Brand Management, Project Management, Marketing & Advertising
Resume:
SHERIEN HASSBALLAH
Oakbrook Terrace, IL ***** 1-331-***-**** *******.***********@*****.*** WWW: Bold Profile SUMMARY
Experienced Marketing Professional with a proven track record in developing effective marketing strategies and leading brand growth. Expert in analyzing market trends and customer behavior to drive innovative campaigns and enhance user engagement. Skilled in cross-functional team leadership, with a strong focus on achieving business objectives and improving customer loyalty. Known for exceptional project management abilities, partnering with some of the biggest global & local creative agencies such as Ogilvy, JWT, Publicis, Spark & FCB to ensure timely & successful campaign execution. SKILLS
• Strategic Thinking
• Leadership Skills
• Communication Skills
• Product Marketing & Advertising
• Campaign Development
• Brand Management
• Competitive Analysis
• Strategy Development
• Project Management
• Business Planning
• KPI Monitoring
• Digital & Social Media
Management
• Customer Segmentation
• Market Research & Data Analysis
• Finance
EDUCATION AND TRAINING
06/2004 Diploma: International Advertising Association The American University in Cairo - Cairo, Egypt
02/2001 Bachelor of Arts: Business Administrations The American University in Cairo (AUC) - Cairo, Egypt
• Honors: Dean's High Honor List
• GPA: 3.797/4.0
• Scholarship Recipient
• Minor in: Economics
• Concentration in: Marketing
06/1996 High School: Arts
Valley English School - Cairo, Egypt
Score: 94.75%
06/1993 Middle School
Valley English School - Cairo, Egypt
06/1988 Preparatory School
Kuwait English School (KES) - Kuwait, Kuwait
WORK EXPERIENCE
01/2022 - Current Freelance Marketing Consultant
Self-employed - Egypt
• Spearheaded the launch of three distinct enterprises in Egypt, developing and executing comprehensive brand business plans tailored to each venture's unique market positioning and target audience (Schaffhausen Foods, Country Charm, & Homes Couture).
• Conducted in-depth primary and secondary market research, identifying untapped product development opportunities and shaping product innovation strategies.
• Developed and implemented marketing strategies leading projects for ATL, digital & BTL that significantly enhanced customer engagement and brand visibility, tailored to both traditional and digital channels.
• Developed full company websites utilizing Shopify & WordPress platforms as well as designed and optimized content strategy plans, enhancing the customer experience across multiple platforms and ensuring consistency in messaging for digital & social media.
• Improved user experience through the design, testing, and continuous optimization of webpages, driving higher customer satisfaction and interaction.
• Built strong relationships with influencers and key industry stakeholders, driving collaboration and amplifying brand reach through partnerships.
• Collaborated with creative teams including designers, copywriters, photographers, and videographers to deliver impactful visual and written content for a range of projects.
• Partnered with advertising agencies to develop high-impact promotional materials aligned with corporate goals, ensuring consistency across all campaigns.
• Managed and optimized social media campaigns, increasing engagement and conversion rates through targeted content strategies and performance analysis.
• Analyzed consumer behavior data to design and budget media-specific campaigns, ensuring alignment with the company's advertising objectives and maximizing ROI.
09/2020 - 12/2021 Marketing Head, Chocolate & Biscuits Mashreq Mondelēz International - Cairo, Egypt
• Steered business growth in struggling industries, navigating challenging market conditions and achieving significant market share gains across multiple sectors.
• Disrupted and optimized brand plans and activity calendars, including leading the New Product Development (NPD) agenda, adapting swiftly to the evolving
"new normal" post-COVID-19.
• Strategically managed and executed multiple high-impact projects and campaigns ATL, digital, & BTL, consistently exceeding business objectives and delivering strong performance.
• Surpassed PNOC targets by successfully implementing a well-managed pricing and downsizing strategy, driving profitability and maintaining brand competitiveness.
• Fully integrated MDLZ Marketing & Digital tools (Playbook, P@S, etc.), enhancing media presence and ROI while strengthening brand equity across key parameters.
• Honored with the prestigious MDLZ Global Marketing Excellence Award for exceptional performance in the Chocolate segment, recognizing outstanding achievements in marketing strategy and execution.
09/2018 - 08/2020 Senior Marketing Manager, Chocolate, North & West Africa Mondelēz International - Cairo, Egypt
• Revitalized Brand Proposition: Refined and differentiated the brand's value proposition relative to competitors, ensuring consistent market share retention across all core product lines. Successfully introduced high-impact, commercially viable new product developments (e.g., MC, CDM Oreo), driving substantial business growth.
• Exemplary Financial Performance: Achieved double-digit year-on-year growth by strategically managing and executing the Chocolate agenda, consistently surpassing financial targets and key performance indicators (KPIs).
• Strategic Team Development: Spearheaded the development and implementation of people-centric initiatives, laying the groundwork for the new team structure in North & West Africa (NAWA), enhancing organizational efficiency and cohesion.
