Summary
Overview
Work history
Education
Accomplishments
Interests
Timeline
Generic

Eric Kwabena Essah

ACCRA

Summary

Am a Distribution expert, with wide experience within the FMCG space. Have enormous competence in Management for value, change management, very customer-centric, leading and inspiring people for growth.

Overview

30
30
years of professional experience

Work history

Strategy and Change Manager

LIFEFORMS Ghana LTD
06.2019 - Current
  • LIFEFORMS Ghana LTD is a multi-sectoral company operating a Finance House, Logistics, Project Development, Management & Execution, Architectural, and Audio Visual Services
  • Key Responsibilities;
  • Own the 5 years Strategic Plan and drive its execution with the right ‘Strategic rhythm'
  • Develop a performance dashboard to track the KPIs of subsidiaries and report the same to ExCO
  • Drive the Cultural change to embed ‘'Mission and Values” that will transform performance in a Best-in-class manner
  • Provide business development opportunities input
  • Additional responsibility as Acting GM for INOX Steel & Wire a startup JV Company between LIFEFORMS and M&M Global (India)
  • January

Sales and Marketing Consultant

FORMS BROADCAST SOLUTIONS LTD, LIFEFORMS Ghana LTD
10.2019 - 06.2019
  • Forms Broadcast Solutions deals in Sony Professional Products, Enterprise Data Solutions, and Clyde Broadcast products
  • Its core product category includes Projectors, Video Security, Radio & and TV equipment supplies, and installations
  • As the Lead Consultant, my key responsibilities;
  • Restructure Salesforce into a professional unit
  • Refocus business on core customers and channels to ensure regular sustainable revenue
  • Input into the group's overall Sales and marketing efforts
  • A key input into charting a new Strategic Vision for the Group and designing actionable plans to achieve the same.

Head of Sales

PZ Cussons
06.2010 - 09.2017
  • PZ Cussons is a major international manufacturer of personal healthcare products and consumer goods
  • It operates worldwide, especially in Africa and Commonwealth nations
  • The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index
  • Delivering top-line profitable growth, market, and distribution shares, and championing Customer Development
  • Deliver top-line turnover growth and target objectives in line with profit expectations and aligned with the growth strategy
  • Provide Sales leadership input into the Business Planning cycle
  • Joint Customer Business plan preparation
  • Implementation and Review based on Customer and Channel insights
  • Negotiate trade terms and trade funding
  • Provide Sales Capability upgrades
  • Manage and coordinate the execution of visibility-enhancing initiatives across categories and channels
  • Lead Market intelligence gathering and competitor activity monitoring across categories and channels

Sales Development Manager

PZ Cussons
05.2008 - 05.2010
  • Initiating, developing, and championing the delivery of 1st Class Distribution as a strategic imperative;
  • Championing the Customer development agenda that delivers the strategic goal of 80% weighted numeric distribution for key lines through Customer rationalization and Customer resource provision
  • Introducing new ways of working that focus on retail rather than primary distribution
  • Identifying and championing the appropriate training modules required to deliver best practices in-market execution by the sales force
  • Initiated, led, and monitored channel distribution
  • Providing the link between Marketing and trade activations.

Divisional Sales Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
12.2007 - 04.2008
  • Ashanti/Northern) Regions
  • Covering the Ashanti, BA, Northern and Upper regions
  • As a member of the Sales Leadership Team of Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd (GGBL), the DSM delivers the Volume, Share, and Profit goals of GGBL
  • Manage the Division as a Business Unit to maximize profit from accessing opportunities with scale and pace, managing the tea within Budget, and growing core brand volumes
  • Plans for growth and success through supporting ambitious trade strategy and aligning with brand GAME plans
  • Fosters a learning organization by driving the use of Customer/Consumer insights in designing Commercial plans
  • Ensures the effective/efficient use of sales drivers by channel/segment
  • Develop the capabilities of 11 Key Distributors to deliver Volume, distribution, and market share objectives
  • Up skilling the capabilities of Salesforce to deliver brilliant execution at the Point of Sale
  • Reports to the Sales Director with a team of 14 sales forces, made up of 3 Sales Managers and 10 Sales Executives.

