Symon Bargurei

a) Commercial, Strategy and Innovation Leadership:

• Lead the annual strategic planning process and ensured its effective implementation while aligning strategies with business and market goals.
• Established key performance indicators (KPIs) in alignment with annual Business Operating Plans (BOPs) to measure the effectiveness of strategic initiatives. Focused on refining business strategies and implementing innovative approaches to drive measurable growth.
• Provide strategic recommendations, both short and long-term, to capitalize on business opportunities.
• Work closely with top leadership to develop tailored strategies for various projects and initiatives. Collaborated and coordinated with business leadership and stakeholders to continuously monitor performance against targets, making necessary adjustments.
• Foster trust-based relationships with internal leaders and stakeholders, facilitating the exchange of ideas and information.
• Identify, analyze, and closely track revenue-generating opportunities aligned with the Group's mission and vision.
• Drive new business initiatives, special projects, and optimization initiatives. Develop new products and effectively position them with a competitive edge in the market.
• Design, develop, and implement data, research, and learning development functions for the group.

b) Communication and Change Management:

• Oversee brand communications, digital transformation, and corporate brand engagement.
• Prepare regular analysis reports for the Board, Group Managing Director, business leadership, and relevant stakeholders to support informed decision-making.
• Act as a seamless interface between the Board and the business, coordinating management and board activities through the office of the GMD.
• Promote culture change management initiatives with a view to promoting organizational effectiveness and efficiency, aiming to attain a high-performance organization status.

c) External Affairs and Engagement:

• Lead corporate communications and external affairs for the group business, ensuring the appropriate reporting of group business activities.
• Promote sustainability as an integral part of the organization's culture, monitoring key metrics, and managing sustainability reporting.
• Integrate sustainability with the business strategy with a view to reducing business risks, accelerating returns, and gaining better reputational management.
• Promote improved internal engagement through activities that drive positive energies for progressive change.

Notable achievements on this role:

• Developed and entrenched the current strategy of Unga dubbed U50as well as cascading it at all stakeholder levels.
• Elevated the Unga group brands through various initiatives including thought leadership, increased consumer and stakeholder engagement across the business strata
• Developed the sustainability strategy and integrated it into the business strategy and annual plans
• Promoted team cohesion at leadership and plant site levels and significantly improved employee engagement ratings from 76 to 91%
• Won The Best Relaunch Campaign Award 2023 from the MSK Awards 2023, through the launch of the Amana brandline

• Develop and communicate the company's strategic vision and goals, crafting comprehensive business strategies for long-term growth, while actively monitoring industry trends and market dynamics for strategic insights
• Spearhead revenue growth and cost optimization for sustainable profitability, utilizing financial analysis to identify areas for enhancement and implement financial models and forecasts
• Oversee the formulation of sales and marketing strategies, instilling a customer-centric culture to enhance customer satisfaction, and managing pricing, product positioning, and go-to-market strategies
• Lead and support organizational change initiatives, driving efficiency and effectiveness through process improvements, and promoting a culture of adaptability and continuous improvement
• Identify, evaluate, and lead potential business opportunities, partnerships, and mergers/acquisitions, guiding due diligence and negotiation processes, and executing plans for entering new markets or launching product lines
• Cultivate and maintain essential relationships with clients, partners, and stakeholders, ensuring robust internal and external communication channels, and effectively resolving conflicts to foster collaboration
• Develop and implement corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, actively monitoring and reporting the company's social and environmental impact, and aligning business practices with ethical and sustainable principles
• Drive innovation in product development and enhancement, staying attuned to technological advancements and market shifts, and fostering a culture of creativity and continuous improvement.

• Lead the Advertising Business to increase print and digital revenues and market share
• Manage people, drive cultural change, provide guidance, and enhance employee engagement
• Supervise a team of 96 employees nationwide with the support of 8 direct reports
• Responsible for sustaining business growth through strategic design, sales strategy implementation, and operational excellence to outperform competitors
• Directly manage business leaders in various units and lead tactical programs to achieve established goals
• Foster productive internal and external relationships, emphasizing improved business relations through collaboration initiatives.

• Achieved monthly revenue targets for Daily Nation, Business Daily, The EastAfrican, Taifa Leo, and Digital business to meet annual revenue objectives
• Led and supported a team of 12 Business Executives in serving assigned business units and client portfolios
• Engaged decision-makers and key stakeholders to promote Nation Media Group commercial solutions
• Oversaw year-on-year revenue growth, managing a portfolio of over 0.5 billion annually
• Successfully increased revenues and provided valuable feedback on sales trends, customer perceptions, and competition analysis, leading to improved products and consumer approaches
• Motivated and developed the team, many of whom are now business leaders
• Enhanced the use of digital platforms for business communications, resulting in increased digital revenues for NMG
• Strengthened business relations with clients, leading to improved engagements and conversions.

• Achieved monthly revenue targets to meet annual objectives, oversaw overall account management, share of spend growth, market share growth, and enhanced advertising customer experience
• Led and supported a team of 12 Business Executives
• Mentored and trained new Business Executives on sales processes and revenue account growth
• Consistently increased revenue year on year for three consecutive years, managing portfolios of over 300 million annually in roles such as KTN Business Manager and Ad Center Manager
• Expanded market share by retaining existing clients, introducing innovations, recruiting new clients, developing products, and exploring new markets
• Played a key role in securing major contracts with large corporations, initiating the KTN Business Focus show, and forming exclusive partnerships, including Standard Chartered Marathon media partnerships
• Significantly reduced make goods and customer complaints through improved customer service, quality control inspections of sales processes, and analysis of failure reports.

• Managed accounts and recruited new clients and achieved monthly revenue targets
• Initiated and executed creative revenue activities while focused on relationship management
• Successfully recruited new spending clients in both South Rift and Nairobi regions
• Consistently met or exceeded monthly targets during the duration of stay in the region
• Enhanced business relationships with clients, leading to increased spending.

• Maintained accurate records of all sales activities, including contracts, proposals, quotes, follow-ups, and customer communications.
• Increased sales revenue by establishing strong relationships with clients and identifying new business opportunities.
• Examined incoming inventory, merchandised shelves and prevented shrinkage.
• Created professional sales presentations and seminars to effectively demonstrate product features and competitive advantages.
• Handled customer inquiries by staying up-to-date on market and industry trends and finding unique solutions to issues.
• Managed customer accounts to secure customer satisfaction and repeat business.