• Market Share Expansion: Boosted market share from 25% to 32%, securing a competitive Head-to-Head position through targeted strategies and effective market penetration.
• Online Retail Innovation: Pioneered the brand's entry into the online retail space, successfully launching a diverse chocolate collection on platforms such as Amazon and Giftery, expanding market reach and consumer engagement.
• Regional Market Expansion: Led the strategic launch of chocolate products in Morocco and West Africa, including conducting strategy workshops, managing project execution, and overseeing agency collaborations, achieving a significant milestone in footprint expansion within the MEA region. 10/2015 - 08/2018 Marketing Manager, Chocolate, Mashreq Mondelēz International - Cairo, Egypt
• Instrumental in reversing Egypt's Chocolate market trajectory, transforming a negative growth trend of -7% into a positive +5% rebound through strategic market interventions and execution.
• Drove sustained double-digit YoY growth by strategically managing and executing the Chocolate business agenda, consistently surpassing annual commitments (AC) monthly despite market challenges.
• Navigated complex business conditions in Egypt, successfully leading the Chocolate business through significant disruptions, including a factory incident, the cancellation of key innovations, and severe economic turmoil. Achieved record market share in the total chocolate category, surpassing AC growth targets.
• Led Egypt's pricing strategy in response to a 100% currency devaluation and VAT increases, effectively mitigating gross profit (GP) erosion. Restored margins to category standards, achieving a 40% margin rate despite challenging economic conditions.
02/2012 - 07/2015 Senior Brand Manager, Chocolate Category for Countline KRAFT FOODS - Cairo, Egypt
• Strategic Portfolio Management: Developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy for the Countline segment, defining a clear vision and establishing distinct roles for each brand within the portfolio to drive alignment and performance.
• Category Leadership: Led and executed all category strategic initiatives, translating high-level plans into actionable strategies and driving successful outcomes across the category.
• Exceptional Brand Performance: Achieved outstanding results with Moro Eg Local Jewel, surpassing benchmarks in market share, brand awareness, consumption, and equity measures. Recognized with the EEMEA Marketing Excellence Award 2013 (with Moro ranked in the top 5) and shortlisted for the LYNX Film Award.
• Award-Winning Campaigns: Flake garnered multiple accolades, being shortlisted three times at the MENA Crystals for: 1) Best Women's Campaign, 2) Best Use of Ambient Media, and 3) Best Use of Social Media. COMPUTER SKILLS
• Data Analysis Software: Experience in tools like Excel, Google Analytics for analyzing and interpreting marketing data.
• Content Management Systems (CMS): Experience with website platforms such as WordPress, or Shopify for managing content and e-commerce.
• Social Media Platforms: Ability to use tools for scheduling and analyzing social media campaigns.
• Graphic Design Software: Basic design skills using software like Adobe Creative Suite and Canva for creating marketing materials.
• Presentation Software: Proficiency in creating compelling presentations using Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or other presentation software.
• Online Advertising Platforms: Knowledge of advertising tools such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads Manager, for creating and managing online campaigns.
• E-commerce Platforms: Knowledge of using e-commerce platforms Shopify or Wordpress for online sales.
COURSEWORK
• Fundamentals of Management
• Marketing Principles
• Market Research
• Sales Management
• International Marketing
• Advertising and Promotion
• Public Relations and Consumer
Behavior
• Business Law
• Economics
• International Business
• Operation Management
• Human Resource Management
• Accounting
• Finance
• Psychology
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
Student Union (SU), AUC, Cairo, Egypt, 1998-1999, Public Relations Co-member, Freshman Representative, Academic Co-Member Organizing Committee Member, Model Arab League (MAL), AUC, Cairo, Egypt, 1997 Member, Choral Group, AUC, Cairo, Egypt, 1998-2001
PERSONAL INFORMATION
• Place of Birth: Kuwait
• Date of Birth: 10/20/79
• Nationality: Egyptian
• Marital Status: Married
CELLULAR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• MDLZ Global Marketing Excellence Award: Recognized for exceptional performance in the Chocolate segment.
• EEMEA Marketing Excellence Award 2013: Achieved top 5 ranking for Moro; shortlisted for the LYNX Film Award.
• MENA Crystals: Shortlisted three times for Flake in the following categories: Women, Best Use of Ambient, Best Use of Social.
• KRAFT Values In Action Award: Awarded for the successful launch of the Global Oreo Brand in Egypt and the relaunch of Tuc, positively impacting the Biscuits Category and aligning with the strategy to premiumize the Biscuits portfolio and reduce reliance on mass-market brands.
• KRAFT Oreo 10 Global Award: Media Award for the successful launch of Oreo. LANGUAGES
English:
Full Professional
Arabic:
Native/ Bilingual
French:
Elementary
REFERENCES
References available upon request.
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