Kim Jepsen

Director | C-level | Strategic Leader with Proven Business Transformation & Growth Success across Multiple International Retail / Ecommerce Sectors

Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

About

๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—˜๐˜…๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—Ÿ๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ with a record of conceptualising business strategies, transforming operating models, and empowering workforces to rapidly scale and ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ๐š๐ข๐ฅ ๐จ๐ซ ๐ž-๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ž๐ซ๐œ๐ž ๐›๐ซ๐š๐ง๐๐ฌ across Middle Eastern and European markets. Known for directing/inspiring cross-functional ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—บ๐˜€ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ+ people and ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐— ๐— $ ๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€ to steer all business aspects, surrounding operations, merchandising, logistics, buying, category management, and marketing. ๐—ง๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐—ป๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ with a reputation for elevating margin and turnover of underperforming retail brands by optimising buying strategy, introducing category management/supplier scorecards, eliminating discounts on bestsellers, and reducing headcount.

Experience

  • Commercial Director at Xhawi
    Sep 2025 - Present ยท 11 mos

  • Retail and Ecommerce Consultant at Ztotle consult
    Jul 2023 - Present ยท 3 yrs 1 mo

    Boutique consultancy focusing on retail and e-commerce, supporting market entries, scaling up and turnarounds with a focus on delivering high-impact solutions to our customers. Current projects include Franchise expansion of retail brands into the GCC and India, Franchise expansion of Kitchen and Bath concepts in the GCC, Training of retail teams, and Creating innovative e-commerce concepts.

  • Associate Director Business Development (Xhawi) at Publicis Sapient
    Mar 2024 - Sep 2025 ยท 1 yr 7 mos

    Working on a project launching TWO eCommerce marketplaces in Oman, A B2C marketplace (Xhawi.com) and a B2B2x marketplace, yet to be launched.

  • Chief Executive Officer at Nabay
    Jan 2022 - Jun 2023 ยท 1 yr 6 mos

    ๐—ฆ๐—–๐—ข๐—ฃ๐—˜: Deliver leadership to streamline business operations while overseeing the successful scaling and turnaround of Nabay.com. Conceptualise aggressive strategies, set long-term business goals, and execute innovative marketing plans to drive rapid business growth. Introduce category management and secure new delivery services through specialist 3PL providers locally and regionally. โ€ข Direct a team of 9 members, including two outsourced developers in India, to expand the business across KSA and UAE markets. โ€ข Boosted potential revenue growth in tier 2 markets by developing a franchise model for the platform for launch in Q2 2023 โ€ข Design a roadmap to drive technical improvement that enhances team efficiency. Strengthen the team's capability by recruiting a Head of Operation and a new Logistics Expert. โ€ข Enhance consumer experience by integrating innovative features to the landing page, including "meet the brand" and "flash deals." โ€ข Launching a "refer a friend" programme with a โ€œlow-techโ€ solution, to avoid initial development hours and roll out faster. โ€ข Propel business expansion by signing several international brands and purchasing customer databases of two platforms. โ€ข Ensure long-term sustainability of the organisation by working to secure 2nd round funding in liaison with the Chairman

  • General Manager (Contract) at Mercurius International
    May 2021 - Dec 2021 ยท 8 mos

    ๐—ฆ๐—–๐—ข๐—ฃ๐—˜: Provided strategic direction to steer logistical operations and drive retail and e-commerce business expansion into the KSA market. Led a team of 5 members to manage three eCommerce channels, including Jysk.ae, Noon.com, and call centre sales. Planned market entry and rollout of Ecommerce and retail stores in Saudi Arabia. โ€ข Realised a 43% reduction in last-mile delivery cost by eliminating operational inefficiencies and bringing strategic innovations. โ€ข Improved delivery speed and service quality by integrating new channels for eCommerce and retail