Hisham Malhas

Load-me.com is a B2B E-commerce digital startup which aims to disrupt the Trucking & Distribution industry. Its award-winning digital platform is committed to significant cost reductions & improving quality and productivity. Dubai Ports is a sponsor and seed investor in Loadme https://www.Load-me.com

Main scope of this role is to build, manage & optimize the day-to-day operational aspects of the business, including, Go to Market design & execution; Process & Procedures improvements; Budgeting & Planning; Product (Platform & Mobile App) vision & adoption; Team building & Investor & stakeholder management. Key achievements in this role include:

o Introduced & launched business building (Got to Market) programs for JV partners across (Asia, Europe & MEA)

o Doubled revenue YOY 2020 VS 2019 & doubled again 2021 VS 2020

o Increased GP margin from 3% in 2019 to 21% in 2020 & levelled off at 19% in 2021

o Significantly reduced burning rate by 67% 2021 VS 2020. UAE breaks-even for first time ever in 2021.

o Loadme valuation (Pre-money), increased from 12 MN in 2020 to 25 MN USD in 2021

o Set the vision and the overall growth plan of the company, including defining goals, KPIs, enterprise value and go-to-market strategies.

o Secured funding from VC, Family offices and angel investors

o Ensure best in class user experience and technology adoption across the value chain (shippers, carriers & partners)

o Serve as a key external spokesperson and a public champion for the company

DAMAC Properties is one of the leading property developers in Dubai, UAE https://www.damacproperties.com/en

Headhunted by Damac to restructure & turnaround the Sales & Business Development Department with extended influence over the relevant supporting functions. UAE Real Estate market was shifting from a sellers’ market to a buyers’ market resulting in significant sales decline and margin erosion. Special focus on re-building Damac’ s partnerships in UAE & in key international markets. Worked closely with the Chairman to improve sales quality, reshape customer experience, reduce cost & increase profitability. Main responsibilities & achievements included:

o Revisited Sales & business development department structure, head counts & scope of responsibilities & Go to Market. As a result, sales headcount dropped from 1,100 to 550 leading to significant saving to OPEX line -35% for the department.

o Launched a series of business building programs to reactivated sleeper Agents and attract, retain & grow up to 151 new Agents in UAE and more than 56 international agents

o Identified and appointed a strong network of new international Agents across Middle East, Africa, CIS countries, Europe, and North America

o Revisited the lead generation & conversion process & value chain. As a result, reduced cost per lead from 75 USD to 33 USD per lead & improved conversion rates by 30%

o Ended the sales decline. Sales stabilized at 82 MN USD / Month

o Decreased cancellation rate to 15% (VS 40% cancellations in previous periods)

o Introduced account management principals and applied Value Business Management of Accounts (VBMA) as well as franchise system for Master Agents in international markets

o Managed (with full P/L accountability) the entire end to end business for Damac projects in Jordan, Egypt and Qatar.

o Developed and implemented new strategies and policies in collaboration with executive partners to establish and achieve long-term business objectives

Mobily is a subsidiary of Etihad Etisalat & is the second mobile service provider in KSA http://www.mobily.com.sa/

Joined Mobily after auditing errors prompted a stock market sell-off that erased about $5 billion of its market value. In this role I was nominated as a member of the Turnaround Team that is dedicated to achieving operational efficiencies, shift company financial performance and return the company to solvency. Main achievements included:

o Reduced net losses from 189 million USD in 2017 to 34 million USD in 2018

o Stabilized revenues @ 2.9 billion USD / Year in Consumer Unit and 206 million USD per year in the Business Unit

o Achieved record sales & distribution for data products, beating competitors – STC & Zain in 2014 & 2015– despite implementing significant price increases

o Optimized operational expenses (OPEX) by -37% without compromising quality

o Put in place a new pricing matrix which eliminated price wars among partners and facilitated reinvestment of partner resources in capability building

o Established plans and initiatives to digitize the entire customer experience end-to-end

o Applied Value Business Management of Accounts (VBMA) principals across the different segments

o Launched Individual Under Corporate (IUC) road shows across major accounts (Aramco, KAUST, SABIC) aiming to capture share from competition.

o Re-launched Mobily in modern trade – Carrefour, Panda, Extra, Jarir – using effective category management principals as well direct to consumer initiatives to attract quality subscribers.

