Executive Assistant (Retail Development)
Al Futtaim Group Real Estate
Total years of experience :20 years, 1 Months
Extensive diary and travel management; managing complex stakeholder engagement and full responsibility for development team meeting; writing memos and business case proposals (BCPs) and taking meeting minutes, creating and proof reading complex presentations and managing internal and external communication; research, analysis and project management; attending operational, projects and program related meetings, in order to capture information and ensure appropriate follow through for actions plans identified; vendor registration; contract management and tender documentation and process support functions; writing and reviewing change requests (RFC), RFP, RFA, and PR content; monitoring and updating projects budget
Reporting to the Senior Director, responsible for providing executive and administrative support to the senior manager within the Lease Contract Management Team. Also accountable for managing and updating Mall Promotions and Media (MPM) activities and trackers for the department.
Key Responsibilities & Achievements
• Surpassed all performance metrics and targets throughout tenure resulting in a promotion had COVID-19 not occurred.
• Collaborated on internal and external events and initiatives as and when necessary including business events, meetings and personal events.
• Manage the Senior Director’s diary including business and personal schedules.
• Successfully handled many aspects of MPM activities including creating entries in Salesforce CRM, drafting license agreements, updating, and reconciling budget trackers on spreadsheets and Yardi (Property Management Software).
• Prepared leases for all the operating shopping malls within the MAFP portfolio - 24 shopping malls in 5 countries within the GCC.
• Direct interaction with tenants with respect to rental transactions, queries related to agreement clauses, no objection letters for government entities, mall permits and rental cheques.
• Maintenance of a detailed descriptive report that reflects the status of every deal, showcasing the correlation between the budget current and the achieved rates for reporting to Senior Management.
• Designed created and facilitated training workshops on the MPM processes and procedures for approx. 20 people resulting in clear, consistent and comprehensive understanding of MPM throughout the organisation.
• Led the generation and execution of Short-Term Retail agreements in Yardi and Kofax.
• Collaborated effectively with key internal stakeholders to independently re-create the MPM Administration Manual.
• Received internal recognition from the management team by being given additional responsibilities including drafting special conditions in legal contracts.
Reporting to a team of Senior Directors, responsible for providing secretarial and administrative support including maintaining the Directors’ agenda and assisting in planning appointments, board meetings, conferences etc.; attending meetings and recording minutes and followed up on action points and kept all stakeholders informed of updates/progress post the meetings; receiving and screening phone calls and redirecting them as and when appropriate; managed travel logistics including arranging for flights, accommodation, airport transfers, car rentals, visa applications and any other travel requirements and processing the expense reports of the Directors.
Key Responsibilities & Achievements
• Excelled in all aspects of the role throughout tenure resulting in the promotion to Executive Assistant in 2015.
• Proactively handled and prioritised all administrative tasks including travel management, scheduling workshops, preparing reports and presentations and securely dealing with confidential documents.
• Procurement and vendor management - Effectively raised purchase requests and orders using i-Procurement Oracle for mall development projects
• Prepared Consultancy Agreements - drafting agreements based on the consultant’s proposal, collecting trade license, insurance and bank information, liaising with Legal team to review and approve the agreements for sign off and facilitating the required signatures to execute the agreements.
• Received tender documents from consultants and prepared comparison report for review and approval of Management and prepared project change control documents as Request for Change, Variation Orders and Agreed Value of Instructions
• Safekeeping of retail property plans and prepared area schedule onto spreadsheets
• Monitored the department’s yearly travel budget and management consultancy budget
• Provided HR support. Responsibilities included liaising with Learning and Development department for training requirements and attendance to industry conferences, coordinating with Government Relations department for visa requirements of employee and their dependents and secure filing of personal information and copies of documents such as passports, EID and insurance information.
• Liaised with HR department for on-boarding of new joiners in the department. Responsibilities included travel arrangements and accommodation for direct hires and scheduling company orientation and induction meetings.
