Aayat Khan
Dubai
Summary
Dynamic, result-producing Senior Retail professional with a proven track in a leadership role with a record of delivering growth.
Relishes working in challenging environments, with immense experience in handling International brand operations and business development.
Performed high-quality customer service, and empowered the team by coaching and training.
With MBA in International Business and all-around hands-on experience in launching, upholding, and promoting Sacoor Brothers, Landmark Group, Al-Hokair Group brands across MENA, CIS, and Africa. With extensive technical and interpersonal Skills.
Identified new partners, signed new Countries for Sacoor Brothers in Europe (Cyprus, Ukraine, Romania), North Africa (Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), CIS (Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan), ASIA (Srilanka, Philippines, Philippines, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan), Africa (Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania), and Oman.
Achieved 10M USD wholesale business, Opened 25 stores within 12 months, across CIS, North Africa, and Asia.
Opened 130,000 Sq. Ft of Mall in Libya which was one of its kind in the country, taking ownership of the complete project, planning, Procurement, brand mix, and Operations.
Increased Retail business space from 30,000 Sq. Ft in 2011 till 500,000 Sq. Ft in 2014 with a turnover of 5 million USD to 72 million USD.
Proficient in using independent decision-making skills and sound judgment to positively impact company success.
Dedicated to applying training, monitoring, and morale-building abilities to enhance employee engagement and boost performance.
Dedicated Retail professional with a history of meeting company goals utilizing consistent and organized practices.
Skilled in working under pressure and adapting to new situations and challenges to best enhance the organizational brand.
Collaborative leader with a dedication to partnering with coworkers to promote an engaged, empowering work culture.
Documented strengths in building and maintaining relationships with a diverse range of stakeholders in dynamic, fast-paced settings.
Organized and dependable candidate successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude.
Willingness to take on added responsibilities to meet team goals. Highly-skilled Chief Operations Officer with extensive experience overseeing operations and employees. Dedicated to promoting the company culture and enhancing brand awareness to increase client bases and profitability.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Operations Officer
Lighthouse Middle East Trading FZE
03.2022 - Current
- Sourcing stocks globally for 10 outlets of 10,000 Sqm in North Africa.
- Supported business growth through strategic planning and process development.
- Met customer service standards and expectations consistently by effectively communicating and actively listening.
- Streamlined company processes and procedures while enhancing customer satisfaction.
- Made decisions with broad and positive impact on security management operations.
- Increased profitability by optimizing sales and fulfilling lower overhead costs.
- Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors, and strategic partners.
- Oversaw business-wide changes to modernize procedures and organization.
- Maintained P&L and shouldered corporate fiscal responsibility.
- Communicated business performance, forecasts, and strategies to investors and shareholders.
- Oversaw divisional marketing, advertising, and new product development.
- Devised and presented business plans and forecasts to board of directors.
Business Operations Director
SACOOR BROTHERS
01.2021 - 03.2022
- Handled problematic customers and clients to assist lower-level employees and maintain excellent customer service.
- Managed purchasing, sales, marketing and customer account operations efficiently.
- Reported issues to higher management with great detail.
- Implemented business strategies, increasing revenue and effectively targeting new markets.
- Supervised creation of exciting merchandise displays to catch attention of store customers.
- Mitigated business risks by working closely with staff members and assessing performance.
- Negotiated price and service with customers and vendors to decrease expenses and increase profit.
- Updated and resolved incidents and managed accessorial charges objectively while maximizing profit.
- Implemented innovative programs to increase employee loyalty and reduce turnover.
- Reduced operational risks while organizing data to forecast performance trends.
- Reduced budgetary expenditures by effectively negotiating contracts for more advantageous terms.
- Interacted well with customers to build connections and nurture relationships.
- Trained and guided team members to maintain high productivity and performance metrics.
Global Franchisee Expansion Director
SACOOR BRATHERS
03.2018 - 12.2020
- Reporting directly to co- founders and chairman of the group
- Sign off franchisee agreements for various partners/countries along with pricing structure for the market with expected intake and exit margins
- Fostering, taking developing measures to retain and improve brand value, identity to increase market share
- Manage and drive new project, New Store openings, site inspection, budget planning, business plans
- Going above and beyond to Support implementation of business strategies, and formulating expansion plan
- Monitor the sales and performance of all stores including franchisee, achieved margins as per set action plan
- Monitor the stock depth to be maximized at all times to all stores to exceed sales and profit
- Stocks Planning, build up Logistics network, buying budget based on the business plan and requirement
- Handling E-Commerce department, driving the sales performance of the e-commerce platform
- Identify Vendors to sell old clearance stocks, for the group level in all regions with a good price
- General oversight of all operational and business functions
- Develop department strategy for the brand, franchisee
- Help determine resource and allocation
- Facilitate resolution of issues between departments
- Introduced improved logistics and replenishment model, which drove efficiency in replenishment, generating significant cost savings, store fulfillment which ultimately helped in uplifting sales
- Plan effective marketing, promotional campaign for offline and ecommerce business
- Set Annual training calendar by identifying training needs, based on skills gap, and oversee learning activities.
Head of Operations
SENWAN GROUP, ELAF FASHION
09.2010 - 02.2018
- Handled retail Business space of over 500,000 sqft
- And turnover of 72 million USD
- Strategic Planning & Development of Franchise business for Senwan in Algeria, Egypt & Tunisian Market
- Set and monitored annual budgets for departments and entire business.
- Developed strategy to combat increased competitive presence within territory.
- Established clear and competitive goals, growth roadmaps, and strategic business plans.
