Brendan Cole Email & Phone Number

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

I led a team that analyses the market, retail partners and competitors to identify areas for revenue growth whilst delivering bottom line profit.• I analysed Market, Retailer Sales and Internal Sales Data to identify opportunities for growth through the introduction of new SKUs, new retail listings or new promotional mechanisms.• I pioneered the development of this department in Defy whilst partnering with the Global HQ, Arcelik, and McKinsey consultants to facilitate a new way of working.• I worked with the Executive team at Defy attending their weekly meetings growing my understanding of how the organization works as a whole. This has enabled me to identify potential pivotal actions and collaborate across departments effectively.• I collaborated with the Finance, Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain teams on an ongoing basis to formulate tactical and strategic initiatives within given categories of the business and/or customer segments. I set the targets for each project and thereafter assess the effectiveness once implemented.• I drove strategic Trade Term Simulations to lead negotiations between Defy and its various retail partners.• I oversaw the pricing of all SKUs (including locally manufactured and imported products) to ensure maximum profitability. Together with the Finance, Sales, Marketing and Supply Chain teams I developed a Defy Pricelist geared towards revenue growth.• I implemented an automatic price web scraping project to eliminate manual processes that has given Defy the ability to increase agility in its promotion responsiveness and to better identify pricing trends across various retailers and competitors.• I created and maintained new data analytics tools in Defy using Alteryx and Tableau which enhanced data visibility across the organization.• I developed and finalized the Defy budgets for the Sales and Marketing teams by SKU and customer for three years running.

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

I centralised sales reporting within Defy to ensure the accuracy of the data available within the company, and therefore the data driven based decision making.• I created detailed sales reports which provided a new level of visibility within the organization. I assisted branch managers across the country by identifying opportunities for growth. I equipped the greater team by providing them with regional sales data. I cleaned our Masterdata which was accessible by the Sales team to ensure stability in their reporting.• I created a monthly monitoring system of KPIs to ensure transparency throughout the year.• I drove strategy sessions with the Defy branch managers, with the objective of forecasting and planning activities and actions of significant impact, for specific customers.• I centralised SKU Forecasts for Sales and Supply Chain for factory and procurement teams to facilitate better production planning. This ensured timeous understanding of lead times for products for Sales team and their customers with forecasting visibility.

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

I led 2 teams of planners in the biggest divisions of the business, working with the merchant teams to strategize around where we will grow sales and margin in a highly competitive, low margin, electronic general merchandise trading environment. I managed both teams across both South African and Sub-Saharan African markets, maximising profit by managing the financial position of the stock needed to make sales in our business across the continent. I am involved in forecasting; analysis of markets, stores, suppliers; optimizing logistics inefficiencies between the retailer and suppliers and ensuring a strong working capital position. I co-ordinated with executives of Top Branded Suppliers to strategise the year ahead and develop plans to expand collaborative growth. I was elected by my colleagues as an employee representative during the Massdiscounters Section 189 retrenchment process upon their relocation to JHB in 2018. I loved being involved in a big company driven to make people's lives better in the process of doing business as well.

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Managed the financial position of a merchandise portfolio of the biggest department in the company. This involved building assortment/buy plans, forecasting, and post seasonal analysis; in season management of stock flow and in-store stock availability, store performance, merchandising standards and ordering from suppliers. Understanding the logistical implication of large stock items and the complicated network in which we trade. I assisted in formulating buy in deals through trading and negotiations to become more competitive on pricing in the market. I examined the price elasticity of product at particular price points. I was also involved in the formulation of strategy with associated presentations to the management and Executives.

Durban, Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa

Managed the financial position of a merchandise portfolio comprising of 4 departments with a wide SKU base in the sport division. This involved building assortment/buy plans, forecasting, post-seasonal analysis; in season management of stock flow, store performance, merchandising standards and ordering from suppliers. The formulation of Strategies for all relevant departments, with associated presentations to the management and Executives.

Durban Area, South Africa

Bachelor Of Business Science, Finance & Economics

Education record