Head of Business Development
Hunter Foods Limited FZCO
Total years of experience :19 years, 8 Months
As part of the Senior Management of the company my core responsibilities revolve around developing the sales strategy of the business, from planning to implementation, inclusive of all markets, locally and worldwide. Developing and implementing sales and relationship strategies with sustainable goals and objectives in mind.
* Foster innovation and continuous improvement within the team
*Developing strategies to maximize distribution, reach and opportunity in the GCC and Global market
*Establish and maintain effective relations with all internal departments to maximize overall performance of the Sales Team
*Develop and agree an annual plan, budgets and strategies, monitor performances and initiating corrective actions where necessary to ensure set targets are achieved.
*Set KPI’s for the Sales Team
*Managing the P&L for the Sales Team by territory
*Develop and initiate any SOP’s to cover key areas and ensure effective systems are in place to monitor compliance of set standards
*Prepare and submit necessary reports on sales and costs and submit for review
*Maintain up to date knowledge of competitor activities and market place happenings.
*Recommend new and required training for essential personnel to ensure set targets are achieved in an ever changing landscape
*Ensure an adequate pipeline of skills for succession planning by implementing and activating a workforce progression plan
*Development of channel specific/region specific/segment specific sales programs and plan to develop and achieve sales plans and targets
*Building strong interaction between customers and Sales Team to build and maintain sustainable relationships to achieve set goals in the market.
*Interact and work alongside, all internal departments to ensure the development of the USP’s and core values of the business to ensure every team and every associate is carrying the same message forward for the company and conducting themselves in a manner which upholds the integrity of the organization at all times.
As part of a the C-Store Team my main responsibilities included, the design and development of products for the Private Label business, identifying and sourcing direct import products to create differentiation and boost category sales, innovative design and development of the newly launched Zoom Market outlets, effective management of the Pronto in store food service concept.
*Responsible for sourcing, design and development of the products suitable to added to the business as Private Label Brands
*Developing merchandising strategies, budgets, sales targets and profitable objectives for the Private Label products. Ensuring that the products and the Label met ales and profit goals.
*Assisted in setting up store layouts & merchandising standards across all sites.
*Developed the key strategy for the launch of direct imports into the business from around the globe, including the sourcing, requirements, authority approval requirements and the go to market strategy.
*Developing POSM for advertising and highlighting across multiple formats to drive the business to achieve the set goals and objectives for the products.
*Actively monitor the performance of the items to ensure objectives, sales goals and budgets are being achieved and shelf health Is being maintained.
*Managed & negotiated all Key Account Agreements with vendor to ensure maximum support for the business
*Responsible for setting category plans to achieve set targets and maximize growth
*Complete accountability for Category performance through managing pricing structures, new product launches, range management and creating additional visibility and exposure for the category
*Achieving set targets & budgets for sales & other income.
*Worked extensively in setting up the new brand image ‘Zoom’ stores on the Dubai Metro, across multiple internal departments and external vendors.
*Assisted in design concepts, layouts & in-store branding for the Zoom Outlets on the Dubai Metro.
*Assisted in setting out Plan-O-Grams for the Zoom stores as well as range selection for the sites on an individual basis.
*Added the Pronto fresh food Service Concept to my Category portfolio
*Assisted in re-visiting the recipes, range, pricing structure & positioning of the products.
*Worked with the operations team to set up the SOP for the sites.
*Assisted in sourcing and developing Pronto branded products from third party vendors to accompany existing products.
*Added the design and development of the New Zoom Market Concept Stores to my Category Portfolio, along with specialized products, both locally sourced and from abroad.
*Assisted in design & development of new outlets, including layouts, finishes, equipment requirements & selection and location selections.
*Assisted in the design & development of marketing collateral for in-store offers.
Working as part of the Regional Sales Team my Core responsibility was to deliver the target business objectives for sales and development within the undeveloped territory of Africa for Microsoft Windows ® Mobile Devices.
*Setting up of direct relations with South African networks to proceed with a direct model of distribution.
*Assisted the AMS department with the setting up of SLA agreements with the networks & the set-up of a third party service partner.
*Assisted to set-up an in country marketing strategy with the networks.
*Coordinating with the legal department in getting all the paperwork & documents prepared for the new partners.
*Coordinating with the logistics department to set up a secure shipping channel in country.
*Coordinating with the finance department to set up LC’s and other payment options for partners.
*Assisted in sourcing a field marketing team to handle the retail chains in country to develop a nationwide presence.
*Growing & developing of the business in the emerging markets of Africa.
*Sourcing potential distribution partners, checking their viability to handle our products in their market. Do market studies with information available on the internet & visit the territory to do a final viability check, to get a feel for the local market.
*Assisted to educate potential partners & end users in new market territories.
Setting budgets for the partners to achieve on a monthly & quarterly basis, to determine the strength of their business.
*Coordinating with the sales planner to obtain forecasts from customers to secure stock for the coming quarter.
*Coordinating with the marketing department to assist deployment of marketing ideas & implementation in the local markets.
*Achieving set budgets & goals for the region.
*Helped to grow the category by over 2000%, by putting many household consumable products on the shelf & thereby turning the label into a household brand.
*Communicated with Store Managers on a regular basis & to ensure high levels of availability.
*Assisted in implementing an awareness plan for the brand in stores.
*Assisted in growing the category from 30 items, to almost 200 items, which was one of the initial goals.
*Assisted in growing the business further, into a sustainable household brand.
*Promoted from Store Manager
*Responsible for running 8 of Spinneys’ stores in Sharjah & the Northern Emirates.
*Responsible for making the region profitable by monitoring the P&L and ensuring that all departments were performing according to budget.
*Worked with the Management Team to set departmental & store goals to achieve the set budgets.
*Through regular field visits, ensured that targets and cost objectives were being maintained.
*Weekly meetings were held to inform the Store Managers of their progress both on the cost & sales by going through the P&L with them & identifying potential problem areas.
*Responsible for staff issues that needed to be raised in Senior Management meetings, which took place weekly.
*Assisted in the re-merchandising of stores to ensure the best flow for consumer satisfaction.
*Assisted with the opening of the new stores and the revamping of existing stores
*Managed new recruit hiring and participated in the selection process for the trainee Managers.
*Coordinated with internal departments to prevent shortfalls in the budget & areas of cost reduction.
*During my time as Operations Manager I was assigned for 7 months in Oman, looking after the operation of Spinneys’ new acquisition of Al Fair Supermarkets in Muscat.
*The operation involved the running of 7 stores & trying to create the same feel at Al Fair as there was in the Spinneys Dubai stores.
*Assisted in making the business profitable & maintaining uniformity across all stores.
*Assisted in creating innovative & new promotions to entice the customers to the stores. Maintain a high standard of availability, which was lacking & assist with implementation of SAP at store level.
*Responsible for the entire staff compliment of the company & conducted weekly meetings to discuss targets, budgets & HR issues.
*Assisted in the promotional calendar & selecting of products & themes for the promotions.
*Returned to Dubai in April 2005, to take on a new challenge in the Trading Department, to better my all round knowledge, skill & ability of retail.
During this period of study i was able to learn the basics of business management that set the building blocks for my future growth as a sustainable leader.