Nikos Athanasopoulos

Spearheading the Luxury Retail and FMCG Division, steering exemplary commercial and Go-to-market strategy. Expanded pivotal categories through the introduction of new product lines, strategically positioning the organization for growth via targeted investments, optimal resource allocation and a vibrant brand portfolio. Mitigated financial risk by rigorous control of credit-terms, notably enhancing Cashflow statement and P&L.

Led a team of 26 professionals, overseeing 6 direct reports, and successfully drove profitable growth across the Middle East and India by delivering an unparalleled shopper experience across both digital and physical stores. Achieved a remarkable 30% increase in basket size through the introduction of the engagement toolkit—a series of comprehensive training programs enhancing team capability and elevating visual merchandising excellence. Conducted a thorough mapping of the shopper journey.

Successfully partnered with the Distributor and jointly developed a robust RTM strategy. Deployed impactful visual merchandising strategies and secured 45% sell-out share in the organized convenience. Led the fastest-growing brand in the category (WEST) with a remarkable 380% sales increase and NSV of $1.5M. Recruited and trained a field-team of 11 to high standards and formed the best Salesforce. Grew the UAE SOM to 21.7%, a significant increase of +570 BPS, attributed to winning commercial initiatives.

Crafted bespoke merchandising solutions with a profound grasp of business landscape and grew Luxury brand 8%. Successfully executed the business plan, orchestrated impactful campaigns and seamless launches of new products. Guided Regional Sales Teams towards operational excellence to achieve 300 basis points SOM increase. Attained category captainship in pivotal Key Accounts by deploying customized solutions and advocacy schemes.

Engineered highly captivating digital Customer Experience (CX) solutions tailored for the hospitality industry. Established a robust customer base in the market by implementing personalized initiatives and bespoke offerings.

Led the development and implementation of Global Visual Merchandising guidelines, collaborating seamlessly with diverse Markets and Regions to ensure successful deployment across channels and territories. Expedited learning and best practices-exchange through the creation of the innovative "e-platform" program. Engineered and rolled out CRM dashboards, empowering markets to plan strategically and access real-time results.

Devised a successful commercial strategy and headed a team of 26 professionals to drive substantial revenue growth and profit margins. Notably, doubled the Share of Market from 4% to 8%. Successfully launch the CRM Siebel-Oracle in the Market and drastically increased the investment effectiveness. Deployed the successful launch of Oracle CRM, significantly enhancing investment effectiveness. Established the monthly cross-functional team meeting, fostering collaboration and expediting speed-to-market.

Developed and delivered all consumer and trade marketing programs Lead a team of 7 people with 3 Direct reports Annual and strategic planning, agency management and budgeting

Development of brand strategy, annual planning and design of initiatives to execute with excellence Planning of initiatives, budget allocation and monitoring Management of agencies (ATL and bTL) and custodian of the Global consumer promotion for the Greek market

Brand strategy execution and implementation of all consumer initiatives for the Coffee Category across the Greek market Agency management and budget monitoring

Profitability analysis by brand and price segment. Presentation of proposals for machinery purchase based on NPV and output requirements. SAP installation and development of ready-made dashboards for the end-users. Monthly expenses preparation for the different departments of the company.