Mark Asfahani

Chief Commercial Officer

Professional
Competencies

Multi-store national and international experience

Financial planning, budgeting, and analysis responsibility

History of achieving strong results and expenses management in the most demanding situations

Strong communicator and negotiator with a proven track record

A firm believer in achieving goals through team engagement

Built a marketing strategy with the marketing team which delivered a high level of client loyalty and focused on the tactical activities to generate positive ROI’s

Personal
Competencies

Team builder with a proven track record of training the trainers

Expert in delivering the finest in customer service and building client relations  

People Development – a firm believer in promoting from within

Have worked and learned from some of the finest merchants in the industry

Energetic and passionate about the industry 

Social Actively in Bahrain while ensuring the promotion of the brand

 

Work Experience

Senior Leader with over 20 years of exemplary leadership in the luxury industry, overseeing a diverse portfolio of internationally renowned fashion and beauty brands. Proven expertise in driving growth and success for prestigious brands like Yves Saint Laurent, Bottega Veneta, Lanvin, Fendi, Chanel, and Dior. Current role as Director of Leading Saudi Niche Beauty business under Saudi Jawahir Group, with previous success in managing an International Luxury Department store, Saks Fifth Avenue, in the Middle East. Adept at building strong relationships with global luxury groups, including LVMH, Kering, and Richemont. A visionary leader with a commercial mindset, consistently achieving consecutive growth year after year and leaving an indelible mark on the industry.

Chief Commercial officer
Saudi Jawahir Group

2023 - Present (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
  • Strategic Leadership: Spearhead the commercial strategy, driving growth and profitability across all revenue streams for the group.
  • Revenue Growth: Achieved a 35% increase in annual revenue through strategic market expansion and new business initiatives plus focus on cost and inventory management and talent acquisition and retention.
  • Market Analysis: Conduct in-depth market research to identify emerging trends and business opportunities, resulting in reaching 4th position in the Local Market and 9th on GCC level.
  • Sales Strategy: Develop and implement sales strategies and operational plans to meet and exceed revenue targets.
  • Client Relations: Cultivate and maintain key client relationships, resulting in an improvement in client retention rates and revival of dormant clients.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with marketing, Logistical, and operations teams to ensure alignment with commercial goals.
  • Team Leadership: Lead and mentor a high-performing commercial team, fostering a culture of excellence and accountability reducing turnover to under 10%.
  • Financial Management: Oversee the commercial budget, ensuring optimal allocation of resources and maximization of ROI and total ownership of the business P&L.
  • Partnership Development: Forge and manage strategic partnerships and alliances to enhance business opportunities and drive growth some of the deals are reaching regional agreements across the GCC.
  • Performance Metrics: Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess commercial performance and adjust strategies accordingly and created a program of career advancement through IDP.
  • Contract Negotiation: Lead negotiations for high-value contracts and agreements, securing favourable terms for the company and introducing new business model for the Group.

Business Director
Saudi Jawahir Group

2022 - 2023 December (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia)
  • Streamlined Group Strategy: Contributed to the development of the group's strategy, optimizing processes to enhance productivity and profitability across the organization.
  • Strategic Planning and Marketing: Implemented strategic planning, forecasting, and effective marketing initiatives, yielding positive results within a short timeframe.
  • Human Capital Development: Designed job roles, organizational structure, and KPIs for the division, cultivating a robust human capital framework.
  • Talent Management: Recruited, hired, and trained top-tier talent, focusing on internal sourcing and advancement. Working on a re-branding plan for the division, including a new store design concept and tone of voice.
  • Re-branding Initiative: Spearheaded a comprehensive re-branding effort, encompassing a new store design concept and distinctive brand identity.
  • Niche Fragrance Market Expansion: Successfully re-branded and re-launched the Group's proprietary niche fragrance, achieving a five-fold increase in market share.