Sale Advanced (which was later given a new name “STC Channels”) is the largest telecom distributor in the Middle East. The company was originally incorporated as a closed Joint Stock Company made of STC partners, to lead distribution & retail services for (STC). https://www.channels.com.sa/about-channels/?lang=en

Reporting directly to the CEO with periodical reporting to the board, this post, was responsible for delivering the company revenue (>4.5 billion USD / year) and net income. With 9 direct reports & extended influence across 6 supporting functions (Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing, IT, HR, Etc.), there was also regular interaction with consultancy houses, (Booz Allen, Earnest & Young and others). Key achievements included:

o With the support of Booz Allen Hamilton, secured 27 million USD seed investment from STC Partners. 6 years later, Sale Advanced was sold to STC (Saudi Telecom Company) for more than 240 MN USD million

o Increased revenues from USD 2.9 billion in 2008 to 5.8 billion USD in 2014

o Established the fundamentals. Best Go to market with execution excellence across all relevant channels (Retail, Traditional Trade, Modern Trade, Wholesale, International & Direct to Consumer)

o Established the largest Electronic Voucher Distribution Network across MEA with more than 22,000 terminals installed in stores

o Was the first telecom company to secure recharge prepaid products & services across 4,000 checkouts in Modern Trade in KSA (Carrefour, Panda, Geant, etc)

o Lead the market launch of several global and local brands, including but not limited I-phone, I pads, Blackberry Phones, Quick net (a broadband service), Marhaba (a fixed line service).

o Captured and leveraged one of the largest seasonality events in the world (Hajj & Umrah) in order to accommodate pilgrims’ requirements while visiting KSA

o Put in place a dedicated direct to consumer (D2C) sales force to capture and build demand through special segments in the market (Youth, Expats, Laborers, Women, etc)...

o Strengthen Sale-co customer service capabilities, by establishing a Trade care center to ensure customer support and satisfaction…

o Set up models and systems for tracking & monitoring performance through internal and external audits (i.e. Nielsen, local panels)

o Received the STC CEO award for successfully capturing the Hajj opportunity in 2008 & 2009

o Received the Euronet best customer award in 2010

Kraft Foods International, a member of Mondelez International, is a globally leading food & beverage company

Managed a turnover of +$100M with 12 direct reports and multiple distributors and a matrix management across 6 supporting functions to include marketing, finance, human resources, supply chain & logistics, and procurement. The portfolio consisted of 6 categories including powdered beverages, coffee, cheese, desserts, confectionary, and snacks. In addition to being a board member in the GCC unit, this post also oversaw concurrent operations as GM for Saudi Nabisco biscuit plant which is a JV between Kraft Foods and Olayan. Key achievements included:

o Saudi earned the” EEMA Region President’s Award” in 2006 in recognition of making Tang the # 1 noncarbonated drink in Saudi where sales have surpassed Pepsi in Ramadan

o In 2007, Saudi was awarded the “Kraft International CEO Wining Award” in recognition of superior performance in capturing the cheese opportunity in KSA

o Achieved double-digit operating growth in shipments year on year to reach a record $140 MIO in 2007 and record operating contributions to exceed expectation…This, despite a $10M hit in increased cost due to commodity price increases and changes in currency exchange rates.

o Coordinated successful product launches across several brands, including but not limited to Tang Fruitrition, Maxwell House Selection, and Oreo Chocolate Cream.

o Increased in market sales and volume share for soluble coffee 2-fold, reached highest ever volume share for biscuits, and doubled Oreo volume share in 2006.