ASHOK PATRA
Business Head
Hyderabad
Summary
Dynamic and results-driven Sales specialist with 20+ years of progressive experience in Sales Management, Business Development, and Product Management. Adept at leading regional operations across India, Middle East and Africa. Proven expertise in expanding market presence and leading cross-functional teams. Recognized for driving revenue growth, enhancing profitability, and executing strategic initiatives in competitive and emerging markets. I have consistently driven business growth and operational excellence through innovative strategies and effective leadership.
Experienced business leader equipped for strategic growth and operational excellence. Proven track record in driving results through team collaboration and adaptive management. Skilled in strategic planning, financial oversight, and market analysis. Known for fostering collaborative environment and achieving key business objectives.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
5
5
Languages
Work History
BUSINESS HEAD-EAST AFRICA
Tristar Electronics Pte Ltd
01.2024 - 03.2025
- Successfully managed business operations in multiple countries, overseeing budget, branch P&L, B2B / Channel on sell-thru targets and managed the progress on weekly basis. Monitor/negotiate closely with all project vendors & Reviewed credit limits while driving dealer expansion across all locations.
- Directed field sales activities to maximize sales volume. Prepare, review & Execute Sell-out schemes for retail channel to boost sell-out.
- Managed & re-structured SKD operations from production to sell-out through proper forecast & sales planning.
- Co-ordinated daily interactions with accounts and logistics to ensure seamless operations. Managed collection with ageing stocks on daily basis with the sales team.
- Cultivated relationships with banks and auditors for smooth financial operations.
- Engaged key consultants and architects to strengthen B2B partnerships.
- Executed weekly dealer reviews and liquidation plans to manage aging stocks.
- Singapore – Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances
- Achievements -
- Revenue- 2023 - U$ 23 million 2024 - U$ 33 million Achieved
- New Distributor Appointment- 3
- New Mega Projects - 2 Years Maintenance contract for Uganda Airport, Uganda National Stadium, Hotel Sheraton & Hilton (Commercial & Res. ACs.)
- E-Commerce - Re-structured price & products in the company website which helped sales growth.
- Student’s Earning Program - Organized “Earn while You learn” program for any college students who want to earn while studying. Trained 50 students, with LG product kit and LG Laundry Program Kit to penetrate deep in the market.
- Spearheaded strategic initiatives to enhance market penetration and brand visibility across East Africa, significantly increasing customer engagement.
- Developed and implemented sales strategies that aligned with regional market trends, driving sustainable revenue growth and improving competitive positioning.
- Led cross-functional teams to optimize operational efficiencies, resulting in streamlined processes and enhanced service delivery within the organization.
- Cultivated relationships with key stakeholders and partners to expand market opportunities, fostering collaboration and driving shared business objectives.
- Analyzed market data and consumer insights to inform product development, ensuring offerings were tailored to meet local customer needs.
- Mentored and trained junior staff, enhancing team performance and building a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.
BUSINESS HEAD-ODISHA
Jivah Electricals
12.2022 - 12.2023
- Recruited, trained, and developed a team of 3 new & 7 existing sales Managers, resulting in a 21% increase in sales performance for 1st Quarter '23.
- Utilized effective sales techniques and strategies to build new channel partners.
- Successfully achieved Sales targets of all product category by implementing Sales techniques based on competitor strategy & cracking Government projects.
- Manage product cycle of all categories to maintain healthy margin.
- Monitor competitor activities and Pricing to ensure the prices are competitive.
- Successfully increased the channel network of all retail categories and hyper market to expand the retail base to 85% coverage.
- Understanding the international markets to build relationships with customers and to identify new sales opportunities in MEA region.
- Bhubaneshwar - Switch gears, industrial cables & wire, Lights & Fans
- Achievements –
- Revenue Growth- 20%
- Network base- 470 -> 750 dealers & Wholesalers
- Projects owned- Odisha State Road Transport Corporation (OSRTC) highway pole light Project.
Sr. MANAGER SALES- West & East AFRICA
O'GENERAL-Fujitsu
02.2017 - 10.2021
- Appointed distributors in East/West Africa & streamline the channels.
- Increased the local sell-out plan by 40%, organizing proper merchandiser team in hyper markets like Saraf DG, Lulu Mall & Carrefour with proper sales plan & incentivizing the floor Sales Manager through regular retail schemes.