General Manager
Saks Fifth Avenue

2008 - 2022 (Kingdom of Bahrain)
  • Strategic Brand Management: Successfully introduced and managed brand mixes, ensuring seamless execution of store openings, closures, and renovations
  • Merchandising Expertise: Played a pivotal role in merchandise selection and purchasing, leveraging trend forecasting and consistent best-seller analysis.
  • Strategic Partnerships: Cultivated and nurtured strong relationships with suppliers and business partners, aligning divisional expansion with corporate strategy, resulting in an average annual growth rate of +5%.
  • Supplier Collaboration: Led negotiations to secure key suppliers, expanding the portfolio by over 100 brands and product lines across a 13-year period.
  • Guest Relations Enhancement: Elevated guest relations excellence through thorough benchmark analysis, identifying areas for enhancement that improved satisfaction rates for all stakeholders.
  • Budget Management: Collaborated with company leadership to formulate, execute, and oversee the division's budget, ensuring strategic allocation of fiscal resources.
  • Expense Analysis: Conducted routine expense analyses, identifying avenues to enhance cost-effectiveness and optimize resource utilization.
  • Resource Allocation: Prioritized and efficiently allocated divisional resources, meticulously evaluating effectiveness through meticulous validation of final Profit & Loss statements.
  • Corporate Alignment: Translated organizational vision and mission into divisional goals and annual plans, ensuring seamless alignment with corporate objectives.
  • Supplier Relationships: Negotiated service level agreements with suppliers and regional teams, strategically defining commercial terms for margins, animations, and exclusivity, contributing to enhanced profitability.
  • Market Insights: Conducted comprehensive market research, monitoring, analysis, and forecasting of trends and competitor activities, enabling the development of targeted action plans to capture and expand market share.
  • Marketing Collaboration: Coordinated with the Marketing team to provide strategic input and recommend effective marketing mixes for both existing and new retail locations.
  • Leadership Excellence: Trained and managed a dynamic team of 120+ cross-functional staff, fostering engagement, open communication, and regular reporting of updates.
  • HR Management: Played a key role in hiring, terminations, promotions, and disciplinary actions, conducting comprehensive performance assessments for direct reports.
  • Sales Leadership: Set clear sales objectives and budgets for team members, offering unwavering support and strategic direction to ensure success.
  • Professional Development: Collaboratively created Individual Development Plans with team members and HR representatives, cultivating a culture of excellence and achieving a remarkable 100% internal promotion rate.
Saks Anniversary Video Interview
Durrah Magazine Interview
Fact Magazine Interview
Perle Magazine Interview

Director of Sales
Saks Fifth Avenue NY

2006 - 2008 (New York, USA)
  •  Talent Management: Skilfully recruited, guided, and directed a team of 40 top-tier sales consultants, each achieving annual sales surpassing $1M.
  •  Strategic Sales Initiatives: Pioneered comprehensive sales strategies encompassing in-store marketing, merchandising, and event planning, resulting in increased store traffic and revenue.
  • Vendor Relations: Nurtured transparent communication with vendor representatives, collaborating closely with buyers and planners to optimize stock availability and align with forecasted sales plans.
  • Designer Collaborations: Led special projects with renowned designers like Michael Kors and Elie Tahari, launching innovative concepts that captured public interest and significantly augmented revenues.

Previous Experiences

Group Manager
MACY’S Herald Square

2004 - 2006 (New York, USA)
  • Managed to grow sales in double digits.
  • Identified talent and promoting from within.
  • Managed a team of 12 Managers and 265 Associates in the World’s Largest Department store.
  • Restructured the service to outstanding levels which was recognized by Management on many occasions.

Director of Sales
VICTORIA’S SECRET

2002 - 2004 (New York, USA)
  • Maximized client experience by offering high quality service.
  • Kept a high energy motivated environment that showed Positive results.
  • Exceeded company Goals in Conversion & ADS Season to date.

Operations Manager
OLD NAVY (GAP Inc.)

1999 - 2002 (New York, USA)
  • Maximized Business opportunities by creating monthly weekly and daily business plans and achieving them.
  • Created hiring plans and implemented training classes

Education

An ongoing journey

MBA Leadership and Sustainability

University of Cumbria, RKC College
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Marketing Management
  • Financial Management
  • Money Management
  • Leadership and Sustainability in Business
  • Strategic Management

Certificates

  • Advance Management Program ESA Business School
  • Media TrainingHAVAS
  • Influencing Negotiation SkillsChalhoub Academy
  • Leading Projects and ChangeChalhoub Academy
  • Driving Marketing efficiencyChalhoub Academy
  • Solving problem and conflict Management Chalhoub Academy
  • Advance Financial Acumen for Retail Management Chalhoub Academy
  • Developing a regional Retail teamChalhoub Academy
  • Retail planning Chalhoub Academy
  • Leading Teams through change Chalhoub Academy
  • Chalhoub Retail Field OperationsChalhoub Academy

Affiliations & Awards

Social Resposibilities

Member of the American Chambers of Commerce in Bahrain

Member of Bahrain City Centre retail executive committee

Mentor for ‘Ibtikar’ community for Change in business

Awards

Leading the way 2018 Chalhoub Group
(Leadership Award of the Year)

Transforming through
Innovation Award

Contact Me

Let's get in touch