Career Portfolio provided by Beyond.com
Market Research
Member Number: 14247534
Karachi Pakistan
Portfolio: http://www.beyond.com/people/14247534
Professional Information
Job Function: Marketing & Advertising, Research
Education: 4-Year College Degree
Experience: 10 – 15 Years
Employment: Full-Time
Salary: $90-120k
Citizenship: U.S. Citizen
Resume
Offer +*** years expertise in Brand Management, Market Research and Sales Management. Creative and out-of-the-box
thinker skilled in delivering focused actionable business insights to diverse business issues for various FMCG categories.
Proven track record of creating demand for assigned brands resulting in volume and share growth. Excellent team player
who leads and participates in various cross-functional brand management and market research initiatives delivering
aggressive results.
•Expertise in brand planning process - situation analysis, long and short-term strategy and brand plans development.
•Thorough command and Expertise in Market Research-directing and managing all phases of research studies. Deliver
actionable insights to variety of business issues utilizing both qualitative and quantitative data. Complete understanding,
command and experience in all three areas of syndicated and non-syndicated data – retail measurement, HH panel data
and advanced analytics from both ACNielsen and IRI. Experience in customize research.
•Understanding of Brand Management process and market research methodologies/tools provides strong understanding
for translating business issues into focused market research objectives.
Performance Indicators/Major Achievements:
•Delivered actionable insight for Masterfoods Kroger seasonal candy business. Understanding the candy buying behavior
of “Kroger’s loyal non-seasonal candy buyer” helped in improving seasonal business planning and securing additional
distribution for Master foods brands at Kroger in ***(Trade Solutions Manager Masterfoods-Mars. Inc).
•Revived volume and share growth of Electrasol auto-dish detergent brand. Over 4 year period, provided actionable
insights in areas of consumer segmentation, promotion / assortment efficiency, and effective pricing. Efforts led to
innovative product launches and ***share point gain for Electrasol brand(Client Manager – ACNielsen).
•Assisted Spray N Wash brand team in understanding threat from soil and stain removers, color safe bleaches and new
innovative competitive product entries through source of volume and buyer flow analysis. Insights and recommendations
from the analysis lead to the launch of a new soil & stain product for Reckitt Benckiser (Client Manager – ACNielsen).
•Delivered actionable insight that helped in defending Clean & Smooth brand de-listing threat from key accounts and
increased its distribution in food channel(Client Manager – ACNielsen).
•Utilized product rationalization insights to help Jet-Dry’s brand team with the decision of continuing key Jet-Dry SKUs
which are incremental to category and brand. (Client Manager – ACNielsen)
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•Increased market share of Mansion polish, which had become an industrial trade driven brand due to application process
complexity and lack of innovation. Involved consumers in the buying process through focused micro-marketing activities
and offering user friendly products (Brand Manager – Reckitt Benckiser).
Professional Experience
ATLAS BANK, Karachi, Pakistan
Senior Vice President – Head of Market Research • Mar *** — Present
Job Role : Establish and develop Market Research function as one of the key enabler of business decision making for
retail and consumer banking division.
Responsible for identifying all corporate and product management market research needs. Provide solutions to those
needs by addressing research objectives and delivering actionable insights. Complete responsibility of market research
vendor management. Involve in data integration issues with cross functional areas. Responsible for providing market
research training and leadership to retail/consumer banking division employees.
•Delivered actionable insights in understanding customers banking habits and practices from U&A study. Insights helped
in strategic planning, new positioning development and in new products launch planning.
•Delivered actionable insights by highlighting key areas of improvement through customer satisfaction survey ***
•Delivered actionable insights in understanding category brand equity drivers resulting in identification of strategic and
tactical resource allocation areas.
•Delivered customer segmentation actionable insights to all group product managers for strategic planning purposes.
MARS INCORPORATED (Masterfoods USA), Hackettstown, NJ
Trade Solutions Manager • Dec *** — Nov ***
Responsible for developing systems, processes and metrics for measuring and evaluating ROI on trade marketing leading
to increased profitability. Responsible for providing best practices and actionable insights from previous trade promotion
activities that helps in improved demand planning, sales forecasting and trade promotion planning for key customers.
Responsible for providing market research leadership support in understand Mars confections business at major
customers leading to improved category management. Provide market research support for understanding and
addressing confections division ad-hoc business at key customers.
•Delivered a comprehensive business review of Dove Chocolate Brand to the president of Confections SBU. Insights
from the analysis highlighted distribution gaps and trade promotion inefficiencies at major customers resulting in a major
distribution drive and change of trade promotion tactics for the brand in ***
•Delivered actionable trade promotion insights for Masterfoods confections, pet food and food SBUs at Target, Kmart,
Kroger and Publix accounts. Insights helped in improving *** accounts plans in collaborative planning sessions with key
customers.
•Consulted Masterfoods category management team for Kroger in understanding Masterfoods declining seasonal
business, especially in terms of Kroger loyal buyers.
•Delivered actionable insights for masterfoods category management team in understating Walgreen’s product assortment
issues for non-seasonal packaged miniatures and singles pack types.
HERSHEY FOODS CORPORATION, Hershey, PA
Associate Research Manager • Dec *** — Dec ***
Provide earning and insights for assigned strategic business issues for Hershey’s products portfolio division utilizing
internal and external data sources. Insights should help in long term strategy development leading to increased
profitability for the organization. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop a comprehensive understanding and
scope of market research initiatives for key business issues. Address adhoc business issues and provide actionable
insights for tactical level decision-making for the Candy, Mint, and Gum category.
