General Manager (CEO)
Fathima Group
Total years of experience :32 years, 6 Months
Responsibilities:
Providing strategic direction
Restructuring & Centralizing verticals
Business Process reengineering (BPR & SOP)
Business & Team Development
Multiple cost saving projects already initiated, restructuring and synergies designed for effective central operations. Managing Sales & distribution, Manufacturing, New business set up, etc.
Responsibilities: (Sales)
Support turnaround initiatives by implementing turnaround interventions in sales & marketing, and report to CEO
Lead sales & marketing and export teams (comprising 300 professionals) towards achieving revenue growth & profitability targets
Facilitate to build team capability through professional development & skills development programs
Administer sales, distribution and operation budgets and ensure best value for capital employed
Responsibilities: (Marketing)
Forecast yearly sales volume, suggest pricing strategies based on market intelligence, and lead NPD and launch
Lead development of architecture, role, platforms, and growth plans for brands to drive expansion across both established and new entry markets
Develop marketing strategy by studying economic indicators, tracking changes in supply and demand, identifying customers and their current and future needs, monitoring the competition
Finalize marketing plans and programs for each product, directing promotional support
Maintain relations with customers by organizing and developing specific customer- relations programs, determining company presence at conventions, annual meetings, trade associations, and seminars
Influence present and future products by determining and evaluating current and future market trends
Develop new uses for existing products by analyzing statistics regarding market development, acquiring and analyzing market share data, consulting with internal and external sources
Provide strategic frameworks and direction to drive holistic and integrated business planning
• Report to the Managing Director and lead a team of 45 professional in business development, sales & marketing to deliver revenue, growth & profitability targets.
• Develop and implement strategies & plans that assure operational excellence and stakeholder satisfaction cementing the company’s market leadership.
• Administer sales, marketing, distribution and operation budgets and ensure best value for capital employed.
Achievements
• Turned around the business from a decline of -6% in 2009 to a positive growth of +7% in 2010, achieving a swing of 13%.
• Built relationships with key accounts like Carrefour, Lulu, Coops & Aswaaq gaining targeted space & visibility and resulted in growth of 37%.
• Successfully guided 2 cycles of price revisions maintaining profitability & volumes to account for escalations in input costs.
• Designed a multi-pack for carbonated soft drinks with bar coding accelerating sales at various key accounts.
• Designed a cost effective T. V. commercial for juices and CSD which could be used for multiple events.
• Negotiated and finalized attractive media buying deals
• Training and Development of team members
GULF INTERNATIONAL, Dubai, UAE
A leading FMCG distributor dealing with food - Kraft, Lindt, Hero, Bahlsen, AB Foods, Kerry Foods & Isostar and non-food - Johnson & Johnson, Henkel, Crème 21, Parker pens & Paseo tissues portfolios with about 1000 SKUs.
Marketing Manager
• Reported to the General Manager and led a team of 4 Brand Managers and 1 Trade Marketing Manager and managed all marketing activities to promote business growth while maintaining gross profitability by assuring best value for budgeted spends.
• Developed and implemented marketing strategies for each brand and product category in coordination with the respective brand owner to achieve mutually agreed objectives.
• Liaised with advertisement agencies for deciding optimum media mix, spends and campaigns to achieve maximum impact within allotted budgets.
• Developed 3600 campaigns for new product launches coordinating with brand owners and sales teams to achieve all re-launch objectives.
• Negotiated and finalized annual trade agreements with key accounts for achieving predefined objectives.
Achievements
• Built sustainable long term win-win relationships with modern & conventional retail partners like Carrefour, Lulu, Geant, Panda & Spinneys, All Cooperatives.
• Revamped the MIS designing effective report formats to capture critical parameters to aid management monitoring and decision making.
• Built substantial volumes for the Isostar isotonic drink through focused advertising in the peak period.
• Created cost effective inventory control systems generating consistent profitable growth through automatic forecasting & tracking using SAP.
Sales Manager,
• Reported to the General Manager and led a team of 18 in sales & marketing of the product range in Northern Emirates.
