Rabih Zebian

Leading the Pharmacies channel in HPC with Procter & Gamble, Food with Nutrica & drug/pharma with Pharmapal to ensure top distribution level while increasing profitability and market leadership for all three product units.

Selected Contributions:
• Responsible for top and bottom line growth of Pharmacy channel across all categories
• On-boarding of new brands within the channel
• Managing suppliers across HPC, Food and drug pharmaceuticals
• Negotiating and implementing yearly strategic plans & agreements, events, and activities with customers and suppliers alike.
• Optimizing route to market for the channel to ensure team efficiency and maximize channel profitability.

Managing and growing the biggest retailers in UAE by an average of 4% for selling-in Procter & Gamble products across multiple trade channels. Organizing an event calendar that has improved offtake by a whopping 7% during activation periods.

Managed and developed of the e-Commerce platform and operations for www.VeerBox.com to ensure all needed processes are performed at peak ability wile exceeding consumer expectations.


Selected Contributions:

Ensured the VeerBox website has no operational issues or bugs.

Monitoring and reporting on payment, fraud, shipping, checkout, chargebacks, promotional, and all on-site operational owned functions.

Developing sales targets, plans, and strategies for multiple eCommerce channels.

Digital marketing analysis and planning to improve consumer experiences.

Act as project lead on operational initiatives with regards to online expansion into new countries, with new partners and with new onsite 3rd parties to increase conversion and better the overall customer experience.

 Focusing on business development, planning, implementing and coordinating sales activities to achieve sales and gross profit margins
 Locating and proposing potential business deals through prospecting, discovering and exploring opportunities.
 Developing and negotiating contracts in addition to integrating contract requirements with business operations.
 Nurturing key customer relationships while successfully delivering against the customer's expectations.
 Analyzing local market trends and competitor activity to identify business leads, developing and implementing creative local marketing channels and avenues for business growth.
 Managing staff performance in compliance with company policies and procedures, recruiting, managing, training and developing the sales team.
 Working on brand development and regional expansion initiatives to increase brand recall and awareness across target client groups and engaging in strategic alliances to grow the business.

 Entrusted with improving relationships with the distributor, developed and implement a sales strategy unique for each country, built relationships with key clients and served as the go to person for the design consultants in these countries.
 Developed and nurtured relationships with strategic partners, reinforced unique value propositions to the clients and met both individual and team targets proactively.
 Provided monthly/weekly reports and analysis of the evolution of the client base, tracked using quantitative, qualitative, customer satisfaction and KPIs defined in consultation with the management.
 Assumed responsibility for sales operations and strategy, monitored the business reports and took strategic decisions on a daily basis.
 Demonstrated the highest level of personalized service to customers, tracked the quality of operations, and managed expectations of the owners and clients as needed.

Ensure profitability & fulfillment of set goals for the department under my supervision.
Review & approval of yearly budgets with sales & brand managers.
assess FMCG brands & opportunities for distribution in the local market.
Managing the IBI which is a team of eight personnel.

June 2009- Present Holdal/ Abouadal group Dekwaneh, Beirut, Lebanon
Development & Export Manager
• Commercial: supervising the sales team figures & achievements taking actions to achieve set targets in both for local & export markets.
• Setting price structures & commercial strategies for my brands in local & export markets.
• Marketing: preparing yearly & seasonal plans for brand exposure & tactical offers.
• Development: upgrading current brand products (updating existent or creating new lines) to meet with changing consumer needs & market trends.
• Production: working in line with production unit on forecasts, raw material orders & assembly to deliver finished goods upon customer's request.
• Plan, analyze & take corrective action regarding department financial & commercial budgets to reach set profitability & commercial goals.

July 2007- May 2009 Heineken NV / Brasserie Almaza Dora, Beirut, Lebanon
Export Manager
• Increased Export department profitability by more than 10% over previous fiscal years.
• Successful re-launch of the Laziza as a non alcoholic malt beverage in a global market & GCC countries in particular.
• Plan and implement with global distributors ATL, BTL, and trade marketing activities.
• Prepare and implement the yearly commercial and marketing export strategy for Almaza & Laziza.
• Gain new international markets and secure sales volumes.
• Control and supervise the activities performed by the export team.
• Preparing and representing Brasserie Almaza in international exhibitions (Anuga, SIAL, and Fancy Food NY)
• Negotiate existing and new customer's contracts.

Jan 2005- June 2007 Heineken NV/ Brasserie Almaza Dora, Beirut, lebanon

Head of Customer Back Office
• Managing local and international customer's financial operation.
• Study of customers credit applications.
• Controlling yearly marketing budgets.
• Controlling customer contracts and marketing agreements.
• Approval of daily reports (Sales and Aging)
• Managing excise duties with Lebanese ministry of finance.
• Helping Information Technology department implementing the ERP application (Oracle 9i, Dataflow, and IMAD)

June 2004- Jan2005 SMLC / Pepsi Choueifat, Lebanon

Payroll Supervisor, Assistant Cash management Supervisor
• Financial Control over all related accounts to payroll.
• Preparing financial studies and analysis.
• Preparing Monthly and an YTD (year to date) Reconciliations.
• Control and supervision of Bank reconciliation.