Milka Velez MBA

Experience

• 

  Brightstar

  Jan 2004 - Jan 2016

  I was promoted to oversee the account management of $350M in sales in LATAM generated by 4 major wireless brands. I was responsible for developing and executing a Regional Brand & Sales Strategy through leadership of 12 Sales Managers and 3 Regional Brand Managers. I developed and cultivated strong business relationships with each brand. The territory encompassed South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS:☑ Increased customer satisfaction and cut costs by developing and offering fulfillment services to manufacturer, reducing order lead time by 60% (from 5 to 2 weeks).☑ Instituted a pricing strategy and model for regional teams for major wireless brand that facilitated and reduced quoting process to carriers and retailers by 80%.☑ Formed an operational quarterly review rhythm and C-level strategy for all 4 brands management teams to create stronger overall relationships.☑ Ensured regional sales team was current with sales tactics by conducting training sessions and product specialization workshops. Show less I was promoted to Business Manager for the BlackBerry brand, where I established/monitored key performance indicators, implemented client specific projects, and acted as the Subject Matter Expert on the company’s operational, contractual procedures and obligations for the brand. As a process improvement collaborator and leader, I drove procedural improvements, ensured coordination and alignment were achieved in order to reach annual goals related to revenue, customer satisfaction and operational excellence. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS:☑ Improved gross profits of $100M+ (2% of average gross margin) by playing crucial role on team conducting strategic negotiations of new distribution model contract. ☑ Spearheaded gain of $400M through flagship phone sales in LATAM (includes telecommunication carriers, retailers, dealers, agents, and multiple sub-distributors). ☑ Measured monthly performance of a $1.2B distribution agreement using a newly implemented Operational Service Level Agreements (SLAs) scorecard.☑ Won 7 distribution services contracts valued at $500M from telecommunication carriers in LATAM Region in 3 years; led 30+ contract negotiations, including legal review and approval process. ☑ Recognized with Company Employee of the Year Award for “Leading Most Profitable Vendor Account.”☑ Recovered $25M+ in 3 years by reengineering credit memo process.☑ Cut quoting turnaround time from 5 days to less than 2 hours by developing and managing a cost/pricing structure for all carriers. Show less I chartered and implemented the BlackBerry distribution business line within LATAM — orchestrating all aspects of brand guidelines, inventory management, product procurement, demand/forecast management, reserves, margins, and pricing management. I oversaw the administration of global projects, which included development of detailed project plans, management of project schedules, delivery of progress/completion reports and identified/resolved threats that could potentially impact deadlines. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS:☑ Grew regional sales from $135M to $1.5B in 2010 by managing end-to-end operations, guiding a team of 11 brand managers across the region.☑ Won distribution services contracts with 40+ telecommunication carriers in 4 years.☑ Led Brightstar’s participation at BlackBerry World Congress for 4 years.☑ Brought in more than $6.4B dollars of revenue in 9 years by playing crucial role on second contract negotiation; kept profit margin intact despite strong client resistance.☑ Created and trained a demand generation team across entire LATAM region. Mentored 3 sales coordinators who advanced to be brand managers. Show less I Initiated the implementation of the Blackberry product line within the company, which grew from $25M to $135M in a year period. I designed and implemented all aspects of Blackberry business operations such as inventory strategy, planning and forecasting methods. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS:☑ Established procedures for implementing new carrier accounts, leading to the execution of 45 carriers in 42 Latin-American countries, islands, dependencies or other territories.☑ Developed and incorporated the RMA (Returned Merchandise Authorization) process for the region.☑ Received the Company Relationship Management Award | “Efficacy building and fostering a solid account relationship”. Show less I provided logistics and sales support for the LATAM region, managing day to day operations of the Wireless Data group. I was responsible for processing all sales orders upon arrival based on demand analysis. I fostered successful, long-term relationships with internal and external customers.ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS:☑ Implemented a new part number structure for the Wireless Data department.☑ Prepared $5M to $7M monthly Vendor Invoice Reports (VIRs) as per contracts and controlled Vendor reserve accounts with a monthly average of $1M –$3M.☑ Redesigned RMA process for Palm, HTC, and Lenovo, reducing timeline by 64% (from 14 to 5 days). Show less

  • Account Business Director | Value-Added Distribution ⇉ Account Management of $350M Brand Portfolio

    Jan 2013 - Jan 2016

  • Business Manager, Blackberry Business Unit ⇉ Led Gain of $400M Through Flagship LATAM Revenue

    Jan 2010 - Jan 2013

  • Product Manager, BlackBerry (formerly RIM) ⇉ Grew Regional Sales from $135M to $1.5B

    Jan 2007 - Jan 2010

  • Junior Product Manager ⇉ Grew Blackberry Product Line Revenue from $25M to $135M

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2007

  • Regional Sales Coordinator ⇉ Managed Daily Operations of Wireless Data Group

    Jan 2004 - Jan 2006