Ali Azhar

Ali Azhar House # 190, Block H3 Johar Town Lahore, Pakistan. Mobile: - Phone: --| www.linkedin.com/in/ali87 EDUCATION Lahore University of Management Sciences 2011 MBA  Marketing Management, Consumer Behavior & Market Research, Advertising & Promotions Management, Project Management, Managing Organizational Politics and Corporate Strategy. Institute of Business & Information Technology, University of the Punjab 2007 BBIT (Hons.)  Systems Analysis and Design, Object Oriented Programming, Data Communication and Computer Networks, Data Mining. AWARDS, HONORS & CERTIFICATIONS  Diploma in Digital Marketing (NCFE Level 4, UK)  PAS (Pakistan Advertising Society) Award 2015 for best Campaign in Education Sector.  Regional award 2015 for best growth from Campaign.  Won a Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in "Managerial Communications" during my MBA, topping my class of 120.  Oracle Certified Education and Research Industry Specialist  The Right Hire- Recruitment and Interview skills course by HRS Global  SEO and Digital Marketing Training by DistilledU EXPERIENCE Kansai Paint Marketing Manager Jun 16 – Current Kansai Paint is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kansai Paint Japan which is one of the world's top ten paint manufacturers with manufacturing sites in over 43 countries across the world, an annual revenue of USD 3.11 Billion (www.kansai.com). Heading the marketing function, I am responsible for developing the marketing strategy of the company, identifying short-term and long-range issues, define and develop the brand. I have also lead and coached the marketing, business development, and sales teams, additionally, I have:  Re-launching the Kansai’s corporate brand via full 360 ATL, BTL and Digital campaign, a first in the company’s 10-year operations within Pakistan.  Launched a new digital system for tracking secondary sale off-take, all the while bringing the user at the bottom of the pyramid (laborer) access to banking and financial systems via EasyPaisa and Tameer Bank.  Reduced procurement lead-time for branding and merchandising item by 66% by implementing Marketing SOPs based on industry best practices.  Increased the sales forecasting accuracy by 26%, by implementing methods that analyze and forecast sales based for 165 SKU’s. University of the Punjab Visiting Faculty, Institute of Administrative Sciences Jan 14 – To Date The Department of Public Administration, which is now the Institute of Administrative Sciences (IAS), was established in 1962, as a fully functioning department under the University of the Punjab. It offers various Graduate, Postgraduate, and Executive level courses to the public. I am part of their visiting faculty and instruct the executive classes at the IAS in the evenings in the subjects of Marketing. British Council Marketing Manager, Exam Services Apr 13 – Jun 16 British Council conducts exams for over 170,000 candidates, in association with over 300 exam boards, including major boards such as Cambridge, University of London, ACCA and IELTS, having an annual turnover of GBP 22 Million. (www.britishcouncil.pk). Tasked with the objective to increase engagement and sales targets within with multiple tiers of audiences while managing a budget of GBP 350,000 for marketing activities, I have worked closely with both internal and external stakeholders to deliver outstanding results in online and offline engagement such as:        Generated over GBP 800,000 in surplus and 67% increase in volume via ATL Campaign while having a cost per rating point that was 44% less than the industry average and an affinity of 130.4% (benchmark 100). Increased digital engagement by 354% while increasing our reach to all audiences by 192% within one year. Thus essentially reaching an average audience of 3.1 Million. Led global digital campaign which our results surpassed 99 countries achieving 300% growth in conversions, which was the overall best campaign execution worldwide Designed and developed the first Business Intelligence framework for Exams to capture and analyze information critical needed to plan new strategic initiatives. Achieved and increased exam registrations by 67% via ATL (above the line) and BTL (below the line) campaigns while working with various vendors and agencies. Centralized and spearheaded the merchandising/point of display material for over 30,000 exam candidates in over 7 cities across Pakistan. Identified using quantitative analysis and market intelligence, factors that cause a 12% decline in sales, after suggesting alternative and improvements sales are predicted to increase by 20% AbacusConsulting Marketing Manager (Managing Consultant), Abacus Learning Services Oct 11 – Apr 13 AbacusConsulting is the leading consulting, technology and outsourcing firm in Pakistan, both in terms of revenue and staff numbers. Due to its rapid growth and