Divisional Sales Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
06.2005 - 11.2006
  • Regions
  • Covering Central and Western Regions
  • Reported to the Sales Director with a Salesforce Team of 6 person's direct report.

Distributor Manger

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
03.2001 - 05.2005
  • Managing Key Distributors (KDs) within the Accra region to achieve GGL's volume, debt, and Distribution targets
  • Designing, supervising, and monitoring the implementation of appropriate Journey Plans per Key Distributor salesperson to achieve comprehensive territorial coverage of the Division
  • Designed and Managed a KD capability path to improve the efficiency and effectiveness by which KDs deliver set performance expectations
  • Monitor the financial strength of KDs and liaise with the KD Bankers for information on their financial adequacy
  • Delivering Customer channel/segment plans.

Senior Key Account Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
01.1999 - 03.2001
  • Managing 11 Key Distributors with a focus on their major customers
  • Responsible for their achievement of sales and debt targets
  • Ensuring Key Distributors achieve effective territory coverage through the deployment of an efficient fleet of vehicles.

Regional Manager

Ghana Food Distribution Corporation
11.1995 - 09.1996

Commercial Officer

Cape Coast Ghana Food Distribution Corporation
11.1993 - 10.1995
  • Prospect and improve sales and marketing to and through individuals, Distributors and institutions whilst managing the Nation's Food Security objectives.

Education

MBA - Marketing

University of Ghana

BA (Hons) - Economics and Geography & Resource Development

University of Ghana

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Accra High School

Accomplishments

  • Design and implement a Commercial strategy that prioritizes the allocation of resources to achieve commercial, portfolio, and brand-building objectives
  • Establishing Key Sales Performance indicators and tracking performance against a predetermined set of criteria
  • Monitoring Customer and Competitor activities and determining overall impact on Target Sales Achievement
  • Establishing, maintaining, and developing a network of stakeholders influencing and communicating with them
  • Building a team that is inspired to deliver exceptional performance
  • ACHIEVEMENTS
  • As Cutover Manager (Ghana), successfully delivered the execution of SAP ERP into the business operations of PZ Cussons Africa (2016 - 2017)
  • Introduced a truck finance scheme into PZ Cussons that supported Customer capability development delivering +25% growth in both value and volume
  • 2010 to 2015
  • CANDO Employee of the Year 2014
  • Championed a revised trade term that rewards effective redistribution and investments by PZ customers
  • Customer rationalization delivered circa 25% year-on-year growth from 2009, doubled numeric distribution to the current 65% for key brands, and reduced the number of direct customers by some 60% to the current 30 customers
  • As Champion of the Commercial Planning Process (PZ), led the Commercial input into the Business Planning Process
  • The Part of the team that designed the model for integrating Guinness Ghana Ltd and Ghana Breweries Key Distributors(post-merger) into a single distributing framework across the nation in 2005
  • Earned promotion to managing a New Sales division thereafter
  • Introduced focused Key Account distribution into Kumasi which accessed a new channel in 2006.

Interests

HOBBIES & INTERESTS, Playing Chess, Football, Tennis, Driving, and Reading.

Timeline

Sales and Marketing Consultant

FORMS BROADCAST SOLUTIONS LTD, LIFEFORMS Ghana LTD
10.2019 - 06.2019

Strategy and Change Manager

LIFEFORMS Ghana LTD
06.2019 - Current

Head of Sales

PZ Cussons
06.2010 - 09.2017

Sales Development Manager

PZ Cussons
05.2008 - 05.2010

Divisional Sales Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
12.2007 - 04.2008

Divisional Sales Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
06.2005 - 11.2006

Distributor Manger

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
03.2001 - 05.2005

Senior Key Account Manager

Guinness Ghana Breweries Ltd
01.1999 - 03.2001

Regional Manager

Ghana Food Distribution Corporation
11.1995 - 09.1996

Commercial Officer

Cape Coast Ghana Food Distribution Corporation
11.1993 - 10.1995

MBA - Marketing

University of Ghana

BA (Hons) - Economics and Geography & Resource Development

University of Ghana

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Accra High School

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