Azhar Rashid
Dubai,UAE
Summary
Accomplished professional with expertise in leadership and safety, driving team development and manufacturing strategy. Proficient in budgeting, financial planning, and product development, with a focus on enhancing business operations through effective merger and acquisition strategies. Skilled in contract negotiations and KPI implementation, optimizing production performance via lean methodologies and OPEX transformation. Proven success in greenfield and brownfield projects, ensuring CAPEX and OPEX efficiency while maintaining accountability for profit and loss.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
6
6
years of post-secondary education
1
1
Certification
Work history
Factory Manager
Al Ghurair Foods
Dubai
07.2023 - 12.2025
- Leading end-to-end factory operations for 600 MT/month liquid egg manufacturing, covering production, quality, maintenance, supply chain alignment and factory performance.
- Leadership Impact:
- Directed AED 60M Egg Liquid Plant integration project
- Delivered 38% energy cost reduction via fuel conversion project
- Improved line utilization and reduced wastage by 6%
- Implemented digital OEE and KPI performance system
- Led brownfield expansion increasing daily throughput
- Established factory SOPs and GMP quality compliance
- Leading automation upgrades and utility optimization
- As CI & Operations Manager core responsibility includes complete gamut of Operations Management, Process Optimization, New Product Development, Quality Management, People Management, Training & Development, Strategic Capacity Planning & Recipe Engineering.
- KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Developing yearly business plan for Manufacturing, Quality & Operations department in alignment with organizations strategic vision, defining KPI& KRA's for respective functions.
- Working on yield, efficiency, OEE improvement, employee engagement, preparing individual training plan in alignment to business target to improve overall organizational performance.
- Monitoring daily operational metrics for Operations, Plant, QAPD, Dispatch, ERP for accuracy & ensuring operational goal is realized.
- Effective management of all Quality functions within organization. Develop, implement & maintain preventive FSMS which identifies all business risks & ensure adequate measures are in place to eliminate risks or reduce them to acceptable level whereby causing no harm to consumers & business. Applying & verifying compliance to all legal/statutory requirements for both Saudi Arabia & Gulf Standards.
- Assigning & monitoring Operations, Quality plan to respective department heads & ensuring it is achieved on daily, weekly & monthly basis.
- Preparing related project schedules & allocating budgets & resources effectively for optimal utilization & results.
- Providing strategic support & thought leadership to implement Operation Excellence principles for zero defect operations.
CI & Senior Manager (Manufacturing)
Almarai Company
Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
07.2012 - 07.2023
- Driven change management initiatives resulting in organisational agility.
- Facilitated cross-functional collaboration leading to improved operational efficiency.
- Led strategic planning meetings, resulting in clear business objectives.
- Implemented operational improvements to reduce costs and drive revenue in alignment with corporate objectives.
- Led multiple Greenfield and brownfield projects — including full plant design, installation, commissioning, and validation of new dairy and liquid egg facilities.
- Executed AED 60M expansion plan integrating liquid egg to egg-powder conversion; projected ROI of 22% and payback in 4 years.
- Delivered 7.5M SAR annualized savings via process re-engineering, automation, and Lean initiatives.
- Increased plant OEE by 18% and reduced production losses by 6%, enhancing profitability and capacity
- Demonstrated excellence in Managing Quality Team in activities like implementation of FSMS, QMS, Customer & Consumer Complaints Investigation and CAPA activities, External and Internal Audits, Pest Control and Overall Hygiene activity of plant.
- Lead overall Operational excellence & Quality Control function by ensuring to increase our OEE without affecting product quality and focusing on FTR.
- Lead Installation, commissioning and Bio validation of Aseptic fillers (Tetra, Krones, Sidel and Combibloc)
- Part of team for designing, installation and Commissioning of new Plants (Reception lines, Pasteurizer’s, fillers, tanks, CIP stations)
- Bottle necked chill chain management- Optimized cooling tunnel cycle
- Fostered a positive work environment that encouraged creativity and innovation.
- Negotiated major contracts, achieving favourable terms for the company.
Education
B. Tech - Dairy Technology
Allahabad Agricultural institute deemed university
Allahabad 01.2005 - 01.2009
M. Tech - Food Technology (Food Quality Management)
Sam Higgin bottom institute of Agriculture Technology and Sciences
Allahabad 01.2009 - 01.2011
Skills
- Visionary and safety leadership
- Manufacturing strategy and process design
- Financial planning and budgeting
- Product development insights
- Merger and acquisition strategies
- Collaborative decision-making
- Lean transformation, CAPEX & OPEX efficiency management
- Greenfield and brownfield project execution
Certification
- LSSGB Certified
- ALBI Lead Auditor
- Basic & Advanced HACCP Certified
- Certified Kaizen Lean Manager
- Certified TQM Manager
- FSSC 22000 V5.1/ ISO 22000:2018 Lead auditor
- FSSC 22000 V5 Management system internal auditing
Languages Known
English
Hindi
Urdu
Basic Arabic
Accomplishments
- Led multiple greenfield and brownfield projects — including full plant design, installation, commissioning, and validation of new dairy and liquid egg facilities.
- Executed AED 60M expansion plan integrating liquid egg to egg-powder conversion; projected ROI of 22% and payback in 4 years.
- Delivered 7.5M SAR annualized savings via process re-engineering, automation, and Lean initiatives.
- Increased plant OEE by 18% and reduced production losses by 6%, enhancing profitability and capacity
PRODUCT EXPOSURE
- Liquid Eggs- Liquid Whole Egg, Liquid Yolk, Liquid Albumin, Salted and sweet yolk.
- Dairy Fresh Fresh Milk, Fresh Flavored Milk, Yoghurts, Fermented drinks, Desserts, Fermented & non-fermented cream.
- Dairy Long life UHT milk, UHT flavored milk, UHT cream, Canned Cream, Evaporated milk, Whey protein powder, SMP, WMP.
- Drinks Fresh Juice, Nectar & Drinks
- Foods Cheese, Ketchup, Noodles (Basic)
- Fat Rich Products Ghee, Butter oil, Butter, Creams
- Carbonated Soft drinks
PERSONAL DETAILS
- Date of Birth: 4th March 1986
- Present Address: Dubai, UAE
- Permanent Address: Sopore, Kashmir
- Nationality: Indian
Timeline
Factory Manager
Al Ghurair Foods
07.2023 - 12.2025
CI & Senior Manager (Manufacturing)
Almarai Company
07.2012 - 07.2023
M. Tech - Food Technology (Food Quality Management)
Sam Higgin bottom institute of Agriculture Technology and Sciences
01.2009 - 01.2011
B. Tech - Dairy Technology
Allahabad Agricultural institute deemed university
01.2005 - 01.2009