Imtiaz Suleman
Dubai
Summary
I am a results-driven commercial leader with a proven track record in driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability, and optimizing market performance in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and consumer health industries. I have a deep understanding of market dynamics, consumer behavior, and distribution channels. My expertise lies in developing and executing strategic initiatives that lead to significant sales growth. With extensive experience in emerging markets, I have successfully led cross-functional teams, negotiated with retailers, suppliers and distributors, and crafted strategic business plans to achieve operational efficiency and sustained business expansion. I have worked across many countries in Africa, India Ocean Islands and Middle East.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
GULF CONSUMER BRANDS
01.2025 - Current
- Global Sourcing and brokerage across Africa, Middle East and Europe
- Supplier and Distribution management
- Supplier/ Customer Management and Relationship building
- Private Label and Contract Manufacturing Management
- Management of Import and Export of products
GROUP SALES EXECUTIVE/ DIRECTOR
Nurture Brands
08.2018 - 01.2025
- Plan, direct, and control the commercial and sales strategy for Vital Health Foods (vitamins and foods) and Promeal (pet food) in the Southern African and export markets for both B2C and B2B customers covering Africa, Middle East and Indian Ocean Islands.
- Oversee all sales activities within the group, establishing and implementing objectives for business volume, turnover, and profit margins for both Vital Health Vitamin and Supplements and Promeal Petfood businesses.
- Direct sales efforts across various channels, including grocery retailers, pet specialty stores, online platforms, pharmacies, wholesalers, and emerging markets. Ensure the successful implementation of strategic customer plans to achieve sustainable, profitable growth across all business units and categories, meeting or exceeding revenue, profitability, and budgetary objectives.
- Engage in strategic planning and lead teams while negotiating and influencing stakeholders. Leverage technology, manage revenue growth, and improve processes through collaborative leadership, working closely with cross-functional teams in line with business objectives.
- Conduct market research and sales analysis to identify trends, customer preferences, and competitive landscapes, allowing for effective category growth planning.
- Establish and maintain strong business relationships at all levels with customers, ensuring clear communication and support in the delivery of goods and services.
- Develop and implement sales policies, programs, and structures at both the customer and operational levels to achieve the financial objectives of the business.
- Manage sales overheads and trade investments in accordance with agreed budgets to maximize return on investment. Ensure that trade promotions are effective in driving increased volume and revenue.
- Collaborate with the marketing team to maximize sales success for our brands and products, including areas such as pricing, promotions, new product development (NPD), and customer reviews.
- Work with cross-functional teams to ensure that service levels and responsiveness to trade needs are among the best in the industry, focusing on accurate forecasting.
- Lead the integrated business planning team to ensure alignment between manufacturing and commercial plans, emphasizing capacity and demand planning, stock management, and customer service.
- Collaborate closely with planning and logistics teams to guarantee optimal cost efficiencies and optimize the distribution network model for customer service.
HEAD OF SALES
ASCENDIS HEALTH
01.2018 - 07.2018
- Company Overview: Sports Nutrition Division
- Deliver the sales budget by managing customer sales and operational teams nationally, in alignment with the organization's business strategy.
- Drive profitable sales for the division and oversee financial performance to improve gross margins and return on investment (ROI) on all trade investments within the division.
- Lead and manage a cross-functional team while attracting and retaining top talent. Foster an inspiring and energetic environment for the sales team.
- Build stronger and deeper relationships with customers through joint business planning, as well as with distributors and third-party sales and merchandising teams.
- Manage working capital targets through effective receivables and inventory management to generate the required free cash flow.
- Increase distribution, coverage, and visibility to facilitate growth within the division.
- Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the sales force and the cost to serve.
- Improve the capability of the sales team through superior customer management and technology, thereby gaining a competitive advantage.
- Implement best practice category management and merchandising solutions with major customers.
- Interact with and build relationships with key internal stakeholders, including marketing, supply chain, human resources, legal, and IT, to solve problems and drive strategic initiatives across the business.
- Sports Nutrition Division
HEAD OF SALES
ASCENDIS HEALTH
04.2017 - 12.2017
- Company Overview: Wellness Division
- Ensure that all customer management and negotiated activities are implemented nationally with precision across both direct and indirect frontline regional sales teams. This role encompasses all channels, including Dischem, Clicks, Independent Pharmacy, and other necessary FMCG channels.
- Guarantee that the execution of the 5 P's (Product, Price, Placement, Promotional Material, and Promotional Compliance) is aligned with the marketing department and the Customer Management team.
