Marketing & Communications Manager (project-based)
STEP Group
Total years of experience :7 years, 2 Months
• Sold over 1, 000 tickets for the festival in under 6 weeks through digital advertising and content marketing.
• Organically grew social media following by 400% in under a month; got the event hashtag trending in Sharjah.
• Achieved an ROI of 4x on Facebook and Instagram advertising.
• Secured over $100k in media barters with top regional publications, blogs and influencers.
• Hired on a fixed 3-month contract to define menamall’s brand positioning, marketing strategy and budget.
• Established a multi-channel launch plan including SEO structure, social media, PPC and database strategy.
• Vetted marketing and PR agencies to help support launch.
• Promoted to head of marketing for all CxO conferences, industry meetings and executive training programmes. Spearheaded the launch of the company's Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme. Currently leading a team of 10 junior executives and manage annual projects of approximately $6M.
• Developed and launched new brand identity. Directed the creative process with the in-house team and external freelancers from conception to execution including new website launch and deployment of brand guidelines within 6 weeks.
• Launched a new product line for the Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme as an incremental source of revenue in record time. Worked directly with the Chairman and Managing Director for SWOT analysis, marketing strategy roll out, data mining and lead generation for the new division.
• Generated over $1M in revenue for CBI within 6 months of launch directly through marketing activities.
• Drove 46% YOY increase in delegate sales by implementing online payment processing for the first time across the company.
• Increased conversion rates 2x by optimising landing pages in line with best practices.
• Negotiated and closed major partnerships with regional and international business associations, suppliers and media including The Wall Street Journal, Inc, CNBC Arabia, Khaleej Times, ARN, Forbes ME, The National etc.
• Delivered an annual media campaign worth over 30M impressions for each flagship conference.
• Built team from the ground up, established KPIs and implemented year-round training programmes.
• Single-handedly created advertising scripts and edited videos to make compelling commercials for conferences.
• Directed a team of eight web/graphic designers and programmers for all creative requirements of the department.
• Charted company-wide editorial calendar and newsletter templates to align whitepapers, guest blogs and interviews.
• Developed marketing dashboards to track team's performance and analyse on-going SEO/SEM performance.
• Supervised a lead research team of 6, conducting regular product and target briefings to help generate better leads.
• Primary liaison with Ministries, high-profile dignitaries and VIP guests for VIP protocol.
• Oversaw development and roll out of the company's first mobile app, reducing printing costs for conference materials.
• Setup an affiliate marketing programme to increase delegate ticket sales through channel partners.
• Trained sales, production and operations teams on CRM usage best practices.
• Implemented project management tools and automation workflows for successful collaboration between departments.
• Developed and executed promotional marketing campaigns utilising email, web, online ads, partner e-shots, press releases and social media to drive sponsorship and delegate sales 15-30% year-on-year.
• Consistently achieved an average of over 70% revenue on all events through marketing activities.
• Managed project to change email service provider from vetting potential vendors to successfully moving contacts and functionalities over to new platform resulting in 50% saving in marketing expenditure.
• Grew social media following by 200% on Facebook.
• Increased footfall in all CxO conferences by an average of 15-20% year-on-year.
• Sourced and managed creative agencies, freelancers, copywriters, translators and PR professionals based on project needs.
• Formed long-term partnerships with key media including Bloomberg, Entrepreneur ME, Inc Arabia, Khaleej Times, CNBC etc.
• Recruited, trained and mentored 6 new marketing executives helping them achieve their KPIs in the first 6 months.
• Hired fresh out of college and received accelerated promotion to become Senior MarCom Executive within 6 months.
• Executed a multi-channel marketing campaign to acquire delegates and sponsors for the flagship WIL Forum MENA 2011.
• Cold calling business associations, educational institutions and media to forge partnerships and expand outreach.
• Developed GBSWO’s corporate identity and online presence to provide a platform for students in Gilgit Baltistan to receive guidance on opportunities for higher education in Pakistan and abroad.
• Created an online portal for students to interact and share scholarship opportunities for international studies.
• Selected for Barclays’ Corporate Banking summer internship programme after a 3-stage qualification process.
• Prepared an industry report on the impact of international oil prices on Pakistan’s energy cost during the energy crisis.
• Assisted Relationship Managers on client visits and handling letters of Credit, Demand Drafts and Pay Orders.
Graduated with Honours. Majored in Economics & Political Science, with a minor in Finance.
