Bashar Adib Al Safadi

• Promote OUP academic journals and online products to institutions, driving interest and enhancing market penetration across the Middle East and Africa.
• Develop and execute annual business strategies across territories to maximize sales revenue, aligning yearly themes to drive focus and priorities within available resources.
• Prepare and manage the territory's annual budget to ensure costs are agreed upon and adhered to.
• Recruit, train, motivate, and lead a team of sales, marketing, and training executives to ensure individual and team performance consistently exceeds expectations across journals and online products.
• Foster strong relationships with senior librarians, academic staff, and senior administrators responsible for research and institutional development.
• Research new business opportunities to identify focus areas for promotion, including adapting existing content to local needs, translating it, and creating new products based on market demand.
• Stay informed on major projects and initiatives within the territory, including sector challenges, structure, and the formation of new consortiums, to guide marketing and sales activities.
• Establish and maintain regular communication with the UK-based Global Academic, Higher Education and Epigeum divisions, as well as regional managers worldwide, to ensure efficient and informed collaboration.

Key Achievements:

• Established and led the formation of a new team comprising four account managers and two marketing and training executives.
• Successfully secured new consortium deals across multiple regions, including Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and Kenya.
• Facilitated the onboarding of new business partners and sales agents in Egypt, Nigeria, and Saudi Arabia, ensuring seamless integration and alignment with organizational objectives.
• Negotiated and finalized a national license agreement in the UAE with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Foundation.

• Leading the strategic planning and execution of sales operations with a focus on revenue growth. Setting sales targets and KPIs to provide clear direction for the sales team, ensuring operational excellence.
• Managing products and sales for eight key publishing accounts, including Wiley, Oxford University Press, Emerald, and Cambridge University Press, in alignment with company business development goals and best sales practices.
• Analyzing competitor activities and market trends to identify untapped sales opportunities and customer segments. Coordinating channel activities to ensure effective product penetration in the target market.
• Strengthening the business network by building relationships with key market players and distribution partners. Supporting executive management in decision-making and strategic planning to expand the customer base.
• Managing budgets, reviewing financial reports, and driving continuous improvements in business processes to optimize resource allocation and ensure the successful delivery of the full product portfolio.
• Maintaining open communication with field staff to gather feedback on strategy effectiveness. Mentoring the sales team and ensuring adherence to the company’s code of business ethics and related policies.

Key Achievements: