Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Seasoned professional with a long history of working in the construction industry. Skilled in different sales channels, go to market strategies, creating the right distribution setup, business development, and training. Developed a strong network with Interior Designers and Developers in the Middle East. Developed competencies in Accounting and Supply Chain combined with various modules in SAP. Holder of a Masters degree of Maastricht University.
Responsible for building the brand in the region and handling all key accounts
Responsible for the global brands Roca and Laufen in the region. Since 2020 we have carefully managed the increase of energy costs in our strategic pricing, in order to preserve market share. Via specification and relationships with developers and Interior designers, we were able to conclude projects together with our distributors. We were able to secure and supply multiple high-end projects, with following top references: Katara Lusail Towers (both the Fairmont and Raffles hotel) and Royal Atlantis on the Palm. Furthermore we have been able to build a solid relationship with Aldar properties in Abu Dhabi, Select Group / Dubai holdings / Azizi / MAF/ Nakheel in Dubai and Arada in Sharjah. Latest development is consideration of the Laufen brand in Omniyat, a developer in UAE with top high-end residential buildings. Within the developer community we apply either Roca or Laufen, depending on which segment of the market is relevant. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we are concentrating on Red Sea/Amaala, Diriyah Gate and recently Neom. We have identified multiple mega developments in the major cities, which we are influencing via the Red Sea Global company, as well as various design offices in Dubai. In terms of branding, we have our focus on product/Brand display in Dubai and Riyadh. Latest development is a full Laufen display at Casamia in Dubai. Riyadh will follow later at Ebaa House, one of the major players in Saudi Arabia.
Main activities 1. Reorganisation Customer Services Department: removal from Czech Republic to Switzerland. 2. Reorganisation Commercial Department. Redundancy 3 area managers, setup 2 agencies. One in Middle East and One in South America. 3. Investigation into local production in Africa under a licensing agreement. 4. Appointment and build-up of new distributors in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. We were able to increase sales in above mentioned countries, while carefully managing the gross margin. The Laufen distribution was changed in Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain, further solidifying the brand in the Middle East region.
Main Achievements 1. Implementation of a simplified brand strategy per export region, whereby the focus was changed from 7 to 2 ceramic brands (Keramag and Twyford) 2. Set up local sourcing with a limited number of partners in China 3. Set up local invoicing in China 4. Development of export specific products from European origin 5 Sourcing of products from China, destined for sales in the Middle East 6. Set up local sourcing in Egypt
1. Implementation Lead Logistics Provider concept (partial outsourcing logistics) 2. Closure factory in Belgium 3. Closure of 2 warehouses, reorganisation main Distribution Center, Setup second Distribution Center 4. Implementation SAP and external WMS 5. Centralising 2 Distribution Centers into 1 central DC 6. Implementation Lead Logistics Provider concept (partial outsourcing logistics) 7. Closure factory in Belgium 8. Centralising 2 Distribution Centers into 1 central DC