Chris Graham

Design Savvy is a small consultancy focused on saving clients money and time on their home renovations.

The Innovation Factory was conceived in 2014 as a portal to connect clients with reliable, well valued contractors through an easy to use, portal for every type of fit-out and/or construction related process. In the beginning, Business development geared towards the UAE interior fit-out market was our key agenda. However, we systematically adapted over an 18 month period to develop connections and revenue streams in other areas of the construction market. I originally focused on building relationships with consultancies, construction companies, developers and architectural firms who can implant the products and/or services I represented into their project pipeline. I successfully achieved penetration into leading consultancies and developers in the GCC. details of these companies can be discussed as required. We worked closely with a number of key industry leaders who have proven track records in their related fields. We understand that every client has a different set of needs or constraints so we worked hard to ensure that we matched our clients with the best available service provider and/or product to accomplish this. We operated and attracted revenue through the following channels. • Consultancy services for the interior design and build market • Sub-contractor qualification and vetting. • Pre-contract and contracting management including Risk analysis and project planning. • Business development and sub-contractor development for major construction (MEP Services) • Business development and sub-contractor development for major construction (Partitioning and Cladding) • Business development and sub-contractor development for major construction (Joinery) • Business development and consultancy pre-qualification for major construction (cable and wiring products) • Overseas materials and product procurement, cost analysis and specifications. • EPCM Contracting and Project Finance structuring

Automotive sales for Jaguar Land Rover automobiles

As the Head of Contracts Management, I was responsible for Developing and implementing procedures and policies to help reducing organizational expense and increase efficiency, including negotiations, recommendations, monitoring and change management. My mandate was to ensure consistent management of all proposals and contracts. This generally included oversight of the contract management process, as well as development of specific standards for bidding and submission, contract negotiations and document management. My role required close collaboration with various departments, including business development, project management, account management, business operations and finance. Key Responsibilities. • The development and placement of procedures to deal with independent contractors, customers and employees so that best practices can be maintained. • liaising with other stakeholders, during the entire tender process; coordinate for inputs on techno commercial clarifications and negotiations to ensure that the required services are covered within the optimum cost & quality. • Managing the Contract Work Order Process; ensure that our policies and procedures were adopted throughout the process. • Ensure proper vendor performance & relationship management • Manage the Escalation or issues between Vendor, Contractor & suppliers and End Users • Provide a backdrop for accountability expectations and help protect against legal, regulatory, and liability issues Create and manage a contracts strategy • Oversee organizational contract development and management activities, and enforce organizational principles of integrity and compliance. • Develop standards for contracts, payment terms, general language and provisions. Perform appropriate administrative and operational research to support proposal and contract development. • Draft contractual provisions based on strategy discussions, senior management input, and organizational needs and expectations.

Primarily recruited for my abilities in penetrating highly competitive market sectors; I joined this company as the UAE Sales Manager for this turn-key interior design and fit out company. I was tasked with increasing revenue and brand awareness within the corporate sector throughout the UAE. I also managed the contracts for all projects during my tenure and built a commercial/contractual team. Skills being used: Business development, Business Management, contract management, estimation. With the expert backing and support of both my superiors and team, I was able to implement extreme changes to the business model of this company by both modernizing and simplifying the sales structure. In charge of advertising, marketing and profitability, I was hands on in all aspects of the generation and sustainability of the business development department. Dealing with International suppliers of materials and furnishings, I was able to create and maintain relationships with market. I was also able to demonstrate my sales abilities by training and monitoring the progression of the staff through the Implementations of sales techniques learnt whilst working in the UK.

Porsche and Audi Vehicles, Middle East. In early 2005, I became Assistant Sales Manager for the largest franchised motor dealership in the UAE, dealing primarily with Pre-Owned Audi, and secondly with Porsche, I was given the opportunity to manage a brand new state of the art showroom on Sheikh Zayed Road. Within 18 months I increase productivity by 32.6%, this was done by various advertising campaigns which were designed to raise the profile of the Used Vehicles market within the GCC. I was also given a rare opportunity to design a new automated stock control system which at my time of leaving had been implemented and was being used by the entire Al Nabooda Network.

Entering this position as a sales executive, I was presented with an opportunity to begin my professional career with one of the largest automotive companies in the UK. I targeted certain sectors in the automotive market, focusing on converting the current service customers into retail buyers with an increase of 21.7% within the first 12 months. With an average monthly product penetration rate of 42%, I was offered the opportunity to move into a Junior Business Development role where I was tasked with sales of after sales products in the new vehicle sales department. Products included: • Paint and fabric Protection • Financial packages • Service packages • Guaranteed asset protection • Warranties