Muhammad Usman Sikander Email & Phone Number

Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

• Spearheading and overseeing retail audit operations for Pakistan's largest Retail Audit provider.• Bearing responsibility for overall Product Improvement, pioneering new methodologies, implementing new category audits, and advanced analytics solutions.• Introduction of Advanced Census Analytics using a combination of store level retail audit and census data.• Creating client insights on new product launches, initial handlers’ analysis, in-store product overlap and portfolio optimization. • Collaborating with commercial teams to foster and enhance client relationships using Audit Data Insights, critical thinking, thought process, client engagement, and advanced data analytics.• Taking charge of end-to-end leadership for Data Science, Data Acquisition, Data Processing, and IT teams.• Driving Business Transformation through technology upgrade and adaptation strategy.

Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan

Organizational update. Nielsen Connect Business Transforms as NielsenIQ and a completely separate entity from Nielsen Media (now Nielsen)• Part of the Operations Organizations with responsibility of Pakistan Reference Data and Output Operations Teams• Effectively led and supervised the Data Coding and Data Processing teams for Retail Audit.• Demonstrated exceptional dedication to quality by maintaining compliance with KPIs and successfully reducing non-compliance to below 2%.• Efficiently oversaw the client queries platform, ensuring that all queries resolved within SLA guidelines, achieving a 100% closure rate.• Proactively managed client communications on the Operations side with timely engagement & prompt responses to meet client expectations.• Successfully ensured on-time report delivery, even during the challenging Covid period, and efficiently navigated dual reporting requirements resulting from re-calibration of latest retail census.• Safeguarded 100% client revenue by delivering highly customized reports tailored precisely to each client's unique needs.• Spearheaded the enhancement of client custom reports by implementing innovative reporting methodologies.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Part of the Operations Organizations with responsibility of Pakistan Reference Data and Output Operations Teams• Effectively led and supervised the Data Coding and Data Processing teams for Retail Audit.• Demonstrated exceptional dedication to quality by maintaining compliance with KPIs and successfully reducing non-compliance to below 2%.• Efficiently oversaw the client queries platform, ensuring that all queries resolved within SLA guidelines, achieving a 100% closure rate.• Proactively managed client communications on the Operations side with timely engagement & prompt responses to meet client expectations.• Successfully ensured on-time report delivery, even during the challenging Covid period, and efficiently navigated dual reporting requirements resulting from re-calibration of latest retail census.• Safeguarded 100% client revenue by delivering highly customized reports tailored precisely to each client's unique needs.• Spearheaded the enhancement of client custom reports by implementing innovative reporting methodologies.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Managed the Beverages and FMCG Drug Categories' portfolio through a Data Science lens, taking responsibility for answering client queries and delivering actionable insights.• Expertly addressed client inquiries, focusing on the key drivers behind brand share/distribution variations, and offering valuable explanations.• Utilized advanced data slicing techniques to present additional insights that successfully reengaged clients and showcased the impact of frequent product changes on shelf space and distribution in a fiercely competitive market.• Ensured seamless integration of new retail census for the assigned categories, guaranteeing a 100% revenue retention on the new dataset.• Designed and delivered compelling and insightful PowerPoint presentations, catering to client queries and to help them navigate in the competitive retail environment.

Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

• Data Science SME for deployment of different global projects within APIMEA region.• Project management for global project on creating syndication retail panels, with the emphasis on ensuring that the project completed on time and within budget.• Collaboration for the testing of newly developed tools and solutions for global deployment ensuring 100% compliance.• Delivered trainings on statistical panel design and retail census estimation best practices.• Conducted a comprehensive review of the retail panel in MENAP countries, ensuring that the panels were representative of the retail landscape and that the data estimated using those panels was within acceptable limits.• Successfully deployed a client query resolution framework within the data science team, ensuring that queries resolved quickly and efficiently.• Provided support to leadership on client communications and developed /delivered presentations to clients.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Instructed undergraduate students in statistics and mathematics, with a focus on developing their critical thinking skills.• Successfully completed a research project on disparity in social service delivery in Punjab and presented the findings at an annual conference hosted by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE). It was published as part of the conference proceedings in the PIDE journal.• Managed the day-to-day operations of research projects, from data collection to data processing, ensuring that projects completed on time and within budget.• Collaborated with researchers to develop project plans and timelines, and to identify and resolve any challenges that arose during the project.• Provided recommendations for appropriate sampling techniques, ensuring that the selected sample is representative of the population under study and meets the specific needs of the research project.• Managed external vendors for field data collection and data entry, ensuring that data collected and entered accurately and efficiently.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Oversaw the Pakistan business for Nielsen advanced analytics and delivered USD 100K target for the year 2009.• Helped clients identify issues with the new product launches and predicted the product failure using retail audit data• Delivered invaluable insights to a prominent beverage brand on retail execution, resulting in a remarkable success story that propelled the brand to market leadership in the years to come.• Collaborated with the client servicing teams to provide training on advanced analytics' tool kit, resulting in a significant improvement in their ability to sell advanced analytics projects.• Successfully managed crunched timelines by implementing innovative data processing methods, resulting in the timely delivery of urgent client deliverables.• Established and maintained strong working relationships with the commercial and operations team, ensuring that all stakeholders aligned and working towards the same goals.• Awarded the "Best Presenter" award in the country-wide training on "Effective Presentations", for my ability to deliver a clear, concise, and engaging presentation.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Proficiently supporting M.Phil. and Ph.D. students in the development of their research dissertations, emphasizing the clarity of research objectives and the design of well-structured questionnaires.• Offering valuable recommendations for appropriate sampling techniques and fieldwork plans, ensuring the selected sample represents the target population accurately.• Demonstrating strong project management skills, overseeing research projects from data collection to data processing, ensuring seamless execution and adherence to timelines.• Providing expert statistical analysis and report writing support for research dissertations, generating comprehensive and insightful reports to enhance the quality of research findings.

Lahore, Pakistan

• Demonstrated Proficiency in Consumer Research: Successfully executed end-to-end consumer research projects, showcasing strong expertise in handling various aspects, including project brief creation, questionnaire design, field management, and data coding/editing/entry.• Diversified Skill Set: While on job rotations, took charge of crucial roles in data coding/editing and entry operations, contributing to the smooth flow of data management processes.• Skillfully managed and delivered a country-wide survey on social safety nets, exhibiting strong leadership and project management skills. • Recognized for leadership potential and appointed as a field operations leader within the first year on the job, reflecting effective leadership skills and adaptability in diverse work environments.

Ms, Economics

M.Sc, Statistics

B.Sc, Maths, Stats And Economics