- Plan, execute and monitor dealer Incentive Schemes for each country. Forecasting Sales Planning Monthly/Quarterly & Half yearly wise and achieve the sales target through distribution.
- Monitor Imports based on Sell-In / Sell-Out, B2B projects as per forecasting plan.
- Prepared Sales forecasting, planning and execute target, region wise to achieve on Quarterly basis.
- Managed & lead the sales team in achieving sales targets and revenue growth.
- Promoting the business through various ATL / BTL activities.
- Dubai- Air Conditioners
- Achievements -
- Set New Sales Point Office- Lagos & Abidjan which enhanced the sale up by 55% in premium residential AC conditions.
- New Distributors Set-up- 5 -> Nigeria, Ghana & Ivory Coast, Tanzania & Madagascar
- Revenue Growth- 2017- U$ 8 mil. 2021- U$ 27.4 mil.
- New stores in Hyper Mall- City Centre (Dubai) Carrefour, The Palms (Nigeria) Accra mall (Ghana)
- Tie-up with local banks- Made Tie-up with local banks for offering credit
REGIONAL OPERATION HEAD- EAST AFRICA-KENYA
Krishna International Ltd. FZCO
07.2014 - 10.2016
- Managing & penetrating the new markets in coordination with the Sales team.
- Successfully handled the micro level management at all levels.
- Prepare retail Sales plan on monthly basis execute and monitor the sales.
- Launched new e-commerce biz. through JUMIA & KONGA.
- Successfully hired, trained & managed merchandiser team for all Carrefour hyper market and monitor the collection & Sales on weekly basis.
- Manage B2B team based on project pipeline through proper review & planning.
- Forecasting & planning country wise and hiring Sales & Retail team.
- Establishing strategic sales plans resulting increase in overall gross margins.
- Kenya- Handset, Electronics & Home Appliances
- Achievements -
- New Distributor – Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda & Seychelles
- Increased retail base - 0.8K to 4K in East Africa.
- Elite Partner Category- Achieved Elite category in Apple by surpassing the revenue target of U$10 Mil. in 2015.
- Revenue 2014 ->2016- U$ 18 Mil -> U$ 46.7 Mil.
- E-Commerce Biz. - Prepared new Krishna Intl. E-commerce platform and set up pricing for all product categories with dedicated team.
- Road Show, Nairobi - Organized Road show across Nairobi for Year-end Sales in 2015, which helped clear 95% of the ageing stocks and achieved the sell-out target of Q4 2015.
- UAE Trip & Gold offer - Organized dealer scheme in Kenya & Ethiopia in Q2 2015 & 2015, with sales slabs, which boosted sales to achieve revenue target during slog season.
PRODUCT MANAGER
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SEWA)
09.2012 - 09.2013
- Prepared Road mapping based on budgets, sales & marketing plans & targets.
- Hiring & coordinating retail operations for Brand shops & hyper markets in Nigeria.
- Set-up new SKD business for LED & Air conditioners in Nigeria.
- Successfully appointed 6 new distributors and achieved Sell-Thru & Sell-Out target on regular basis through proper sales plan & marketing activities.
- Finalized the Marketing Vendor for ATL/BTL activity and getting approved through HQ. Prepared executed budget for Marketing Campaigns.
- Hired, trained & managed Merchandiser team for brand promotion & sell-out strategies in hyper malls & Key retails.
- Visit the key projects and brainstorm with the B2B team from drawing, pricing & meeting the architects to crack the projects.
- Nigeria - Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances
- Achievements -
- Revenue – 2012-> U$ 32 Mil. 2013-> U$ 29.6 Mil. (Until Sep.2013)
- New Distributor- Appointed 3 new Distributors in Nigeria
- Product Launch- Successfully launched F-Series LED & Dura-cool Refrigerator in Lagos & Abuja.
- SKD Set-Up - Set-up SKD line for LED to counter better price from competition and healthy margins for channel.
- Brand Loyalty- Used Co-op budget for Organizing Korea Factory visit for 35 key dealers in Nigeria to boost the loyalty & strengthen relationship with Samsung in June 13’.
- Exclusive Brand Shop- Opened 7 new SAMSUNG Brand shops in Nigeria to Enhance brand positioning and better customer Experience and also helped increase in sell-out.
