Versatile Retail Business Analyst with MBA in Marketing and 7 years expertise in Retail Business and 2 years in Retail software testing . Demonstrated abilities in analyzing sales, margins, and turnover results to develop tactical plans and merchandising programs that achieve defined goals. Strategic, conceptual decision-maker known for exceeding expectations, welcoming change, and being first to explore and apply innovations and cutting edge technologies. Expert negotiator complimented by multilingual abilities in English, Hindi, and Malayalam.
CORE COMPETENCIES
• QA Testing
• Market /Trend Analysis
• Business Analyst • Product Introduction
• Loss Prevention Controls
• Customer Satisfaction • Inventory Management / Control
• Cost Effective Product Purchasing
• Team Mentoring / Coaching
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Soft Solutions ,Canadian Tire Retail Project-Toronto Canada.
Business Analyst-ibs Soft Solutions Canada- 2010(Recent)
Business Analyst for soft solutions ibs suite consisting of –IBS Master Data Management(REF),Pricing, Promotions,Report,workflow,integration,Systems.
Investigation, Documentation &Testing of Defects logged in Mercury Quality Centre.
Understanding of Business process rules ,Requirement Book and Validations.
Release note validations on Code Drop Delivery
Communicating with Lab& client for fixes of Defects
Document updation in infopedia(Documenting Software).
Report Templates updates on Requirement Specifications.
Application Behaviour Analysis, Basic Data analysis using SQL queries.
Active participation on GO Live activities and launching of ibs Promotions and Vendor App.
Testing in different environments like UAT(User Acceptance Test),QSPT,MDMQH,QAT,DEV3.
MANTHAN SOFTWARE SYSTEM, LTD. — Bangalore, India
Served as functional consultant on project teams of systems and services company specializing in supporting decision making processes of modern retailers.
Consultant Business Analyst (2008 to 2009)
Applied expertise and strong understanding of retail and merchandising concepts to improve and customize analytic Software products and services offered by the company. Performed business process analysis to determine and understand specific client requirements, create and maintained white papers, and provide functional requirements to System Engineering and Product Development partners. Supported Sales and Marketing team during pre-and post-sale meetings and conferences. Key Achievements:
Created key performance indicators for release of new ARC 5.8 software product.
Ensured quality and effectiveness of products by conducting data validations and testing of SQl Queries.
Developing Functional Specifications and Documentations for engineering Team.
Dashboard creation, user specific security settings, Training Clients.
Graphs. Alerts and QA management
Suggestive analysis.
24 SEVEN DUBAI, LLC. — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Directed operations for 14 regional stores owned and operated by premier convenience retail chain within Dubai, generating over $20M in annual revenues.
Retail Category Manager(Purchase) (2007 to 2008)
Developed and managed plans for manpower, P&L production and reporting, strategic directives, associate training, merchandising, loss prevention, and sales production for 14 store locations. Key Achievements:
Analyzed consumer purchasing trends to identify gaps in product range and categories and effectively responded by sourcing new suppliers.
Generated savings in operational costs by negotiating trading agreements with 130 new and existing vendors.
Promoted internal growth by recruiting, mentoring, and grooming new store managers.
SPINNEYS DUBAI LLC — Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Executed cost effective, quality product procurement for leading Supermarket / Hypermarket with 30 locations throughout Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Oman with over $300M in annual turnover.
Buyer / Assistant Buyer (2001 to 2007)
Performed in-depth market trend, sales history, and selling pattern analyses to develop and execute strategies for maximizing sales. Provided overall support to company gross margins, turnover objectives, and customer demands by purchasing high quality branded merchandise, monitoring procurement schedules, and establishing limits for effective inventory control. Worked closely with counterparts and Category Managers on generating new ideas, resources, vendor relations, current trends, and competitor analysis. Key Achievements:
Triggered increase in profitability by developing comprehensive product assortments, consumer-focused items, competitive pricing, creative merchandising, and effective promotions.
Ensured constant product availability and local / foreign purchase order processing & allocations by streamlining SAP Modules.
EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS
Master of Business Administration in Marketing
ENPC School of International Management, Paris, France (2000)
Bachelor of Arts in Economics
KERALA UNIVERSITY — Kerala, India (1998)
Certified Travel Counsellor – Travel Industry council of Ontario, Canada (2010)
Purchase Management Association of Canada Membership.