- Oversee customer marketing and manage all Point-of-Sale material, ensuring proper distribution, tracking of national implementation, and minimizing waste.
- Facilitate the planning, reporting, organizing, and directing of the field sales function to achieve net sales, gross profit/margin, and all distribution objectives, including new product development (NPD).
- Develop a vision of success for all brands and outlets to ensure that all Ascendis wellness brands are considered best in class within their categories regarding in-store execution.
- Monitor and analyze regional sales performance, implementing action plans to address weaknesses or capitalize on business opportunities.
- Utilize all available data sources to enhance Ascendis' market share beyond the categories in which we operate.
- Devise and implement field sales strategies, optimizing structures and coverage plans to ensure alignment with the company's strategic objectives.
- Interpret and implement customer-planned Co-Op activities, marketing promotions, new product listings, and category space management layouts.
- Formulate and administer sales incentives within prescribed budget parameters to motivate teams and achieve various ongoing sales objectives.
- Identify additional sales and promotional opportunities, and implement ad-hoc promotions to deliver incremental value growth.
- Develop and implement performance-based scorecards and contracts to manage third-party service providers, including Sales Agencies in Pharmacy and in the FMCG channel.
- Manage POS ordering, regional distribution, setup, and promotional compliance.
- Drive a customer-centric model within the sales team by formulating sales strategies and business plans to achieve both short and long-term objectives.
- Achieve and exceed overall volume, sales, and profitability targets by customer.
- Grow and sustain market share through integrated strategies in collaboration with other departments like marketing, customer marketing, and operations.
- Lead, manage, and develop a skilled and committed sales team to ensure long-term business growth.
- Establish and maintain top-level contacts through regular sales reviews, market share analysis, and presentation of opportunities.
- Spend time in the field with individual accounts and sales personnel.
- Stay updated on recent market and industry trends, competitor activities, and leading customer strategies while representing the business at conferences, trade fairs, and networking events.
- Collaborate with other stakeholders within the business to recommend product and service enhancements that improve customer satisfaction and increase sales potential.
- Wellness Division
CUSTOMER CHANNEL MANAGER
RCL FOODS
11.2013 - 03.2016
- Oversee the Petfood, Condiments, Spreads, Biscuits, Hot Meals, and Chicken Food Solutions business unit for all national customers. This role involves defining business objectives, establishing sales strategies, and ensuring effective implementation.
- Foster a customer-centric approach within the sales team by developing sales strategies and business sales plans to achieve both short-term and long-term business goals.
- Achieve and exceed overall volume, sales, and profitability targets for each customer.
- Grow and sustain market share by implementing integrated strategies in collaboration with other departments, such as marketing, customer marketing, and operations.
- Lead, manage, and develop a skilled and committed sales team to drive future business growth.
- Build and maintain high-level relationships through regular sales reviews, market share analysis, and identifying new opportunities.
- Spend time in the field with individual accounts and sales personnel to strengthen relationships and understand customer needs.
- Stay updated on recent market and industry trends, competitor activities, and leading customer strategies while representing the business at conferences, trade fairs, and networking events.
- Collaborate with other stakeholders within the organization to recommend product and service enhancements that improve customer satisfaction and increase sales potential.
- Engage in joint business planning with customers to maximize sales and profitability for both internal and house brands.
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
FOODCORP/ RCL FOODS
01.2010 - 10.2013
- Represent Foodcorp across several business units, including Pet food, Nola Groceries, Piemans, Meal Solutions, and Mageu Beverages on a national level within the formal retail trade, forecourts, and the specialist pet food channel.
- Build strong relationships with key accounts, ensuring that company objectives and culture remain at the forefront during negotiations.
- Conduct regular sales reviews and market share analysis, while presenting and identifying opportunities within the portfolio, which is crucial for success.
- Maintain growth for key accounts while adhering to the guidelines set by national group executives. Focus on profitability as a primary result area, maximizing promotional activities and minimizing margin impacts across regions and accounts.
- Manage promotions and pricing to keep customers competitive in the marketplace, ultimately driving sales volumes to achieve individual sales targets.
- Integrate marketing and brand objectives as outlined by the National Brand/Marketing Office into daily trading activities.
- Collaborate closely with the operations team to maintain a transparent working relationship. Hold regular meetings and updates with various sales agents to ensure clarity on performance, new products, promotional activities, and to monitor competitors' movements.
- Develop key account plans aligned with company strategies and objectives.
- Budget key accounts, including sales and cooperative spending budgets.
- Establish GP budgets by account, as well as sales ratio percentage budgets.
