Ammu Balakrishnan

Experience

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  OMICS International USA

  Oct 2012 - Oct 2013

  Business Consultant

  Planned and organized trade shows and conferences, resulting in new business leads and opportunities.• Secured sponsors, exhibitors, and media partners for B2B and B2C business development conferences.• Developed and implemented risk management protocols to ensure event safety and smooth execution.• Managed event venues, including transportation and accommodation logistics.• Developed a marketing plan that increased attendance by 10% and boosted brand awareness.• Collaborated with vendors and suppliers to negotiate favorable contracts, achieving 12% cost savings.• Provided administrative support to technical teams by scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and coordinating travel itineraries. Show less

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  Exenta HRMS

  Oct 2013 - Oct 2014

  Business Development Manager

  Built and managed the sales and business development team, reporting directly to the CEO.• Led business development for the HRMS software solution, focusing on identifying new business & market opportunities, generating leads, and securing key partnerships with industry-leading clients, increasing sales by 12% and customer acquisition by 10%.• Created and implemented a standardized customer onboarding process, reducing onboarding time by 8%.• Implemented a customer segmentation strategy that identified and targeted high-value customers, resulting in a 15% increase in revenue.• Identified, developed and implemented a pricing strategy, increasing profitability by 10%.• Conducted market research, led product development, and launched targeted marketing campaigns.• Planned, monitored, executed, and completed projects, ensuring all contractual and project-specific requirements were met. Show less

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  Qatar Design Consortium

  Oct 2014 - Nov 2015

  Management Consultant

  Collaborated with a 5-person project team to design, optimize, and support key internal and external processes across departments to meet project objectives and maintain operational stability.• Acted as the central liaison between the process team and various departments, ensuring smooth process performance.• Developed procedures and guidelines for processes, reducing errors by 10% and improving regulatory compliance.• Developed complex audit plans and procedures to identify potential risks and weaknesses in internal control systems, ensuring compliance with standards.• Evaluated organizational systems of internal and external stakeholders to develop and maintain project-specific workflows, procedures, and documentation, ensuring a smooth transition from project initiation to closeout and handover.• Prepared, maintained, and distributed standard operating procedures to relevant departments for approval, ensuring proper data documentation and retrieval.• Functioned as the focal point for technical documentation by reviewing and recommending areas for continuous improvement in organizational processes.• Liaised between engineering, construction, operations, and project management teams to ensure alignment on handover requirements and timelines. Show less

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  Arcadis

  Nov 2015 - Apr 2019

  Business Performance Associate

  Monitored budget and operational performance of high-risk projects within environment, infrastructure, and program management verticals for Qatar operations, managing a total contract value of 370M AED.• Facilitated collaboration between project teams, improving project review feedback and compliance adherence by 10%.• Produced monthly management reports and performance dashboards, leading to a 15% improvement in executive decision- making processes.• Conducted project reviews, summarized post-review statistics, and provided reports to the managing director, operations director, and CFO for strategic planning.• Created risk management plans to identify, assess, and mitigate risks, ensuring monitoring of overall project performance and addressing strategic issues.• Developed and tracked roles and responsibility matrices with stakeholders to ensure timely project completion.• Managed end-to-end project setup in Oracle, including accurate resourcing and forecasting, improving financial oversight.• Supported project planning and execution by preparing schedules, tracking progress, and allocating resources appropriately• Organized training sessions for operations teams to ensure readiness for new project handovers.• Established key performance indicators and performance management frameworks, reducing decision-making time by 20%. Show less

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  Torba Naturals

  May 2019 - now

  Strategic Operations Manager

  Managed a cross-functional team of 20, reporting to the CEO, overseeing operations across HR, finance, procurement, manufacturing, social media, graphic design, sales, marketing, R&D, and branding with an annual budget of 2.5M AED.• Adopted and implemented a new ERP system, optimizing operations and saving hours of manual work weekly.• Implemented strategies addressing key constraints, budgetary needs, and growth opportunities, incorporating market trends and emerging technologies.• Reviewed P&L with sales and finance leads, analyzing product penetration rates, increasing delivery efficiency by 17%.• Facilitated client-facing contract negotiations and vendor agreements, ensuring business alignment.• Oversaw budget implementation and monitored financial performance, making data-driven decisions to ensure sustainability.• Established key performance indicators to assess the effectiveness of business strategies and initiatives.• Implemented a business-specific inventory management system, reducing stockouts by 20% and increasing sales by 5%.• Developed a training program, increasing productivity by 25%, boosting client satisfaction, and securing repeat business and referrals.• Negotiated strategic partnerships and supplier contracts, reducing procurement costs by 15% and expanding distribution channels by 30%.• Executed pricing and marketing strategies based on demand, market research , customer needs, sales analysis and inventory forecasts to meet the profit objectives. Show less