OTEMAH A. BOAKYE
New York,USA
Summary
Accomplished brand architect with a proven track in partnership, marketing, and brand development. Adept at overseeing all aspects of daily operations and making strategic decisions that drive growth initiatives and enhance outreach. Proficient in multi-level data mining, tracking market trends, consumer behavior and retail performance to seize opportunities that positively influence business direction and bottom-line profitability.
Overview
12
12
years of professional experience
Work History
Sales Director, Retail and Wholesale
USTAWI | Gipefi Cosmetics Inc
New York, NY
06.2022 - Current
- Assumed U.S. General Manager role after departure, acting as the point of contact.
- Lead account management and sales performance of all retail accounts, which grew the productivity of all by +47% on average YoY.
- Increased Nordstrom Beauty business by +52% YoY.
- Grew Amazon business by +215% YoY.
- Act as the point person on all projects across all accounts, including, but not limited to, marketing initiatives, financial and product projections, seasonal and monthly recaps, budgeting, and other daily communication.
- Ensure all aspects of brand’s e-commerce presence are optimized for algorithms and consumers: enhanced PDP, content, search, advertising, catalog, inventory, purchase experience, and reviews.
- Partner with key stakeholders across all retail channels to advocate for and create the right content to fit retailers' needs: new launches, brand spotlights, social media, UGC, collaborations, and Before & After.
- Collaborate with retail partners to execute a 360-degree marketing plan for each account, achieving key business objectives and KPIs.
- Partner with cross-functional teams to concept, design, and develop eye-catching on-shelf displays, front-of-store tables, and other print collateral for seasonal retail planogram resets at the point of sale.
- Lead the visual merchandising planogram recommendation and updates: calendar, SKU rationalization, and productivity analysis, working closely with the visual merchandising team.
- Research to build a business case for product development competitive analysis.
- Optimize inventory planning, including end-of-life considerations, to achieve a 96% on-time rate with key retail partners.
- Work closely with the founder to support R&D, accurately forecast business costs, and maintain the price of goods from target costs to final costs.
- Lead creative ideation and execution of event booths, out-of-home promotions, and ad-hoc retailer pop-up event collateral.
- Assist in developing and managing a clear differentiation strategy between retailers with an omnichannel (B&M and e-commerce) approach, while remaining true to the brand identity and 360 goals.
- Developed and defined retail KPIs, budgets, and forecasts.
- Build and nurture a high-performance team by hiring, motivating, and developing individuals, with a focus on creating internal talent pipelines.
New Business Manager
Natura US
New York, NY
10.2020 - Current
- Successfully built the US wholesale strategic distribution direction, leading all partnerships and customer-facing areas, and managing the second-largest revenue-generating channel.
- Devise all partnership and sales projections in 2021, exceeding sales targets by 5%, and +117.8% over LY.
- Spearheaded all retail initiatives, delivering a successful holiday 2021 pop-up activation that generated over 60,000 gross sales in six weeks.
- +67.8% growth in sales volume with existing accounts, resulting in increased brand awareness, participation, and market share.
- Negotiated two of the largest partnership deals in operations history: Alltrue (Causebox) Signature Box Winter 2021 ($500k) and FabFitFun Signature Box Summer 2022 (+$1M).
- Activated a large-scale sampling initiative with Influenster in 2021, and extended the partnership for 2022 in both the US and Canadian markets.
- Renegotiated retail partnership extensions in 2021, with additional brand space, marketing, and social actions at commercial moments, with no additional costs.
- Created and implemented assortment strategy for all accounts and developed an ongoing marketing calendar to align partner's actions with brand's digital and retail commercial KPI
- Implemented a commercial and customer acquisition strategy for each partner (THG, FabFitFun, Alltrue, Verishop, Amazon, NYBG, Buy Buy Baby, ULTA, etc.) that supported sales objectives and allowed for real-time capitalization of emerging opportunities.
- Created training and education materials, retail visual collaterals, and brand/partnership integration programs.
- Enabled consistent, on-time deliverables per timelines established in contracts by leading the sales process and managing channel actions to support production and logistics efforts.
- Conducted monthly market reviews, analyzing channel sales, sell-through, marketing action results, and growth opportunities.
- Led wellness 'pop-up': a monthly touch base with internal and external team members.
Territory Manager
La Bouche Rouge Paris
New York, NY
09.2018 - 10.2020
- Managed LBR US wholesale and B2B business market.
