Division Head
Alyasra Foods
Total years of experience :18 years, 4 Months
• Heading retail FMCG division (USD 35 Mn) managing complete P&L and all commercial aspects including marketing, sales, supply chain, category management and business development
• Managing all integrated marketing campaigns including new brand launches, ATL and BTL activities, road shows, POS, consumer engagement for brands such as Sadia, Danone, Dr. Oetker, Lamb Weston, Lactalis
• Leading sales operations with a focus on improvement of business fundamentals & existing setup and transforming it into a cost effective & revenue generating service aimed at customer delight
• Responsible for business planning & development, budgeting, division strategy and team development (performance driven culture, efficient organizational structure and meaningful KPIs)
• Leading business development by consolidation of key insights via market research, seek out and launch new brands & categories and execute targeted marketing campaigns
• Managing SCM including developing S&OP plans, procurement strategy and negotiating commercial terms with regional and global suppliers
• Headed group sales and category management function of Sony business and multi-brand consumer electronics retail business (USD 50 Mn) and achieved business growth of 11%
• Responsible for P&L, marketing & promotions, pricing, product range management, supply chain, business development and business strategy
• Executed various marketing campaigns to acquire new customers, strengthen store traffic, conversion rates, share of wallet and business revenues
• Developed S&OP plans and negotiated with all the global suppliers in the branded and OEM segments to ensure optimized value offering to our customers while ensuring sustainable revenue and profit growth
• Managed business through different channels (power retailers, hypermarkets & dealers) and executed business plans to achieve sales and profit targets
• Developed marketing plans, budgets, sales forecast, sales targets, buying plan and team KPIs
• Headed the small household appliances category with an annual turnover of USD 35 million with complete profit and loss responsibility with a footprint spanning across the GCC and Levant region
• Managed multiple channels (retail stores, B2B, distribution, export and liquidation) and led sales team of 80 people to achieve category targets and objectives
• Managed optimal inventory levels at all times through optimized procurement strategy and negotiated with global and OEM suppliers and realized 18% business growth annually
• Conceptualized and executed various national marketing campaigns including ATL and BTL activities for different brands to build brand equity and drive sales volume & market share
• Collaborated with the marketing team for brand activation of our OEM brand (total turnover of over USD 100 million) backed by product redesign.
• Lead the merchandising strategy while following the global best practices
• Monitored category operation’s adherence to budget and business plans
• Successfully realized a year on year growth of over 18% primarily by gaining market share.
• Realized over USD 0.5Mn in savings through increased supplier support, favorable payment terms etc.
• Responsible for developing category budget keeping in view the regional and international trends
• Developed a comprehensive strategy for the category to ensure sustained competitive advantage in Kuwait and leverage it for possible entry into new markets
• Launched world class e-commerce web portal (xcite.com) in 6 months from inception and collaborated with multiple teams across the globe to ensure rapid deployment of technology and website development
• Led development, launch and marketing of OEM ICT brand - EQ in partnership with Microsoft & Intel
• Led development of store layout and merchandising plan for 4000sqm mall based store (Avenues Mall)
• Developed and launched new categories such as health & wellness, electronic toys and accessories as part of new initiatives for business growth
• Established strategic exclusive partnerships with key brands to introduce, develop and grow new categories
• Gained solid customer and market insights and developed strategy for product development, pricing, promotions, merchandising to add incremental business volume of 10% and strengthening profitability
• Developed and executed marketing campaigns to launch new brands and establish x-cite as destination store
• Increased accessories range to improve attachment rate from 1% to 3% increasing business profitability
• Responsible for sales forecasting, ordering and scheduling to maintain optimum inventory levels
• Designed unique in-store mood zones for visual merchandising strategy for improved customer experience
• Identified process improvement opportunities and implemented innovative solutions such as ABC classification for stock management, planogram for merchandising and analytical dashboard
•Worked in the Personal Loan and Credit Card Department under the supervision of the Regional Sales Manager and managed the sales force team to meet set targets
•Developed Sales Reporting Management Information System for reporting and analytical analysis
•Identified bottlenecks and improved systems and procedures to increase operational efficiency
•Conducted lectures & tutorials, supervised exams and graded reports, assignments & exams
•Displayed excellent leadership, communication and supervision skills and promoted strong work ethics
•Developed student’s problem solving, analytical and intellect through knowledge sharing
•Developed and maintained an environment conducive to learning and personal growth of 50 residents by facilitating a community support system which promoted mutual respect, dignity and consideration
•Organized educational and recreational programs and trained in peer counseling, leadership skills, effective communication skills, teamwork, issues of diversity, resource management, conflict management
Case based MBA program setup by Harvard Business School Projects •Developed corporate HR strategy for Telenor to position as an ‘Employer of Choice’ •Developed distribution plan for Nestle Supply Chain and reduced lead times, costs and inventory •Developed financial and capital budgeting models to evaluate project feasibilities
•Awarded Deans Honour List at McMaster University •Achieved fifth position in the 2002 IEEE C++ programming contest sponsored by Motorola Canada
•Recipient of Advance Placements (AP) Scholar with Honor award in 2000 for excellent score in AP Exams •Received Cambridge Information Technology (CIT) project certification in 2000 by The University of Cambridge (UK) for the design of a computerized system to replace an old manual system