Business Development Manager
Watad | Kitoko Group
Total years of experience :11 years, 2 Months
Qatari / Turkish start-up venture that has three divisions specialised in lighting, furniture and automation operating in Qatar, with 30 employees and a turnover of US$10M in the second year of business.
Negotiated entrepreneurial blank canvas to establish the automation ‘Smart Solutions’ division. Researched technical products, suppliers, markets, territories and major clients to determine capital expenditure.
Created strategy, vision and mission in alignment with operating objectives. Formulated product mix and marketing campaign, negotiated terms with manufacturers and built broad, profitable client base across sectors and territories.
Led Automation division to outstanding new market penetration as leading player with revenue of US$3M and profit of >50%; from concept phase to revenue actualised in 15 months, a crucial component in the Group’s rapid growth, from eight to 30 employees and to US$10M in less than two years.
Formulated complex technical product mix; researched and negotiated with cutting-edge manufacturers, including Apple (Savant) and acquired agreements with international brands, including Schneider, Locatel and Rako.
Conceived, planned and implemented sales campaign. Developed templates for presentations and proposals and generated multiple high quality, consultative approaches to major new clients.
Coached and mentored a team in sales and operational strategy, and optimised return of investment in sales pipeline.
Won major new clients, including Vodafone and CDC, as well as the prestigious key account, Alfardan (Kempinski and St Regis), with a proposal that succeeded against all other major local competitors and generates revenue >US$1M.
A UK-based, pan-African system integrator of life safety, security and building management systems’ solutions with 50 employees.
Drove expansion into new cross-border markets in challenging and emerging territories. Developed understanding of complex product offering, researched potential clients and regions, designed marketing and sales campaign, and fostered new partnerships and client relationships that generated rapid growth.
Instrumental in business expansion from US$4M to US$6M; brought in new resellers and MEP consultants; won major clients, including AIG, Citibank, Vodafone and Oando (Nigerian oil company) that were worth >US$2M.
Expanded operations and penetrated new markets. Established first company operations in Egypt and Nigeria and created enhanced product mix; negotiated new, hugely profitable, supplier exclusivity agreement for >50 countries in Africa. Cultivated new connections with projects worth US$6M in Ghana.
Increased profitability of credit cards through sales boosting activities, competition analysis and development of marketing campaigns; boosted credit card usage by 15% during the campaign period.
Capitalised on political atmosphere to create highly effective strategy that spoke to patriotism and changing national identity and culture. Produced market trend analysis, collaborated with global and local departments to apply strategy through promotional activities.
Applied HSBC global service standards to local branches through design and implementation of marketing strategy, including advertising, competitions, promotions and customer loyalty schemes. Collaborated with head office to create initiatives to improve regional branch performance and worked locally to instigate projects.
Lowered costs by 50% and improved accuracy of results from 70% to 90%. Delivered analysis of branch performance by improvement of mystery shopping. Evaluated and changed market research supplier from Nielsen to Ipsos.
Built analytical models for unit efficiency, attrition, complaints and service gap identification, as well as productivity analysis models that became the basis for HSBC capacity planning.
Capitalised on enhanced statistics; increased credit card sales activity by 30%, reduced customer attrition and boosted sales. Drove down attrition level; improved existing poor levels of customer service to above acceptable group levels through branch visits and presentations; delivered new policy of competing on service level as well as price.
Full service advertising agency that grew to a US$500K turnover with seven full time staff and net profits of 30%.
Established advertising agency from scratch; researched, devised and executed market offering. Won new clients, built team and rapidly grew; doubled turnover every year, from US$30K to US$500K, through good client relationships, productive staff empowerment and persuasive, effective advertising creation.
Won notable client accounts through networks, including former employer, Egypt’s Ministry of Communications & IT; proposed the outsourcing of their collateral and developed productive, longstanding client relationship.
Achieved client retainer base contracts with large-scale corporate clients, including Magrabi Agriculture and Sadat Group. Subcontracted for major global advertising agencies, including TBWA and produced cutting-edge design for major media players, including National Geographic Advertising.
Non-executive ownership from 2007 onwards while employed by HSBC; provided strategic rather than operational input in order to focus on development of international business and banking knowledge.
Egyptian government department with a mandate to improve the country’s IT commercial and technical infrastructure.
Devised marketing plans that appealed to global ICT sector as part of campaign to attract foreign direct investment. Formulated strategy, organised and attended events and provided business case review and decision support to the Minister’s office, particularly concerning bilateral relationships with multinationals.
Represented Egypt’s international interests as the sole government representative at the United Nations ITU Telecom Asia Conference in South Korea; delivered ministry’s strategy and cultivated multiple relationship networks that resulted in 13 business joint ventures and partnership offers by international companies to Egyptian businesses.
Provided high quality event management; instrumental in the marketing and organisation of over ten major events, mostly large-scale international conferences. Collaborated in a team that created collateral, negotiated supplier contracts, managed logistics and attended the events to represent the ministry.
• B.Sc. Faculty of Economics & Political Science, English Section, Cairo University, 2003. • Political Science, Major. • Public Administration, Minor • Average grade: Good. • Graduation Project: Excellent .