- Expanded distribution channels, developing U.S. operations' strategic direction with the COO and international business director.
- Implemented a brand expansion strategy that facilitated growth with partners, such as The Webster, Forty-Five Ten, Detox Market, etc. into different territories and markets.
- Leveraged market knowledge and relationships to acquire a partnership with Neiman Marcus Group, leading to the launch of LBR at Bergdorf Goodman and 10 Neiman Marcus doors
- Prospected and onboarded Atelier, Flora and Henri, The Conservatory, and Bellacara.
- Hired and trained 10 full-time market leads, and 5 independent contractors to support accounts.
- Conducted store visits, sales events, in-store activations, and training regularly.
- Collaborated with each partner to develop merchandising direction that ensured LBR standards aligned with partners' protocols and market trends.
- Organized and planned sales targets, staff calendars, and sales tracking.
- Led weekly meetings with sales teams and presented market results and insights monthly to internal teams in Paris.
- Ensured consistent communication between LBR and partners by implementing monthly reviews and touch-base meetings.
Regional Account Executive
L'Occitane En Provence
New York, NY
07.2016 - 03.2018
- Managed Northeast Wholesale & B2B business.
- Recruited, trained, and managed a sales team of 8 full-time coordinators and 10 market specialists
- Developed and executed sales and selling strategies that increased sales volume by +30% in existing accounts and +200% in new accounts.
- Helped create and inaugurate a new social media strategy.
- Executed new Sephora-focused digital campaign activations that generated over 305,000 impressions, reached 852,000 followers, and had an engagement rate of 2.4%, above the industry average of 2%.
- Supported the Wholesale director to manage the Amazon business.
- Worked with Marketing teams to develop and implement product launches, and seasonal actions.
- Presented weekly and monthly sales performance to internal and external teams.
- Conducted regular reviews to update product mixes, price indexes, product performance, account initiatives, and market opportunities.
- Visited stores regularly, trained staff, and organized events
Regional Sales and Education Manager
SPACE BRANDS LIMITED
New York, NY
03.2013 - 07.2016
- Management of sales and education for the Northeast and Canadian markets, as well as supporting brand expansion into Australasian and Asian markets.
- Territory encompassed over 100 doors across all retailers: SpaceNK, Barney's, Sephora, ULTA, Nordstrom, Murale, Shoppers, and MECCA.
- Trained and developed four full-time sales and education coordinators, twenty part-time employees, and seasonal event specialists.
- Successfully opened a partnership with the Neiman Marcus Group, launching 10 counters in flagship stores.
- Established a Sephora partnership, launching a pilot of 11 Sephora stores across NYC, through expansion into 40 additional stores across the US.
- Successfully launched Eve Lom complexion in 45 SpaceNK stores, Barneys New York, and Bergdorf Goodman.
- Developed retailer/store-specific education content, as well as created training and facial protocols for Sephora University, aligning with marketing efforts and market trends.
- I attended press events and assisted backstage at QVC presentations and live tapings.
- Executed small- and large-scale events with all partners, including Sephora's brand focus, Art Lab training, ULTA GO training, FIC, trade shows, and trend shows.
Education
Esthetics - Esthiology Science
Aveda Institute
New York, NY05.2012
BS - Biology/Biological Sciences
Fordham University
Bronx, NY01.2010
Skills
- Strategic planning
- Contract Negotiation and Cost Management
- Portfolio structuring and price review
- Multi-category and market sales background
- Brand-building and revenue-generating strategies
- Demand and Supply Planning
- Recruiting, hiring, and staff training
- Sales monitoring and growth tracking
- Partnership building and account development
- Promotion development and project management
- Forecasting, competitive analysis, and trend analysis
- Trade marketing
- Cross-functional team management
- Logistics & Freight Management
Additionalinformation - Websites
https://www.linkedin.com/in/otemahboakye/
Timeline
Sales Director, Retail and Wholesale
USTAWI | Gipefi Cosmetics Inc
06.2022 - Current
New Business Manager
Natura US
10.2020 - Current
Territory Manager
La Bouche Rouge Paris
09.2018 - 10.2020
Regional Account Executive
L'Occitane En Provence
07.2016 - 03.2018
Regional Sales and Education Manager
SPACE BRANDS LIMITED
03.2013 - 07.2016
Esthetics - Esthiology Science
Aveda Institute
BS - Biology/Biological Sciences
Fordham University
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