- Responsible for operations of more than 20 international brand partners, in terms of budget, merchandising, finalize the contract, Project Development, LP, etc
- Accountable for the profitable turnaround and growth of the International fashion, franchise division
- Secured the International Brand Franchisee Like Landmark Group, TATI, Jennyfer, BHS, Dune, Clarks, Calliope
- Terranova, and Koton for the group in North Africa Market
- Increased market share by launching new brands like Promod, Jennyfer, Okaidi, YVR, Koton, Colin's, Bossini by penetrating the market
- Streamlined costs through proactive examination and improvement of operations.
- Setting, implementation of business plans successfully, achievement of budgeted sales, margins, & net profit
- Monitored and analyzed the financial performance of the brand and identifying the scope of improvement
- Researched competition relative to pricing, merchandising, store standards, and sales
- Continuously evaluate processes, procedures, identify gaps if any, and recommend a corrective action plan by enforcing operating systems, tools if required.
- Developed and implemented successful strategies for building company sales.
Supply Chain Manager
AL HOKAIR GROUP
07.2008 - 08.2010
- Overseeing, and managing Company's Overall Supply Chain, logistic Strategy, and operations to maximize the process, efficiency, and productivity
- Analyses, Planning, and implements various Logistics systems & procedures to achieve corporate business targets through operational excellence
- Work collaboratively with internal and external teams to resolve issues with a great relationship
- Streamlined, and rationalize logistics services & effective monitoring of transit times to ensure the fastest deliveries
- Preparing SOPs on Processes and Procedures to ensure smooth operations of Logistics
- Analyzing the loss in transit and undertaking measures to control the same
- Prepare the transport budget for the company based on current & future requirements
- Ensure the team is fully trained on health and Safety to deal with emergency issues for self and the business
- Verifying inventory for audit purposes and quarterly reconciliation
- Conducting Inventory analysis, lead time, vendor rating, and development with regular stock verification of stocks
- Tracked and monitored purchase orders, deliveries, and invoicing to verify accuracy and compliance.
- Oversaw demand planning, purchasing, and logistics.
- Improved, standardized, and documented planning and scheduling processes.
- Implemented inventory-management strategies to maximize availability and decrease waste.
- Monitored and tracked supplier performance to enforce adherence to quality standards and established timelines.
- Streamlined shipping and receiving operations to reduce errors and improve customer satisfaction.
- Integrated financial and operation plans with strategic objectives to deliver improved operational and financial results to boost customer satisfaction, profitability, and working capital.
- Developed and enforced policies and procedures in compliance with local and federal regulations.
- Designed plant layouts, tooling fixtures, and flowcharts of materials to meet delivery targets.
- Forecasted and managed the annual operating budget for every location.
- Reduced inventory levels and improved supply chain visibility using strategic initiatives.
- Supervised 150 staff members tasked with handling materials management, planning, purchasing, and customer service duties
- Provided supply chain guidance to a team of 150 employees
Warehouse Manager
LANDMARK GROUP
10.2006 - 06.2008
- Accountable for new Warehouse setup with boltless shelving and Automated system
- Responsible for timely deliveries to Retail Shops & Franchisees, Inventory management, preparation of MIS reports
- Maintaining quality standards, storing, health and safety norms
- Planning of equipment, manpower, systems, and stocks to ensure there is ample stacking of supplies at stores
- Adhering to FIFO stacking, performance exceeds expectation
- Safeguards warehouse operations and contents by establishing, and monitoring security procedures, and protocols.
- Cleaned and maintained thewarehouse in compliance with OSHA safety standards.
- Redesigned warehouse layout to accommodate new equipment, maximize space utilization and optimize processes.
- Completed timely and accurate daily logs to keep internal reporting accurate and track materials movements.
- Improved delivery plans with strong scheduling knowledge, organizational skills, and route development expertise.
- Offered expertise in inventory management and current stock levels to internal teams and customers to facilitate accuracy and product availability.
- Boosted warehouse operations performance by overseeing dispatching and setting optimal employee schedules.
SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE
ANAND PULP IMPEX LTD, DELHI
01.2004 - 09.2006
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
DEBONAIR ALBATROSS LOGISTICS LTD, DELHI
07.2002 - 12.2003
Education
MBA - International Business
AIMA-CME
New, Delhi06.2005
Bachelor of Science - Math, Physics, Chemistry
Purvanchal University
India06.2003
Skills
- Self-Motivated
- Excellent Communication
- Training and Development
- Google Workspace
- Interpersonal Communication
- Analytical and Critical Thinking
- Teamwork and Collaboration
- Process and Procedure Refinement
- Management Team Leadership
- P&L Responsibility
- Multi-Site Operations
- New Business Development
Languages
English
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Hindi
Bilingual or Proficient (C2)
Arabic
Intermediate (B1)
Urdu
Advanced (C1)
Timeline
Chief Operations Officer
Lighthouse Middle East Trading FZE
03.2022 - Current
Business Operations Director
SACOOR BROTHERS
01.2021 - 03.2022
Global Franchisee Expansion Director
SACOOR BRATHERS
03.2018 - 12.2020
Head of Operations
SENWAN GROUP, ELAF FASHION
09.2010 - 02.2018
Supply Chain Manager
AL HOKAIR GROUP
07.2008 - 08.2010
Warehouse Manager
LANDMARK GROUP
10.2006 - 06.2008
SENIOR SALES EXECUTIVE
ANAND PULP IMPEX LTD, DELHI
01.2004 - 09.2006
BUSINESS EXECUTIVE
DEBONAIR ALBATROSS LOGISTICS LTD, DELHI
07.2002 - 12.2003
MBA - International Business
AIMA-CME
Bachelor of Science - Math, Physics, Chemistry
Purvanchal University
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