• Acted as interim EA of the business unit CEO or other senior members of the leadership team when their EA is on leave.
• Maintained a structured electronic filing system using Aconex, SharePoint and OneDrive. Made sure work files are accessible to the team and can be easily shared with other stakeholders as required.
• Acted as facilities liaison with the in-house facilities management team. Responsibilities included but not limited to identifying necessary facilities maintenance requirements, ensuring IT connections and equipment are in good working condition, coordinating desk movements/ office relocation, acquiring approval on new seating/ office layout, asset tagging, and managing the schedule of maintenance works or movements to ensure minimal disruption to business activities during working hours.
• Reporting to the CEO, responsible for managing the CEO’s overall schedule and managing the CEO’s office. Accountabilities included: managed schedules, organised office functions, and oversaw daily operations of the CEO’s office;
• Provided HR support - maintained a database of employees’ personal information and copy of documents such as passport, emirates ID and medical insurance card. Prepared requirements for new visa/ visa renewal of employees and their dependents;
• Liaised with HR for publishing and removing job advertisements for the department and scheduled applicants’ job interview.
• Tracked employee leave days and documented line manager’s approval and kept track of supply inventory and equipment maintenance and organized a general filing system
• Acted as the facilities coordinator with building management for maintenance works, security, office assistance, equipment installation, desk movements, meeting room bookings and any other required facilities services;
• Managed all procurement requests and initiated vendor creation.
• Assisted in creating the company profile pack for presentation to potential investors and business partners.
• Safekeeping of company documents such as commercial license, incorporation documents, corporate stamp, office lease and property insurance.
Reporting to the MD, responsible for managing the MD’s itinerary making travel arrangements, providing administrative support for the management team, managing the MD’s expenses and scheduling meetings; managed queries and liaising with clients on a daily basis, vessel schedule, invoicing and sending container requests; Also accountable for researching and preparing reports and presentations for the MD.
• Cultivated and maintained relationships with 130 locators in the Subic Bay Industrial Park (SBIP).
• Played key role in the launch of company’s One Stop Shop specializing additional services to locators such as business registration and start-up, staff recruitment and payroll, expat visa applications, travel and tours.
• Prepared record entries and reports, managed notices and data for department.
• Organized materials for various training sessions, registered participants, prepared room and organized catering.
• Handled calendar of activities for SBIP Locators. Increased locators confidence levels by planning events like marathon, basketball league, and seminar on government policies on labor, import/export, taxation, immigration and environment.
• Handled company newsletter and website.
• As Accounts Officer, submitted quotation and prepared contract agreement to potential clients; responsible for making job/purchase order to contractors/suppliers and invoices for the clients.
• Monitoring and controlling office supplies in the One Stop Business Center.
• Sales and promotion of 300-hectare combined commercial and industrial lots of a leasing company.
• Established business contacts in target markets through telemarketing, direct mail campaigns, email, direct client contact, tradeshow participation, and vendor relationships.
• Negotiated contracts, priced and closed leasing proposals, prepared and submitted payment scheme for approval.
• Maintained a thorough market understanding through supplemental training and research.
• Improved department manager’s productivity and efficiency by designing new filing system.
• Arranged conferences, meetings, conference calls and travel arrangements for Senior Manager.
• Transcribed correspondence and minutes of weekly staff meetings.
• Served as Corporate Front Desk Receptionist. Updated and managed over 100 locators’ directory. Screening of telephone calls, greeted and assisted visitors, and handled other duties such as budgeting, filing, faxing, copying and mailing.
• Oversaw all operations of the restaurant including dining, counter, kitchen, and maintenance. Troubleshoot and resolved problems, mediated staff disputes, and handled customer complaints.
• Empowered new employees by providing training and support in product knowledge, market segments and company protocols, which increased productivity considerably.
• Managed mini-vault with funds ranging from P50, 000 to P200, 000.
• Performed cashier audits, schedule of staff hours, overrides/supervisor approvals, making deposits and taking inventory.