success, AbacusConsulting gained a place on the Fast Growth Arabia-500 by the prestigious AllWorld Network. (www.abacus-global.com) My employment at AbacusConsulting was as the marketing manager in their Outsourcing division where I was involved in all facets (development, implementation, and monitoring) of strategy and planning for the Human Capital Training and Development division of this $50 Million company. I was instrumental in making the division one of the fastest growing segments in company history. It was here I:         Increased brand awareness by 400% via an integrated marketing campaign utilizing print and radio. Restructured service offering to capitalize new avenues of partnerships for HR training and development with educational and corporate institutions. Led the initiative to expand the service offering in additional areas such as Banking, Insurance, Education, and Pharmaceuticals. Orchestrated strategic marketing relationships for training services with leading companies of Pakistan such as MCB, Faysal Bank, National Bank. Developed financial models including forecasting, budgeting and pricing policies for budgets ranging from Rs.500,000 to Rs.1,500,000 Recruited top trainers across industries such as Banking and Finance, FMCG and Pharmaceuticals. Conceptualized and created all marketing collateral (including website) used in the marketing and business development of Training Services Executed the campaign for internal branding at the divisions Head Office Nestle Pakistan Ltd. Area Sales Manager (Trainee), Center Zone Jul 11 – Sept 11 Headquartered in Switzerland, Nestle is the world’s largest food and consumer goods company in terms of revenue, ranking in at number 72 on Fortunes 500 list. Nestle Pakistan has an annual turnover of Rs.50 Billion, thus being one of the key contributors to Nestlé’s global financial performance. (www.nestle.pk) At Nestle, I was working as the Area Sales manager overseeing a portfolio of 35 brands with 85+ SKUs totaling Rs.42 million in Sales. I was leading a diverse multicultural cross-functional team of 55 people which included Salesmen, Deliverymen, Territory In-charge and Merchandisers while engaging with critically important area distributors. Here I was able to:  Achieved sales targets by 110% while managing a portfolio of 35 brands with 85+ SKUs totaling Rs.42 million in Sales.  Led a team of 55 individuals which include Salesmen, Deliverymen, Territory In-charge’s and Merchandisers  Trouble shot and then successfully implemented the new Distribution Management System at the distribution, resulting in a 100% IS audit success.  Introduced order booking and warehouse management systems that resulted in increased traceability and accountability of inventory.  Designed and aided in the planning and Internal Cycle Planning of Sales in the Lahore Region for 2012 as a part of Regional Sales Manager 3 man team. HSBC Middle East Ltd. Jun 10 – Aug 10 Intern-Corporate Banking, Lahore  Researched and analyzed the textile and cotton industry of Pakistan, keeping in mind future trends and previous performance of the industry. This is to be used in various company credit reports. Pakistan Tobacco Company (British American Tobacco) Jun 09 – Aug 09 Intern-Trade Marketing, Islamabad  Analyzed and Advised on the deployment of their Consumer Dialogue through Retail Campaign.  Assisted in streamlining their RIS Reporting System  Contrasted, compared and conceived new designs of merchandising units, in accordance with new Govt. Regulations. AfterShok Inc. Mar 02 – Jul 11 CEO, Lahore  Initiated and led a boutique creative consultancy, which does web/graphic design, presentation and report design (desktop publishing), databases, preparation of feasibility reports with financial projections and market research, surveys and analysis (quantitative and qualitative). PROJECTS Brand Extension Research Study - UrbanSole Limited  Researched which product category (if at all) UrbanSole can leverage its brand to launch a brand extension to maximize sales per square feet of company-owned outlets. Employee Database Development- Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFL)  Planned and Executed an HR study involving developing a database of all EFL employees.  Supervised a team of 15 in the data collection and entry process Compensation and Benefits Report- Engro Fertilizers Limited (EFL) & Reem Rice Mills Ltd.  Involved in editing, structuring and formatting compensation and benefits reports for both EFL and Reem Rice Mills ADDITIONAL SKILLS & EXPERIENCE  Market Planning, Segmentation, & Targeting  Quantitative & Qualitative Analysis and Research Skills  Brand Communication  Excellent Written & Verbal Strategy & Development  Advanced Computer Skills (Excel, Powerpoint, RDBMS) Including Social Media & Google Analytics Communication Skills  Web & App Development  Team Leadership  Agency/Vendor Management