Senior Business Manager
Stratus General Trading - a United Foods Company
Total years of experience :24 years, 11 months
• Stratus General Trading has been fully acquired by United Foods in Sep 2021.
• As the head of the company, my main job is to improve efficiency and increase profits while managing the overall operations of the company including sales, trade marketing, logistic, HR…etc.
• Managing staff, overseeing the budget, employing marketing strategies, and many other facets of the business.
• Full ownership of the P&L.
• Increase the topline vertically and horizontally by growing the portfolio and expanding the distribution.
• Reporting to the CEO
Main Accountabilities: Source new suppliers for private labels, principals for 3rd party distribution, increase sales and distribution in all channels, achieve sales target, raise the market share, and ensure a positive profitability.
• Heading the entire Frozen and Chilled business unit (Sales, Marketing, PL, Logistic, Planning...etc).
• Managing a big team of managers, supervisors and sales reps.
• Full ownership of the P&L.
• Increase the Frozen portfolio through increasing the NPD's, Private Labels and obtaining more agencies.
• Develop strategic sales and marketing plans to achieve the company’s goals.
o Horizontally: by securing more brands and products and increase the PL portfolio in the division.
o Vertically: By expanding into more line of businesses and channels.
• Build an extraordinary relationship with the principals/ suppliers, customers and internal stakeholder.
• Inspire and motivate the team through lead by example
• Top achievements:
o Launching 16 new categories between 3rd party distribution and private labels.
o Double the sales from 2016 to 2019
o Triple the market share between 2016 and 2019
o Achieve healthy positive profitability from 2018 onward.
My designation in UFC is split into 2 roles:
New Product Development Manager
• Develop and provide a comprehensive strategic plan, objectives and KPI for all proposed new product launches.
• Maximizes assortment range and depth through selection of suppliers and products with actionable plans designed to improve the category, sales and profitability.
• Supporting comprehensive marketing plans and initiatives designed to achieve product category goals including promotions, incentives, PR, education and training, trade shows and catalogues.
• Evaluate alternative and potential range of products and suppliers based on pricing, market trends, product offering and quality.
• Support the strategy, growth and development of private brands within FMCG category.
• Develop/execute long-term marketing strategies with double focus on launches/introduction of new categories and products.
• As a brief: Fully accountable of creating NPD's including bringing or creating new products and innovation for both own brands and third-party distribution brands including planning, forecasting, launching, supply chain and P&L ownership
• Handle the newly launched category for a period of time before handing them over to the concerned person.
• Perform other responsibilities associated with this position as assigned by the CEO.
Best Achievement: Introducing 3 own brand categories, 3 for 3rd party distribution within only 1 year as well as full sales and marketing plan, operation and P&L
Marketing Manager Frozen Categories
• Key contribution to obtain the sole distribution right of Mondelez ice cream in UAE (Oreo, Cadbury, Toblerone…etc.)
• Develop and execute long-term Marketing Strategic Plan for both dry and the ice cream business.
• Establish and execute the vision for the Marketing Department in line with the vision of the company and principles.
• Assess, Build & Lead Marketing Department to New Levels of Achievement & Performance as well as re-engineer the sales and distribution plans to maximize sales while keep an open eye on the bottom line.
• Develop and provide a comprehensive strategic plan, objectives and KPI for all activities, projects implemented by the directorate functional departments and ensure efficient completion as per company vision, policy, rules and regulations.
• Oversee functions, budget preparation, and related activities of ice cream.
• Establish schedules and methods to provide marketing programs; identify resource needs, review needs with appropriate management staff, and allocate resources accordingly.
• Review reports to analyse projections of sales and profit against actual figures, budgeted expenses against final totals, and suggests methods of improving the planning process as appropriate.
• Identify and develop effective marketing tools for business development and sales including marketing content, website, blogs, social media, event participation, branding, promotion and others.
Best Achievement: Introducing 3 own brand categories, 3 for 3rd party distribution within only 1 year as well as full sales and marketing plan, operation and P&L
• Evaluate process bottlenecks, conduct feasibility studies, propose viable solutions and drive institutionalization of optimized workflows across the organization.
• Track the benefits of project initiatives and on-going improvements.
• Seek new business opportunities in line with the organizational growth strategy.
• In coordination with the CEO and Management Team, drive all the initiatives pertaining to Company Private label brands
• Propose Category Management insights/enhancements and provide creative/media agencies related marketing activities.
• Provide emerging trend insights to management team on best practices, competitor analysis to aid in driving business decisions.
• Liaise with the government and regulatory authorities for registration of trade mark of Private label brands.
• Translate/adapt copy, labels, POS to local language, regulations and culture.
• Communicate initiatives to sales force and provide them with required materials.
• Sign off on all promotions as field ready from a corporate client perspective.
• Manage advertising agencies/suppliers (local production of marketing material).
• Negotiate and place permanent signage, negotiate and execute events, sponsorships, samplings within guidelines.
• Act as ‘guardian of brand’ to ensure all local execution meets Pepsi-Cola standards.
• Analyse sales data, market share trends, consumer KPIs (key performance indicators) and market situation and recommend action plans.
• Provide input on program design and performance in market.
• Prepare annual marketing budget and calendar. Aligning field operations to marketing calendar.
• Control spending within agreed budget. Managed budgets up to 10M USD and reporting directly to GM.
• Plan, develop, and direct the marketing efforts for particular brands.
• Establish marketing strategies to meet organizational objectives.
• Develop annual marketing plan in conjunction with sales department.
• Design, develop, and execute marketing strategies and direct advertising and promotional activities.
• Oversee products development, pricing, marketing budgets, and sales objectives.
• Establish contacts with suppliers and build a strong relationship between suppliers and the company
• Manage the entire product line life cycle from purchasing to strategic planning to tactical activities.
• Specify market requirements for current and future products by conducting market research supported by on-going visits to customers and non-customers.
• Report directly to GM.
• In charge of local and external purchases
• Establish contacts with new and recent suppliers all over Syria especially Damascus and Aleppo
• Decrease the cost of spare parts by 22% within a year
• Report directly to the General Manager
- Responsible for establishing contacts with global suppliers
- Constant market scanning and competitor price analysis.
- Suppliers’ public relations
- act as a liaison between the customer care and the technical departments.
- responsible for solving and following up the unsolved complaints of the customer care department
- drect reort to the client relashion manager
Provide quality customer service to the subscriber
Hawwa Audio Design is the top company in Syria in the sound and light equipement
i was the sales supervisor (show room manager) of the primary show room in the company
Graduated with distinction
