Shakhir Azam

Decisive and hardworking leader skilled in making proactive, insightful updates to policies and procedures. Prepared to leverage 23 years of progressive lighting Industry experience.

Experienced in wide range of business needs, including strategic Sales & Marketing planning, promotional activities and operations. Accustomed to stepping into different roles every day to enable business operations to evolve and meet changing demands. Forward-thinking with deep understanding of market conditions and regional preferences.

. Develop, maintain relationships with channel partners and customers across GCC and some part of Middle Eastern countries like Jordan, Egypt, and Nigeria.

• Monitoring market activities and asses sales potential and work strategically to maximize the opportunity.
• Following up upcoming projects with consultant for specification and ensure allocated partners bid to these specified projects when projects are tendered and follow up thereafter to secure orders.
• Support partners on submittal, compliance statement and make available all technical details required for consultant approvals.
• Maintaining the relationship and visiting lighting suppliers across Middle East on actively seek new business opportunities.
• Performed as a single point of contact with the clients and company executives in all the last 3 companies.
• Successfully carried out factory visits with client representatives, Lighting designers, and consultants.
• Monitor and maximize own sales volume and team targets to be in line to achieving annual targets.
• Provide commercial and marketing support to lighting designers, MEP consultants by conducting work shops, product presentations lunch & learn as required to actively update new products with lighting designers, MEP consultants, Landscape architects etc.
• Seek out competitor information, maintain knowledge of new developments in the market, and communicate with head office for product development as per demand.
• Understanding customer needs and price expectations and handling all customer complaints or concerns appropriately and in a timely manner to ensure customer satisfaction.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills & knowledge of local languages used in the project trading circle.
• Responsible for business development in Middle East and North African region.
• Sound knowledge in Commercial, architectural, healthcare, Industrial, street lighting, Industrial, explosion-proof, safe area, and hazardous area lighting.
• Coordinating with Agents, Distributors & Consultants in the region.
• Responsible for meet GCC annual sales turnover
• Promote product with the help of networking and business contact.
• Closely coordinating with A1 grade traders and MEP contractors for the project inquiries & closely follow up to convert into order.
• Answer technical queries & replying lighting design clarification to consultants and clients.
• Resolve customer complaints after sales & resolve site issues from time to time.
• Managed lighting product promotion, conducted seminar, presentation-product demonstration and Lighting exhibition & product launch.
• Handling final negotiations with mainly Distributors, MEP contractors.
• Developing strong communication networks and relationships with tier 1 lighting suppliers, lighting designers, landscape architects and government authorities.
• Specs breaking project enquiries and offer equivalent fixtures as an alternative from our product range. Highlight our product features, benefits other functions to end user by effective presentation skills.
• Prepare final costing/samples/quotes; negotiate prices and agreements including payment and credit terms.
• Prepare budget estimates for customer’s needs & coordinating with factory for custom solutions.
• Frequent visit to local traders, dealers, & project sites.
• Thru internet source new potential clients and upcoming and current project tracking.
• Provide accurate reporting and information regarding the ongoing projects to the corporate project management team.
• Update management with market feedbacks to take appropriate steps towards improving sales and bottom line profitability.
• Having close follow up with offers & order pipeline.
• Monthly order forecasts and long range financial forecast (LRFF) for higher management meetings in head office.
• Regular monthly conference call to project update & business plans
• Distribution management, key account management through channel sales and power retailers
• Consistently achieved quarterly sales and annual revenue targets.
• Strong negotiation and influencing PR skills
• Coordinating with factory and planning the delivery on time of materials and supplies to all the desired destinations material reach on time as per project requirement to avoid penalties.
• Handle complete operations which include warehousing, & transportation, distribution and vendor relationship. Port & Custom clearance through local freight supplier chain.
• Third party Inspection & certification, thru agencies (IECEE CB Certification for SASO and Saber).
• Knowledge of Import & Export Sea freight & Air freight.
• Coordinate with the issues, receiving and inventory department for smooth flow operation.
• Provide full project from ordering stage to supply on time with simplifying reconciliation at the end of project.
• Follow up on Freight Forwarders, & follow up with Customs & Port, Shipping lines on vessel arrivals & clearance on time
• Independently established Unilamp Middle East in GCC region being a single person in the region.

• Driving License: UAE & Indian Driving License with own car
• Visa Status: UAE SAIF zone employment visa