• Developed annual business plans and monthly rolling sales forecasts and monitored performances of various markets & product segments for effective mid-term corrections.
• Tracked competitor activities and implemented effective countermeasures for retaining & growing market shares.
• Built & sustained trade relations enabling easy listings better displays, visibility and sales.
• Coordinated with principals & developed and implemented a mix of marketing & sales strategies - promotions, demos, POS visibility & merchandizing, branding, ad campaigns and ATL/BTL campaigns.
Achievements
• Led cross functional teams with members from sales, marketing, logistics and finance in two organization restructuring programs the first for a transition from brand management to channel management and the next for implementation of a blended approach with dedicated & shared resources.
• Initially managed a portfolio of products comprising Nestle Coffee-mate, Purina, CPC-Mazola & Lindt and achieved a swing of 21% in six months from -14% to +7%.
• Managed the successful launch of Hero baby food across the UAE achieving higher than estimated sales.
• Identified and tapped the potential to drive sales of a portfolio of impulse products through outlets at gas stations of Eppco & Emarat.
• Improved the efficiency of processes catering to mid market and lower market segments by automating distribution through hand held terminals.
HUNTER FOODS LLC, Dubai UAE
A leading snack foods manufacturing & distributing company with products like potato chips, lentil poppadums, corn poppatillas, fried onions and ice lollies. http://www.hunterfoods.net
Sales Manager,
• Reported to the General Manager and led a team of 11 in business development, sales & marketing in UAE.
• Developed sales budgets, sales plans, promotions and merchandizing delivering sales, net revenue and profitability targets.
• Looked after inventory management/stock rotation, channel management and trade receivables management assuring cost effective distribution of products.
• Managed, led and motivated sales and field personnel to achieve individual & team targets.
• Conducted market research and developed strategies to counter competition activities and improve market share.
Achievements
• Reversed the negative trend of sales growth from -28% to +5% on a year to year basis achieving a swing of 33% in the first year.
• Revamped route planning and category management processes using 80:20 principles.
• Created and rolled out innovative ‘in-pack’ promotions for Aladdin extruded potato crisps gaining markets share through brand shift from competition.
PARLE PRODUCTS LTD, Delhi India
Parle is India’s largest manufacturer of biscuits and confectionary. Its brands include the world’s largest selling biscuit Parle-G. http://www.parleproducts.com
Area Manager,
• Led a field force of 9 territory supervisors, 42 distributors 3 C&F agents and 126 van salesmen in selling the company’s products in Eastern UP.
• Developed annual product and territory wise sales forecasts and monitored performance through quarterly & monthly reviews guiding distributors on strategies to make up shortfalls.
• Coordinated with distributors and C&F agents and ensured on shelf availability across all formats of retail. Monitored inventories to ensure turnover and minimize expiry of products.
• Developed effective market segmentation strategies, pricing policies and promotion schemes to achieve volume, revenue and market share targets.
• Implemented the company’s credit policy and assured on time collection of receivables adhering to commercial norms.
• Handled and resolved customer grievances and provided feedback to management for corrective & preventive actions.
Territory Supervisor - Delhi,
• Managed the full cycle of distribution of the company’s products covering development of monthly & weekly plans, distribution operations through a fleet of vans and analysis of variations in results from targets for effecting remedial actions.
• Expanded the depth & penetration across the territory by enrolling new distributors and retailers.
• Trained and motivated distributors and their sales forces to promote retention and achieve predefined targets.
• Developed and implemented cost effective promotion plans to drive sales and launch new products assuring optimum return on investments to distributors.
• Implemented schemes promoting secondary sales of products from the distribution vans.
• Spearheaded the successful rollout of programs like Video on Wheels for effective rural market penetration through micro level promotions in target areas.
Achievements
• Was recognized at National Sales Conferences as the 2nd Best Territory Supervisor at all India Level & the Best Territory Supervisor North Zone, 1993-94 and the 2nd Best Territory Supervisor North Zone, 1992-93.
• Was a project coordinator for training van salesmen and trainee supervisors on product and selling skills.
Professional learning & up gradation
Schooling from Dehra Dun
