etc.
Achieving set goals in terms of clienteling KPIs and client retention.
Holding privileged relationships with HNWI and VICs; In 2013, I concluded a sale of a high-end piece worth AED 1, 250, 000 (USD 343, 000)
Marketing:
Overseeing and organising market research tasks whenever required.
Representing the Company in periodic mall meetings.
Coaching a team of 6 Sales Managers in developing business in their respective categories.
Data analysis in relation to the store performance and deciding improvement action plans.
Human Resources management:
Managing a team exceeding 50 employees: Stock Keepers, Stock Controller, Sales Associates, full-time Trainer, full-time Visual Merchandiser, Supervisors and Sales Managers.
Induction of Sales Managers and Store Managers from other stores in the region, and the zone.
Interviewing new staff, and deciding the store organisational structure.
Assigning tasks and delegation.
Setting targets and KPIs, and their follow-up with the provision of feedback and coaching.
Understanding personalities and motivation, strong employee retention and development.
Preparing and holding weekly Managers’ meetings.
Overseeing the scheduling and the observation of match-to-traffic.
Periodic and yearly performance assessment and proposing bonuses and increments accordingly.
Training sessions and prizes:
The prize of Best Impression in Bur Juman Centre in 1999.
The third prize of Dubai’s Best Merchandising during the floral week organised by Dubai Shopping Festival Committee in 2000.
Various Louis Vuitton Malletier training sessions: culture, motivation, leadership, Japanese Culture and the Art of Service.
Consumer Rights Retailer training, in 2010; organised by the Dubai Department of Economic Development.
The Mall of the Emirates’ Award for the Best Store of Leather Goods & Gifts in 2010.
I was responsible for sales, orders, invoicing, relations with clients, accountancy and correspondence.
Visiting clients, and assisting them at the showroom.
Obtained the following certificates: * Diamonds Essentials * Jewelry Essentials * Colored Stones Essentials And scored 100% in each of the three exams.
Executive MBA degree. During my study I made a choice of three elective subjects which are: + Service Operations Management. + Innovation and New Product Development. + Effective Project Management. In the course of the studies I investigated the operations of many companies: Amazon.com, Save the Children – Africa … Beside that, I actively played a consultancy role, examining the business and suggesting strategy to the following organisations: FIAS, Glasgow, Scotland - UK – Affiliate of the Arlequin Restoration Group – UK, handling catering training and consultancy. Bristol Myers Squibb, Gulf – One of the global biggest five in the Pharmaceutical industry. My graduation project studied scenario planning in the context of the luxury business in Dubai.
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering My graduation project was about Flat Solar Collectors - potential problems and solutions, my project devised a software written in JW Basic programming language that solves these problems and suggests solutions. My project was awarded “Very Good” rating - 1998