Ihab Farag, FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

Ihab Farag

FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR

PRACTiMiZE Consulting

Location
United Arab Emirates
Education
Bachelor's degree, BS in Mechanical Engineering
Experience
19 years, 10 Months

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Work Experience

Total years of experience :19 years, 10 Months

FOUNDER & MANAGING DIRECTOR at PRACTiMiZE Consulting
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • My current job since May 2012

Established a dynamic consultancy company empowering organizations and individuals to build strong and lasting business relationships.

>> Sales & Service Excellence: Executed a comprehensive Sales & Service Excellence transformation roadmap for Emerson Process Management’s engineering and leadership teams in the Middle East and Europe using the Acclivus R3 approach.
>> Business Growth: Led an ambitious Middle East business expansion project for the SK FireSafety Group. Built and leveraged a network of key business partnerships to fast-track critical local products approvals and market penetration.
>> Innovation: Built the first state-of-the-art fully‐immersive interactive training facility in the Middle East for the Etisalat Academy. Fostered corporate learning curriculum transformation trough interactive video animation and mobile-based multimedia learning “Pills”.

REGIONAL PRODUCTS SALES MANAGER at JOHNSON CONTROLS
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • May 2010 to May 2012

Recruited to launch regional products department from the ground up within the new products division and drive sales of fire alarm, security, automation, and networking products within 22 countries and 5 regions. Direct strategic planning, product management, and marketing, including technical support of integrated offerings.

>> Sales Maximization: Surpassed regional revenue 8%, attained 17% year-over-year growth, and sustained gross margins/EBIT, boosting product and automation sales. Leveraged coaching approach to foster cross-cultural transparency and guide regional contributions to global R&D product development.
>> Price Governance: Expanded sales margins, increased the visibility of pricing issues, and streamlined the sales cycle by revamping product pricing model. Tightened balance between product margin and sales volume, controlling pricing to reduce margin erosion.
- Cultivated early engagement, consultative sales approach to replace inherited discount practices.
>> Joint Engagement-Building: Paved the way for increased sales, profitability, and product knowledge, strengthening regional/country joint engagements with global strategic alliance partners.
Revived Honeywell partnership, championing approval of Johnson Control’s fire alarm system in multiple Middle Eastern countries. Tightened pricing accuracy, systematized regional staff training, and deepened product knowledge while forging buy-in with branch managers

General Sales Manager – Northern Alberta & NWT at TYCO SIMPLEXGRINNELL
  • Canada
  • April 2008 to January 2010

Selected to convert team into proactive stance during recession and shift focus from sales to market share increases. Managed 3 teams spanning 4 offices with accountability for $46.5 million in annual sales.

- Business Development: Generated 87.3% YOY sales growth and record bottom-line revenues through strategic partnering, bundled solutions promotions, and aggressive staff hiring/development. Paired coaching with performance improvement to fuel $46.7 million in total bookings - 74.1% above goal.

- Market Share & Sales Growth: Doubled security sector market share and drove market share gains in 4 additional sectors for 2 consecutive years in the midst of economic meltdown. Led sales strategy innovation and cultivated consultative sales approach, instituting 3 x 3 engagement model.

- Produced 3% to 12% market share growth and honored with President’s Pinnacle Award.

Regional Sales Manager – Middle East & Africa, Life Safety at HONEYWELL LIFE SAFETY/BUILDING SOLUTIONS
  • United Arab Emirates - Dubai
  • May 2004 to March 2008

Regional Sales Manager - Middle East & Africa, Life Safety \[2006-2008\]

Promoted from direct market to distribution channel division and challenged to increase sales and overcome poor distribution performance with oversight of third-party channels. Managed key regional product as single point of client contact. Led annual sales planning with 40 distributors spanning 20 countries.

- Sales & Business Development: Exceeded sales goals and boosted gross sales up to 12%, working with direct partners to win large projects. Bolstered distributor performance, eliminated non-performers, and sustained relationships through sales cycle.
- Forged consensus with distributors, promoted products to key influencers, coordinated training for local partners, maximized customer support, and participated in trade shows/seminars.

- On-Time Client Deliveries: Shortened delivery times and bolstered commitment date accuracy by improving forecasting and order processing procedures. Strengthened channel partner and factory trust, eased production planning, and eliminated delivery delays. Honored with Q4 Superstar Award.


Solutions Design Engineer - Fire & Security, Building Solutions \[2004-2006\]
Delivered engineering support to sales team, distributors, and clients throughout the Middle East, developing and sustaining relationships with specifiers, contractors, end-users, suppliers, decision makers, and trade associations. Conducted product presentations, reviewed bids, and designed fire alarm/security solutions.

- Six Sigma Green Belt: Increased sales, client satisfaction, and estimate accuracy while leading an estimation team with limited resources and conflicting priorities. Analyzed estimation process, defined key deficiencies, and instituted workload prioritization to realign sales.

- Sales Revitalization: Resuscitated fire alarm product line within 1 year, grew sales, and positioned Honeywell as key industry player in the region.

Education

Bachelor's degree, BS in Mechanical Engineering
  • at THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY IN CAIRO [ABET-accredited]
  • June 1998
High school or equivalent, Baccalaureate in Mathematics & Natural Sciences
  • at LYCEE LOUIS MASSIGNON, ACADEMY OF GRENOBLE
  • June 1992

Specialties & Skills

Team Leadership
Team Management
Market Penetration & Expansion
Distributor Management
Strategic Planning & Execution
Sales Team Training & Coaching
Global Account Management
Trade Show Leadership
Customer Training & Support
Life Safety & Security Solutions Sales
Project Management

Languages

English
Expert
French
Expert
Arabic
Expert

Memberships

NATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION ASSOCIATION (NFPA)
  • Professional
  • January 2000
SOCIETY OF FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERS (SFPE)
  • Professional
  • January 2000

Training and Certifications

Acclivus R3 Sales Coach (Certificate)
Date Attended:
January 2009
Valid Until:
June 2009
Six Sigma Green Belt (Certificate)
Date Attended:
January 2005
Valid Until:
June 2005