FAISSAL EL-BARRAJ
Dubai,UAE
Summary
Commercial and marketing leader with 10+ years’ experience across luxury spirits, FMCG and tech, specializing in commercial capability building, sales excellence and on-trade execution across complex markets.
Proven track record of designing and embedding commercial frameworks that improve sales execution and decision-making, driving distribution growth and revenue (NSV), and enabling sales teams through data-driven tools, structured routines and clear execution standards.
Overview
9
9
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Lead Marketing Manager – (Diageo Portfolio)
African & Eastern
Dubai
2021.02 - 2026.04
- Lead commercial strategy, capability development and execution excellence across the Diageo portfolio in the UAE.
- Delivered +60% NSV growth and +30% volume growth YoY, supported by distribution expansion of ~+30% growth across priority channels
- Manage and develop a team of 4 (2 Marketing Managers, 2 Brand Activation Managers) driving execution across on-trade and retail
- Developed and rolled out a standardized on-trade opportunity assessment tool, significantly improving account prioritization and enabling faster, data-driven trade investment decisions
- Designed and implemented a quarterly “Drive Cycle” framework, embedding SMART objectives linked to KPIs, increasing execution compliance from ~40% to ~75% across targeted venues
- Defined and enforced minimum execution standards (must-stock SKUs, menu presence, back-bar visibility, POS), increasing brand presence across +60% of priority outlets
- Partnered with insights team to leverage distribution audit data, identifying whitespace opportunities and unlocking +300 new listings across key accounts
- Built structured sales tools, incentive programs and support packages, improving win rate in priority accounts from ~30% to ~55%
- Led on-trade and retail universe mapping, segmenting outlets by occasion, perception and NSV potential; prioritized top 30% of accounts driving ~80% of total NSV
- Directed trade investment strategy (AED 20M budget), improving ROI by approximately 1.8–2.0x through focused allocation on high-value accounts
- Partnered closely with sales and key accounts through joint business planning and in-market execution, ensuring alignment between strategy and field delivery
- Delivered structured post-activity performance analysis, embedding continuous improvement loops across campaigns and activations
Country Marketing Manager – UAE & Qatar
Uber
2018.08 - 2019.12
- Delivered +300% growth in rider acquisition and +40% increase in frequency
- Optimized marketing funnel and CPA, improving efficiency by approx 50% (CPA down from $5 to $2.7)
- Led cross-functional initiatives aligning marketing, product and operations to drive sustained market growth
Marketing Activations Manager – Gulf Business Unit
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail
2017.07 - 2018.08
- Managed $6M A&P budget across Gulf Travel Retail, delivering +50% YoY sell-out growth across key accounts
- Developed in-store execution frameworks (“Last 3 Feet”), improving shopper conversion by 100% in activation HPP areas.
- Delivered commercial growth across key accounts including Dubai Duty Free, contributing +30% growth to category performance (VAP Packs, LTO, Innovations, GWPs)
Trade Marketing Manager / Assistant Brand Manager
Pernod Ricard
Education
Bachelor of Commerce - Marketing
John Molson School Of Business
Montreal, Quebec, Canada 2007.09 - 2011.06
Skills
Commercial Capability Building Sales Excellence On-Trade Strategy Distribution Growth KPI Management Trade Investment Optimization Field Execution Team Leadership
Languages
English
Fluent
French
Fluent
Arabic
Advanced
Timeline
Lead Marketing Manager – (Diageo Portfolio)
African & Eastern
2021.02 - 2026.04
Country Marketing Manager – UAE & Qatar
Uber
2018.08 - 2019.12
Marketing Activations Manager – Gulf Business Unit
Pernod Ricard Global Travel Retail
2017.07 - 2018.08
Bachelor of Commerce - Marketing
John Molson School Of Business
2007.09 - 2011.06
Trade Marketing Manager / Assistant Brand Manager
Pernod Ricard