- Samsung Cooking Zone- Organized Cooking Zones competition in various centers in Lagos & Abuja, among women to create brand awareness of Samsung products.
COUNTRY MANAGER –Senegal
LG Electronics Africa FZE
09.2009 - 08.2012
- Set up the West Africa business through streamlining business strategy with in-depth understanding of Retail/channel insight & developed new market.
- Successfully accomplished the company KPI’s for francophone countries.
- Handled forecasting, planning & market expansion plan on quarterly & yearly basis.
- Planning & Organizing Dealer/Consumer Incentive schemes on Quarterly basis.
- Monitor proper execution of the Schemes and control the collections as per the Company guidelines. Expanded the sales & Merchandiser team in 2012.
- Managed product pricing based on competition analysis & demand for the products.
- SENEGAL- Consumer Electronics & Home Appliances
- Achievements -
- Revenue - 2009- U$ 24 Mil. 2010- U$ 35 Mil. 2011- U$ 48 Mil.
- New Distributors- Senegal-2, Mali-1, Mauratenia-1, BurkinaFaso-1, Niger-1
- Free Service Camping- Set-up free Service Camp for LG in Senegal & Mali. Organized LG Service bus from South Korea, which moved around all key locations in the city to create awareness and loyalty which boost the sales and customer walk-in.
BRANCH MANAGER-ODISHA
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB
12.2006 - 07.2009
- Developed strategies to increase customer service satisfaction and loyalty.
- Appointed sales team for key accounts to increase the market share.
- Increased the Width & depth of distribution by penetrating deeply in the market through sales & merchandiser team.
- Bhubaneshwar
AREA SALES MANAGER – ORISSA
NOKIA India Pvt. Ltd. (HCL)
01.2003 - 07.2006
Education
AI Tools Certification - AI
BE10X
New Delhi07.2025
Diploma In Business Management - E- Business Management
Samsung Academy
08.2013
Executive Post Graduate Diploma - Management
Utkal University
Bhubaneshwar07.2004
Diploma in CRM - Customer Relationship Management
Akiko Call-Net
Bhubaneshwar05.2002
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting Honors
Utkal University
Bhubaneshwar06.2001
Skills
Team leadership
Sales forecasting
International trade management
Market competition analysis
Sales strategy development
Collaborative team development
Revenue enhancement
Client relationship management
Operations management
Sales strategy formulation
Financial budget management
Interests
Travelling, Gardening & Gadgets collection
Accomplishments
- Best Country Performance award in 2011 for phenomenal revenue and sales growth in LG annual meet in the UAE
- Awarded best LED sales for the region with No. 1 market share in Nigeria
- Best Region sales award for accomplishing sales targets and accelerating growth.
- Shortlisted and enrolled for the “LG MEA Dynamic Young Leaders” Workshop in Dubai.
- Awarded for the highest Samsung refrigerator sale in Dura cool & Side by Side in 2012.
- Promoted to Assistant Business Development Manager at Sony Ericsson in 2007
- Merit of increasing the width & depth of distribution in all product categories with Sony Ericsson.
Timeline
BUSINESS HEAD-EAST AFRICA
Tristar Electronics Pte Ltd
01.2024 - 03.2025
BUSINESS HEAD-ODISHA
Jivah Electricals
12.2022 - 12.2023
Sr. MANAGER SALES- West & East AFRICA
O'GENERAL-Fujitsu
02.2017 - 10.2021
REGIONAL OPERATION HEAD- EAST AFRICA-KENYA
Krishna International Ltd. FZCO
07.2014 - 10.2016
PRODUCT MANAGER
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SEWA)
09.2012 - 09.2013
COUNTRY MANAGER –Senegal
LG Electronics Africa FZE
09.2009 - 08.2012
BRANCH MANAGER-ODISHA
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications International AB
12.2006 - 07.2009
AREA SALES MANAGER – ORISSA
NOKIA India Pvt. Ltd. (HCL)
01.2003 - 07.2006
Diploma In Business Management - E- Business Management
Samsung Academy
Executive Post Graduate Diploma - Management
Utkal University
Diploma in CRM - Customer Relationship Management
Akiko Call-Net
Bachelor of Commerce - Accounting Honors
Utkal University
AI Tools Certification - AI
BE10X