Sales Supply Chain

Rekha Mathew

**** ***** **, ********, ** ***** 651-***-****

**********@*****.***

Accomplished Category Management and procurement leader with a proven track record of superior business results, high quality and profitability growth. Proven ability in cultivating deep relationships with key suppliers, business partners and stakeholders. Highly effective in recruiting great talent, coaching and motivating productive teams. Strong expertise in Strategic Sourcing, Operations, Strategic Pricing, Promotions, Procurement, Marketing, Accounting and Supply Chain Management.

Unique Skills and Competencies

• Strategic sourcing

• Expense reduction and labor controls

• Six Sigma application to sourcing

• Strategic pricing

• Category management based procurement • Strategic planning and budgeting

• Problem solving and analysis

• Supplier negotiations

• Revenue growth and profitability

• Team leadership and coaching

Professional Experience:

Sr. Category Advisory Manager, Coca-Cola Refreshments, Eagan, MN 2012-Present

• Establish and maintain partnerships with Category Commercialization Leaders, Revenue Growth Management Group, and the Channel Ops and Sales Teams. Act as the subject matter expert for SSD categories and be the single point of contact for category information and expertise.

• Be an active partner in creating strategic plans for Category Advisory and Category Commercialization

• Provide leading edge category management solutions internally and externally, stewarding leading edge tools, capabilities, and results

• Utilize and understand Nielsen, IRI, shopper card, and internal proprietary data and systems to generate actionable insights that will help Coca-Cola drive total category insights with retailer partners and that will influence Brand and Category Commercialization Team strategies

• Routinely present the total Category point of view internally, helping drive Category Advisory vision with key internal stakeholders

• Provides strategic analysis for the category that will ultimately identify and inform future innovation and roll out plans

• Partner with key internal groups and suppliers to create analyses, insights, and research that will inform category growth strategies and Coca-Cola brand opportunities with retailers.

Sales & Merch. Manager, Health & and Wellness, Supervalu, Stillwater 2010-2012

• Responsible for the Health & Wellness categories with annual sales in excess of $200M with an average 30% gross margin encompassing 69 Stores with Pharmacy.

• Developed a strategy for Power Sale Items and negotiated a Supervalu only deal with a vendor partner that resulted in over $275,000 in incremental sales in one category in a week.

• Restructured the department for better workflow and cost savings, which eliminated overtime and improved productivity by 12%.

• Currently managing the Direct Store Delivery vendor management system which resulted in an inventory reduction of over $350,000 per year, a 4% improvement over the target goal.

• Create and develop all phases of Strategic Sourcing and negotiate best cost of goods to ensure leadership position and maximum sales/profit in Health and Wellness categories.

• Develop RFPs and annual promotional plans for the category by evaluating assortment and negotiating deals with vendors. Review and manage Direct Store Delivery Vendor performance to manage inventory and prevent overstock.

• Determine item assortment, develop a First to Market strategy with new items and maintain and grow market share. Analyze and develop consumer integrated yearly business plans with Vendor community. Introduced many locally relevant items to the Category and reduced unnecessary cost and monopoly.

• Manage the Vendor Score Card process to ensure the best vendor performance, quality and customer satisfaction.

• Supervise, train, coach and mentor 5 direct reports.

Sales & Merchandising Manager, Supervalu, Stillwater 2008-2010

• Successfully managed 13 categories with annual sales in excess of $275M and gross profit over $37M encompassing 69 Cub Food Stores.

• Developed and implemented a strategy for seasonal items with a season long pricing strategy and net cost negotiation with key vendors to drive margin dollars which resulted in 12% margin growth compared to previous year.

• Responsible for category business planning, sales and gross profit targets, category growth, merchandising, advertising and managing category item selection.

• Identified local items to optimize category assortment and negotiate costs and develop promotional plans with local vendors.

• Analyzed strategic pricing reports and competitor actions; determined pricing adjustments to remain competitive while achieving gross profit objectives. Interacted with wholesale regions on weekly ad distributions to ensure optimal inventory levels.

• Led the Supplier diversity committee.

• Supervised, trained, coached, and mentored 4 direct reports.

Sr.Technical Buyer, Supervalu, Hopkins 2007 - 2008

• Sourced and procured for 7 distribution centers to minimize supply chain costs; procured system recommended forward buy quantities; and attained logistical efficiency allowances, cross dock savings and direct plant opportunities.

• Procurement lead for Internal Roadmapping project to understand customer needs and service opportunities, resulting in 99% or better service levels.

• Negotiated with vendors to utilize all Forward Buy and Direct from Plant opportunities to save cost which resulted in an annual savings of over $1M per year in select categories.

• Ensured the purchases met established objectives for service levels, days of supply and aged inventory.

• Ordered merchandise and coordinated delivery dates to maximize profitable load shipping, assure strong logistical programs and excellent stock conditions.

• Maintained communication with regional distribution management team concerning deliveries in order to minimize warehouse handling expense and inventory loss.

• Communicated with manufacturers, region staffs, distribution staff and Central Inbound Transportation to resolve issues and address opportunities.

Warehouse Supervisor, Supervalu, Hopkins 2006 - 2007

• Managed all aspects of distribution operations, including managing employees, measuring productivity, scheduling, transportation, inventory control, order selection and safety.

• Instituted a Quality Program in order fulfillment process and loading procedures that resulted in a reduction of returns or damaged claims from 22% to 7%.

• Developed and implemented a new tracking tool to measure on time delivery and customer satisfaction, which resulted in 99% on time delivery and improved customer relationship.

• Successfully managed daily shipments by monitoring the timeliness and accuracy of inventory adjustments and enforcing consistent warehouse practices in accordance with Company policies and procedures.

• Ensured that all inbound merchandise is inspected and audited.

• Supervised decisions regarding space allocation, slotting and inventory control.

Operations Group Leader, Target Corporation, Minneapolis. 2004 – 2006

• Managed a team of 45 employees and was responsible for daily operational volume of up to 100,000 items of merchandise including furniture, electronics and commodity items. Mentored and developed newly hired peers to help them transition into the Target environment and culture.

• Responsible for the strategic operations to deliver products that met established quality, customer service, safety, innovation and cost metrics consistent with Target’s policies and procedures.

• Improved the productivity of my team of 45 associates from 76% to 99% by improving the team morale and instituting best practices.

• Coordinated with various corporate units and the vendor community to improve design of product packaging to optimize the product flow by 7%.

• Led the distribution center’s planning and preparation for the internal annual compliance audit and secured a score of 100%.

• Revised operational procedures to ensure the Inbound department’s compliance with Six Sigma Lean improvement process.

• Followed appropriate safety procedures to comply with OSHA, FDA regulations, and internal company guidelines.

Education and Training:

• Master of Philosophy in American and West European Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India

• Masters in International Relations, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India

• AAS Degree in Computer Programming, St. Paul Technical College, St. Paul, Minnesota

• Six Sigma training on its application to Supply Chain Management, Target Corporation,

• Mini Masters Certification in Retailing Excellence, St.Thomas University, Minneapolis

Other:

• Supervalu Emerging Leaders program, 2008

• Member of Cub Women’s Affinity Group since 2009

• Mentium mentoring program, 2010

• Supervalu Leadership Consortium, 2010

• Supervalu Leadership Development Planning program, 2010

• Target Systems(Info Retriever, GRM)

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