Rob Maneson Email & Phone Number

Austin, TX, US

At LOFB we believe that men need to find a new way to open up and chew the fat in a confidential and moderated forum. We also feel that the camaraderie shared amongst men when enjoying cigars is an ideal environment for doing this. As such, we set up the WORLDS FIRST cigar brand, where 40% of the PROFITS from every CIGAR go towards supporting a mental.

Dubai Festival City, Dubai, AE

A UAE-based private equity backed shisha tobacco manufacturer; AIR is a powerhouse in the global market for premium shisha (hookah) molasses and shisha accessories. As the largest player in the industry, the Company's varied brand portfolio includes over 100 flavors and its products are available in 150 countries.

Los Angeles, CA, US

To eliminate tobacco related harm, Lucy is committed to bringing innovative nicotine products to the market. Lead all sales strategy development and execution for a YCombinator-backed startup. Reporting to CEO.

Bristol, Bristol, GB

• Directed all revenue-generating channels for the US business including traditional retail, specialty retail product and eCommerce (website and eCommerce retailers) to deliver $150M+ in net revenue.
• Grew market share +200 basis points, thus turning a negative trend positive within 6 months of tenure.
• Increased brand distribution 50%+ within 12 weeks for the largest customer, ensuring core product availability, visibility and merchandising to improve share and volume growth.
• Directed 100+ employees, delegated tasks, scheduled manpower, and monitored performance for productivity.
• Turned around an underperforming sales team through process improvement, structure, planning, and training.

Bristol, Bristol, GB

• Headed short- and long-term sales and profitability strategy development including creating, communicating and implementing the company’s vision, mission and overall direction.
• Maintained and grew double digit business while managing risks including government regulatory compliance (US Food & Drug Administration - South Dakota v. Wayfair, Inc., Et Al. decision on eCommerce companies.
• Increased website traffic by 34.8%+ by creating, planning, implementing and integrating the business' strategic direction, and delivered +6.0% CAGR net revenue and +8.0% EBITDA growth for business during tenure.
• Managed daily commercial activities of multiple eCommerce, direct mail and wholesale brands delivering $130M+ turnover and a $12M+ operating profit annually.

Bristol, Bristol, GB

• Built the business from the ground up, successfully hiring the entire team, developing the business plan from scratch, allocating resources properly, and retaining corporate alignment and investment.
• Led the total organizational strategy, expansion, brand development, real estate, new builds, new store modeling, acquisitions and joint ventures, negotiations, buying/planning, integration, and finance.
• Developed new store model, investment requirements, real-estate selection criteria, construction planning for all new builds and partnership model for growth of business.
• Established business unit of a premium cigar brick and mortar retailer with plans to reach 50 nationwide locations within 3 years and generate $90M+ in sales per year.
• Managed P&L for 21 existing retail stores to deliver $47M in net revenue, a 26.4%+ increase during tenure.
• Completed acquisition of Serious Cigars, Prime Cigar & Wine Bar and Tampa Humidor.

Bristol, Bristol, GB

• Turned around a 7-year declining business by introducing new products, developing a marketing strategy, re-setting the vendor partnerships/strategy, and managing channel sales and A&P spend effectively.
• Managed the product merchant team to build key manufacturer partnerships and leverage Omni-channel sales.
• Led 7 JR Cigar locations and 3 Cigar Inn (brick and mortar) retail locations with 300+ employees.

Bristol, Bristol, GB

• Developed the first-ever trade marketing comprehensive strategy including customer initiatives, promotional planning, sales actions and execution, and managed 3 employees effectively.
• Headed all trade marketing and key account sales ($100M) functions to achieve sales growth objectives.
• Created channel-specific trade programs including all financial analysis and sell-in with $10M in annual spend.
• Built trade channel customer engagement initiatives, annual promotional plans, sales team cycle plans, merchandising plans, retail POS and incentive programs, and in-store consumer engagement strategies.
• Directed all trade marketing strategies, activities and planning including channel investment, competitive trade engagement, consumer engagement, branding, go-to-market (GTM), sales targeting, and messaging for optimal.
• Launched outlet classification model plans for field sales team to increase call coverage model efficiency.

• Managed P&L, strategic and tactical development, annual category business planning, promotional strategizing, key supplier negotiations, and overall management of a segment of business valued at $200M+ in annual sales.
• Collaborated with cross-functional stakeholders to communicate insights for advancing shared goals.
• Partnered with management to review category trends and devise strategies for meeting sales, marketing, distribution/supply chain, promotional, and merchandising objectives.

Atlanta, Georgia, US

• Directed a business segment exceeding $300M in annual sales and $41M in operating profits for 320+ stores.
• Managed a category worth $100M in annual sales and $15M in profits, on an interim basis.
• Ensured manufacturer negotiation and contractual compliance for products worth $40M+ annually.
• Developed the category strategy, sales/margin growth, marketing and promotion programs, supplier selection, product distribution, plan-o-grams, pricing, and retail pricing strategy to maximize sales and gross profit.
• Identified and supported product opportunities by monitoring competition and creating retail price zones.

Richmond, Virginia, US