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•Understanding reasons behind growth of successful brands experiencing growth beyond year*** of launch in the
Candy/Mint/Gum category. Insights provided actionable learning for future new product launches for Hershey.
•Understanding reasons behind the growth of Orbit and Eclipse brands. Insights were utilized in developing future
strategy for Hershey’s mints & gum business.
•Delivered insights in understanding the drivers of sugar confections segment declines and its impact on Jolly Rancher
brand. Insights played a key role in revamping the brand.
•Understanding the growth of Instant consumable segment and Hershey’s role in this growth. Other issues handled a)
understanding the dynamics of front end rack at the channel/retailer level, b) viability of expanding the front-end rack for
the CMG category, c) role of self check-outs and their impact on front-end rack.
•Delivered key insights in understanding the impact of Cadburys new promoted pricing on brand’s P&L statement.
ACNIELSEN CORPORATION, Paramus, NJ
Client Manager • Feb *** — Dec ***
Associate Client Manager • June *** — Jan ***
Achieved promotion based on exceeding expectations in delivering actionable insights for client’s key categories leading
to successful product launches and market share gains. Deliver actionable insights to Reckitt Benckiser’s HH product
division Ad-hoc business issues. Provide market research leadership and support to RB’s management in their strategic
and brand planning process for assigned consumer product categories. Support trade marketing and category
management teams in addressing key customers’ business issues and delivering actionable insights. Train clients in
ACNielsen technology and related applications. Recorded achievements by providing solutions to product assortment,
consumer segmentation, pricing insights, test marketing, marketing mix resource allocation and new product launch
evaluation issues.
•Delivered actionable consumer insights by understanding consumer purchase dynamics for assigned brands/categories
utilizing ACNielsen’s Homescan HH Panel data. Insights helped explain “Why” behind the “Buy.”
•Assisted brand team in increasing Electrasol’s market share from X% in *** to +Y% in *** by providing key insights and
practical recommendations through enhanced consumer segmentation, improving promotion efficiency, competitive
everyday pricing guidelines, optimum/efficient SKU assortment options and better marketing mix resource allocation
recommendations. New products launch recommendations implementation resulted in +$8mm revenue boost.
•Addressed and defended client’s liquid hand soap brand’s delisting threat from key accounts through product
rationalization analysis. Efforts resulted in savings of +$X million. Findings helped gain additional distribution for refill
business.
•Leveraged strengths of client auto-dish detergents tablet business for establishing under-developed powder and gel
segments at key retailers. Action resulted in generating incremental $X million revenue.
•Insights for Soil & Stain category through buyer flow, brand shifting, and source of volume analyses helped in
understanding the opportunity of an emerging segment and subsequent new product launch for the client.
INTELLIGROUP, INCORPORATED, Edison, NJ
Regional Account Manager • April *** — May ***
Represented Applications Outsourcing Practice. Responsible for Marketing offshore development and maintenance
services and Enterprises Resources Planning (ERP) packages to targeted companies in southeastern US.
RECKITT BENCKISER PAKISTAN LIMITED, Karachi, Pakistan
Brand Manager • Feb *** — July ***
Reporting to the Group Marketing Manger generated consumer demand for assigned products/brands through innovative
and classical marketing activities resulting in volume and share growth. Actively involved in cross functional “Speed to
Market” teams for new products development and launch process. Responsible for managing brands in floor, furniture,
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metal, car, fabric and hard surface care consumer product categories with P&L responsibility. Provide leadership support
and training to one direct report.
•Achieved growth of three share points – from X% to Y% – for a key global floor care brand through focused consumer
segmentation and aggressive promotion activities.
•Launched a micro-marketing program that helped in converting a trade-driven commercial brand to a consumer-driven
brand by demonstrating product promise and efficacy resulting in increasing awareness and changed perception.
•Coordinated launch of a user-friendly floor polish and bonus pack in record time.
•Successfully achieved margin improvements for the Floor care brand through innovative packaging solutions in cross
functional team efforts.
LAKSON TOBACCO COMPANY LIMITED, Karachi, Pakistan
Brand Manager • Dec *** — Jan ***
Generated consumer demand for two major national brands in a heavily regulated industry through innovative brand
positioning and consumer promotions resulting in volume and share growth. Prepare annual brand plan document
outlining category/business review, SWOT analysis, marketing budgets allocations, new product launch plans and pricing
schedules. Responsible for development of brand merchandising material.
•Successfully sponsored prestigious sporting events and major trade shows for K2 and Princeton brands as part of image
and perception building exercise resulting in 5 points increase in unaided brand awareness in ***
•Improved market share of two key national cigarette brands through clear brand positioning and enhanced marketing
strategies.
NATIONAL BEVERAGES (PVT) LIMITED (bottlers of Coca-Cola), Karachi, Pakistan
Assistant Sales Manager • May *** — Dec ***
Managed sales territory encompassing retail, key accounts, and institutional sales.
Education:
Masters of Business Administration(MBA) Emphasis:Marketing – Nov’***
ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY, St. Cloud, MN
Bachelors of Business Administration(BBA) Emphasis:Marketing – May’***
SCSU, St. Cloud, MN
Bachelors of Science(BSc.) Emphasis:Science – May’***
SM Govt. Science College, Karachi, Pakistan
Professional Training & Development:
Product Development Process (PDP) Training – Reckitt & Colman Pakistan Limited
Consumer Insights (CI) Training – Reckitt & Colman Pakistan Limited
Technology Overview:
Advanced Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Lotus Notes
AC Nielsen’s Panel Fact for Windows
NITRO (Nielsen Interface to Microsoft Office) • IRI(Analyzer)
SAP(Business Warehouse Module)
Master foods Business Insights (shipment data)