Head of Ventilation for North America / Concurrently Managing Director
Zehnder Group International
Total years of experience :12 years, 8 Months
Zehnder Group International, is a Swiss multinational, with operations across Europe, Asia and North America and is a market leader in Ventilation solutions.
In my role as the Head of Ventilation for North America, I head two companies :
1. Airia Brands Inc., Canada
2. Zehnder America, New Hampshire, USA
I am responsible for a $100 million dollar business, delivering double digit growth organically and through acquisitions.
Airia Barnds Inc, is a part of Zehnder Group International, Switzerland which is a global leader in IVentilation solutions.
Our brand, Lifebreath, is the market leader in Canada and USA.
As the company's senior most executive, I provide strategic leadership, define short and long terms goals and objectives, and lead a a management team to deliver growth, profitability, customer satisfaction, increased market share and human capital development.
I have full P&L responsibility and my recent achievements are:
1. Doubled EBIT in 2023 vs 2022
2. Implemented robust strategies to overcome supply chain shortages and productivity enhancement
3. Built a solid management team that can implement my strategies
4. Business expansion through acquisitions
A member of the 125 year old Zehnder Group AG, Switzerland, CORE Energy Recovery Solutions is a market leader in Energy Recovery systems for Indoor Air Quality and in Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Responsibilities :
*P&L responsibility - A member of the management team responsible for thought leadership, defining & delivering business strategy to meet group objectives of turnover, profitability, brand positioning & employee engagement.
* Member of Zehnder Group’s global Acquisition team - successfully facilitated a major acquisition of $50 million this year
* Currently managing the integration of a new company acquired in China
* Turned around the company making it profitable through increased revenue, improved working capital, Identified major cost savings and through operational efficiencies in production processes
* Exceeded all KPI’s for 2020 - Grew business +23% vs last year, exceeded EBIT target, built new strategic customer partnerships, new market expansion
*2021 - On track to grow revenue by 46% double profitability versus last year
* Developed and implemented strategic marketing strategy that positioned CORE as #1 brand in North America in Fuel Cell humidifier and Energy
Recovery Ventilation plate exchangers.
* New market development in MIddle East and Latin America
* Through change management, established a “winning” team culture, based on customer centricity, accountability, mutual respect and diversity
AlFuttaimGroup is a Forbes500 company headquartered in Dubai, operatingin33countrieswith revenues exceeding US$20 billion and employing over 50, 000 people in real estate, construction, retail, automotive, electronics, finance and supply chain. I joined this group 20 years ago and through a series of promotions now head their flagship Panasonic business as General Manager.
Responsible for leading the$150million business of global brand, Panasonic managing the sales, marketing, project management, service, IT and logistics functions & providing strategic direction, plan & deliver annual budgets & overall responsibility for profitability
Key Capabilities:
Consumer electronics industry expert with in-depth market knowledge and senior relationships with Power Retailers, distributors and wholesalers in MENA region.
Experienced in Financial management, legal compliance & health of operations, budgeting, cash flows, balance sheets, P&L, working capital, audit compliance and reporting
Proven success in managing operations, defining marketing strategy, PR, brand management
Defining corporate management and vision, goal setting, leadership and fostering team culture
Widely travelled across MENA and Asian markets for sourcing, procurement and established strategic relationships with Panasonic domains globally
Proven success in acquiring new brand relationships, new market acquisitions and set-up .
Motivator & coach combining business acumen with analytical depth to align operational efficiencies with corporate goals.
Deliverables:
Responsible for leading the$150million business of global brand, Panasonic managing the sales, marketing, project management, service, IT and logistics functions & providing strategic direction, plan & deliver annual budgets & overall responsibility for profitability
Devising sales & marketing strategies for Retail / trade distribution of the full range of Panasonic Consumer electronics & HVAC solutions, Low Voltage systems - CCTV & Audio Video, Solar for the B2B channel building strong customer relationships at a senior level
Driving growth through B2B projects channel & delivering solutions by integrating a multitude of brands - LG/Panasonic/ Hitachi/Milestone/ Getac
■ Key successes
- Doubled the Net Profit in two years (2016 vs 2014) through increased revenue, efficient merchandising, higher sales productivity & supply chain
- Built successful partnerships with major retailers such as Carrefour, Lulu, Sharaf, Emax and 2nd tier MMs.
- Acquired the Qatar distribution for Panasonic and established profitable operations within 1 year
- Won largest order for Panasonic projection system -a Guinness World record for “world’s largest permanent projection mapping”
- Won the largest CCTV for Panasonic in MENA ($3mln value)
- Successfully launched the Panasonic solar business obtaining requisite certifications, built operating teams and won largest order in MENA region for Panasonic.
- Established new business partnership with Hitachi with exceptional potential for growth in Education verticals
- Doubled the B2B business in two years with major wins in Airconditioning /Ventilation/ low voltage system
- #1 UAE market share in Airpurifiers - only country in the world
- Opened new revenue streams through launch of ERV (Energy Recovery Ventilation) & Duct-in-line ventilation products
- Established Panasonic as #1 brand in retail consumer electronics for several categories
Led a multinational team of over 200 associates in retail distribution and B2B project channels, delivering spectacular growth and increased market shares . Key successes:
Revived the business after global financial crisis of 2009 and rebuilt a highly profitable revenue model, showing double digit sales every year.
Secured multimillion dollar B2B / project contracts for HVAC systems in government and private construction projects, CCTV, display solutions, communication and office digital solutions.
#1 Market share for Panasonic TVs & digital cameras in 2011-12. Executed marketing and merchandising plans to enhance market shares. Coached & mentored sales teams to maximise performance
Indian Institute of Technology ( I.I.T.) , Kharagpur