- Promote profitable long-term trading relationships with customers while striving to implement company plans and strategies.
- Create promotional grids and ensure successful implementation through close collaboration with operations managers and sales agents.
- Forecast promotions and ensure stock availability.
- Negotiate national trading terms for all categories and business units.
- Handle cooperative and ad-hoc promotional negotiations.
- Conduct monthly sales reviews and adjust key account plans to realign objectives based on performance.
- Maintain close interaction with the Sales Director and National Operations Manager, while effectively deploying the Trade Marketing department.
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
PEPSICO SNACKING SOUTH AFRICA
07.2007 - 12.2009
- Represent the company nationally across formal retail channels, including Woolworths Group, Clicks Group, and Shoprite Checkers Group.
- Achieve strategic objectives for each customer, focusing on net revenue (NR), cost of production (COP), gross margin, and net working capital (NWC).
- Build long-term partnerships with customers.
- Develop and execute the promotional strategy for each customer, including managing the trade budget and optimizing product range and shelf space.
- Manage customer negotiations in alignment with the company's commercial strategy and trading terms.
- Implement and continuously manage the category strategy for each customer.
- Create and oversee customer new product launch plans to ensure successful execution.
- Identify opportunities for efficiency and profitability, aiming for continuous improvement in account management and category oversight.
- Drive growth in net revenue and manage gross margin for each customer.
- Maintain effective relationships with increasingly demanding retailers.
- Manage and enhance the company's presence in highly competitive categories.
CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
PEPSICO SNACKING SOUTH AFRICA
01.2006 - 06.2007
- Support the category by implementing and evolving the channel plan in alignment with category, brand strategies, and business channel strategies.
- Shopper and Customer Promotions: Assist the category in developing and implementing promotions that align with category and brand strategies. Utilize consumer insights (provided by marketing) and category data to create quantifiable trade selling stories for the NAM team (Trade Launch Deck & Listing Sheet) and actionable plans for Field Sales teams (Action Planner & Priority Push Poster) within agreed product launch timelines.
- Provide analytical support and assist in executing key strategic channel initiatives.
- Promotional Evaluation: Evaluate all promotions against established objectives and report on the findings.
- Display Management: Monitor and oversee the design and implementation of agreed Point of Purchase (POP) programs, from space management to POP tools. Advocate for category flow in accordance with shopper behavior. Analyze how shoppers interact with the category and develop fact-based shelf merchandising arguments.
- Ensure a continuous supply of specific and generic POS materials, along with any additional materials as approved, while monitoring their usage.
- Assist in the development and design of POS materials that align with brand and category strategies.
- Category Management: Manage space planning and implement planograms from product ranging to in-store execution across key channels.
Education
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (BCOMM) -
University of Witwatersrand
12.2000
Skills
- Strategic Thinking
- Leadership
- Business Development
- Negotiation
- Sales Management
- Business Planning and Strategy
- Key performance indicators
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Customer Relationship Management
- Market Entry Strategies
- Exports and Emerging markets
Certification
- Courses 2017 ASCENDIS HEALTH LEADERFIT PROGRAM - SALES AND LEADERSHIP
- 2017 GAP NEGOTIATION SKILLS TRAINING
- 2013 FOODCORP MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM WITH UNIVERSITY OF STELLENBOSCH
- 2014 SHOPPER INSIGHTS IN ACTION TRADE MARKETING(EDINBURGH)
- 2013 SHOPPER INSIGHTS IN ACTION TRADE MARKETING (PRAGUE)
- NUMEROUS TRADE MARKETING AND CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCT RANGE ASSORTMENT AND MERCHANDISING KPI
- CATEGORY MANAGEMENT AND SPACE PLANNING COURSES
- VARIOUS CUSTOMER MANAGEMENT COURSES WITH KANTAR RETAIL.
Timeline
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
GULF CONSUMER BRANDS
01.2025 - Current
GROUP SALES EXECUTIVE/ DIRECTOR
Nurture Brands
08.2018 - 01.2025
HEAD OF SALES
ASCENDIS HEALTH
01.2018 - 07.2018
HEAD OF SALES
ASCENDIS HEALTH
04.2017 - 12.2017
CUSTOMER CHANNEL MANAGER
RCL FOODS
11.2013 - 03.2016
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
FOODCORP/ RCL FOODS
01.2010 - 10.2013
NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGER
PEPSICO SNACKING SOUTH AFRICA
07.2007 - 12.2009
CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
PEPSICO SNACKING SOUTH AFRICA
01.2006 - 06.2007
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE (BCOMM) -
University of Witwatersrand
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