Frans de Vries
Chilliwack
Summary
With over 15 years of management experience, I bring a results-driven approach to the table as a General Manager. Expertise in developing business growth strategies with a key focus on sales, operations, and P&L performance. Strong track record of driving revenue growth and maximizing profitability through strategic planning, innovation, and effective execution. Building and leading high-performance teams to achieve business objectives is a skill I excel at. Proven ability to create and implement long-term strategies that deliver tangible results. Developing strong partnerships with clients and stakeholders is another strength that sets me apart.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Business Unit Director
CANNA Canada
01.2022 - Current
- Directing the Business Unit for better corporate performance which includes:
- Responsible for P&L, Budgeting, Forecasting, Management and Financial Performance
- Business Strategy - Developing and implementing strategies to drive revenue growth across Canada
- Sales Management - Managing & Directing Sales, Marketing, OPS and Compliance in Canada
- Operations Management - Manage Operations teams to achieve growth strategy objectives
- New Business Development - Key account management, distributors and B2B to secure and maintain and grow market positions
- Product Development - Gathering market intelligence and working with R&D to develop new products for market
- Cross-functional Team Leadership - Recruit, build, motivate and manage human resources to ensure optimal BU performance across Canada
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Hydrofarm
03.2018 - 12.2021
- Develop and implement strategy for integrating acquisitions into the existing organization
- Work with each organization’s initial staff, finding cultural similarities and merging groups into meaningful conversations and collaboration to promote growth
- Analyze processes in all departments, building strategies to improve efficiencies and procedures
- Manage remote staff and teams to ensure the integration and advancement of acquisitions for continued and improved performance
- Analyzed the performance of acquisitions to identify new ways to increase sales, efficiencies and margins, evaluating sales and operational data for 24 months, identifying top sellers and clients, and developing a strategy to improve sales with specific customers
- Changed the operational structure and processes to reduce waste and improve fill rates and efficiencies, increasing capacity by 80% through the movement of assets and changing manufacturing processes, but not altering hours
- Supported sales and marketing with improved strategies, guiding departments on implementation while reviewing organizational sales data, developing growth strategies, and aligning all stakeholders to drive initiatives
- Analyzed operational effectiveness, identifying and rolling out new processes to improve efficiencies by 18%
General Manager
CGIS REFRIGERATION GROUP
01.2015 - 02.2018
- Developed and Implemented strategic growth of four divisions within a group of companies
- Maintained a strong focus on cohesion, business development and revenue growth in international markets
- Improved revenue from $2MM to $8MM in three years, changing culture, selecting staff, and building the division to optimal performance
- Designed and negotiated partnerships and distribution agreements in addition to drafting proposals for key client acquisitions to allow access to key markets
- Improved margins from 6% to 22% by negotiating improved terms with vendors, and changing the sales strategy to adopt a margin-oriented approach
- Expanded to international markets with a $4MM revenue value, selecting and managing a sales teams and partners in various territories to acquire new business
- Designed and implemented a sales strategy for each country to support overall growth objectives, and established partnerships to support business development in all regions
- Created proposals for partnerships, negotiated terms, and defined structure while managing country representatives and budgets in excess of $2MM
- Reported quarterly at the board level regarding progress and critical issues
- Led an annual strategy convention to assist other departments in establishing strategies for growth and insightful management
- Oversaw the corporate international business development of four companies during a merger, designing a universal sales pipeline for use on the same level/system, to compile sales data and improve strategies and growth
Project Manager
STEEL STUDIO INTERNATIONAL
07.2013 - 12.2014
Project Manager
Government RSA
10.2007 - 06.2013
Education
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - Business Administration and Management, General
Steinbeis University of Berlin
01.2017
MASTER OF COMMERCE - Management; Project Management
Cranfield College
01.2016
Skills
- Strategic Leadership
- Management
- Revenue & Profit Growth
- Business Development
- Strategic Planning
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
- Financial Analysis
- Negotiation
- Team Leadership
- Business Strategy
- Operations management
- Competitive intelligence
- Innovation management
- Staff training and development
- Business analysis
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Business Unit Director
CANNA Canada
01.2022 - Current
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Hydrofarm
03.2018 - 12.2021
General Manager
CGIS REFRIGERATION GROUP
01.2015 - 02.2018
Project Manager
STEEL STUDIO INTERNATIONAL
07.2013 - 12.2014
Project Manager
Government RSA
10.2007 - 06.2013
MASTER OF COMMERCE - Management; Project Management
Cranfield College
MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION - Business Administration and Management, General
Steinbeis University of Berlin
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