Karim El-Khazen
Address: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Date of Birth: 05-Oct-76 - French and Lebanese Citizenships
Email: karim@elkhazen.com
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Seasoned sales leader with over 20+ years of international experience and a proven track record of driving revenue growth and exceeding sales targets. Demonstrated success in building and leading high-performing teams, fostering an entrepreneurial spirit and a culture of excellence and achievement. Adept at formulating and executing innovative sales strategies, cultivating strategic partnerships, and consistently delivering exceptional results in competitive markets. Known for a strategic and data-driven approach, combined with effective collaboration across cross-functional teams. Lived in the Middle East, Europe and the USA.
Specialities: P&L management, sales leadership, business development, new product introduction, partnership development & management, innovation scouting, cross-functional project & program management, product development, solution design & integration, corporate R&D.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Apple
Head of Telco Sales
May 2018 - Present (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Established and led the formation of Apple's Telco Sales team of 4 Carrier Managers from its inception, handpicking top-tier talent and fostering a culture of teamwork, collaboration and empowerment.
- Cultivating and nurturing pivotal relationships with the Carriers, leveraging these partnerships to drive collaborative initiatives that resulted in record-breaking revenues growth (+116% in 5 years).
- Driving cross-functional collaboration with Marketing, Services, Finance, Operations and Engineering teams, ensuring alignment of strategies and resources to maximize impact and revenue generation.
- Playing an instrumental role in the launch of new products, solutions and operating models with Carriers, overseeing successful go-to-market strategies that are generating significant positive sales results.
Head of Enterprise and Education Sales
May 2018 - June 2022 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Additionally to leading the Telco business, also developed the B2B business by recruiting 2 leaders from the Enterprise and Education sectors, resulting in doubling the business in 4 years.
- Drove the strategy and development of the B2B resellers channel, through collaboration with the global partnerships, regional sales, channel marketing and system engineering teams.
- Acquired strategic customers across Government, Airlines, F&B, Healthcare and Education sectors.
Telco Carrier Manager
April 2016 - April 2018 (Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)
- Led the management and expansion of Apple's strategic relationship with the key Carrier partner Mobily, successfully turning-around the account (+90% revenues in 2 years) through strong C-Level alignment, joint marketing initiatives and close cross-functional collaboration within Apple.
Deutsche Telekom
Vice President Business Development & Innovation (BDI)
International Businesses Division, November 2012 - March 2016 (Bonn, Germany)
- Established and managed a global unit with full P&L responsibility and end-to-end accountability across partnering, solution development, marketing and sales focusing on global media-related cloud-based solutions.
- Led a multinational team of 15 product development, project management, business development, sales and marketing professionals across Europe (Germany, Spain, France, and Hungary).
- Developed a portfolio of Over-The-Top (OTT) solutions for broadcasters, enterprises & operators in areas such as cloud enabling / content monetization e.g. launched Live Streaming/TV service, Video-on-Demand (VoD) service, and big data-driven web performance optimization solution.
- Acquired major customers across Europe, Middle East and Russia and generating substantial revenues growth by creating market opportunities with new types of customers or greenfield markets.
- Increased International Business Unit's competitiveness through innovation by cooperation with best-in-class technology partners/startups and creation of new propositions & market opportunities.
- Delivered results through tremendous drive, agility, startup attitude and collaborative style with colleagues, partners and customers.
Deutsche Telekom
Head of Project Development
International Businesses Division, August 2011 - October 2012 (Bonn, Germany)
- Managed product innovation and project development processes across Deutsche Telekom's international businesses, e.g. ensured the end-to-end delivery in a record time of a new WiFi service.
- Led a multinational team of 10 product development and project management professionals in Germany, Hungary, Austria, the US and UK through scouting, concept evaluation, incubation, realization and portfolio management.
Deutsche Telekom
Senior International Partnership Development Manager
International Businesses Division, November 2009 - July 2011 (Bonn, Germany)
- Developed and set up a new business function for Deutsche Telekom for selling capabilities and synergy opportunities to other non-competing international telecom operators.
- Identified, structured and executed two strategic partnerships with other operators that created new growth segments for DT e.g. sold for the first time DT-internal solution to 3rd party operator.
T-Mobile International
International Program Manager
Project Management Division, November 2007 - October 2009 (Bonn, Germany)
- Directed cross-functional project & program teams of 30+ managers, designers, developers
and technicians located in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, UK and Netherlands.
- Managed Top20 Product Development programs in collaboration with the Product Management
and Technology organisations of T-Mobile, as well as suppliers in Europe, North America and Asia.
- Successfully delivered the Mobile Instant Messaging program in Germany, Czech Republic and
UK (4 MEuro budget). Received T-Mobile International's CTO Award for exceptional performance.
T-Mobile International
International Project Manager
Mobile Messaging Group, June 2006 - October 2007 (Vienna, Austria)
- Turned around the Mobile IM/Super SMS project (2 MEuro budget) that was substantially
late to the market, and successfully delivered it to the business in Germany and UK.
- Supported the program management of several service implementation projects related to
the Instant Messaging and managed the technical inter-working activities with Vodafone.
- Supervised the mobile messaging design team located in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic
in a cross-functional initiative related to a Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO).
- Maintained a solid understanding of the entire technology landscape and identifying
relevant trends, especially in the field of mobile messaging (SMS, MIM, MMS, Email, and Voice Messaging).
Motorola
Technical Manager
Corporate Research Lab, September 2001 - April 2006 (Paris, France)
- Managed "End-to-End Reconfigurability" (E2R) collaborative project (17 MEuro, 55 person-years/year) of the 6th Framework Programme of the European Commission (EC), interfacing on a daily basis with the consortium (28 partners across 10 countries in Europe and Asia).
- Provided overall technical coordination, ensured on-time delivery of deliverables to EC and drove coherent technical perspectives and liaison activities across the workpackages of such multi-disciplinary research project.
- Defined business opportunities and actively contributed to the strategy identification for reconfigurability, by the development of interactions within Motorola and the implementation of standardization and regulation plans.
- Defined and developed a service architectural framework in Beyond 3G (B3G) environment and implemented new concepts related to service management on Motorola B3G demonstration testbed (GPRS, WLAN, DVB-T).
- Led the multi-site and multi-partner development of the Monasidre (European project) telecommunications platform, and contributed to the conception and UML-based design of the platform.
Ericsson Radio Systems AB
System Engineer Intern
Product and Systems Management, May 2000 - December 2000 (Stockholm, Sweden)
- Analyzed the behavior of an IP-based radio access network for cellular mobile phone system.
- Developed a simulation tool, based on Network Simulator (NS), for the dimensioning of such network.
- Studied the network performance and documented several scenarios of voice and data applications.
Cegetel - Société Française du Radiotéléphone (SFR)
Engineering Intern
Engineering Division, June 1999 - August 1999 (Paris, France)
- Analyzed GSM protocols at A/Abis interfaces, and developed procedures for the analysis and its post-processing.
- Gained knowledge of GSM standard as well as database development and management.
Thomson Broadcast Systems
Web Developer
Marketing Department, June 1998 - December 2000 (Paris, France)
- Created the corporate website of the company (3-month), and maintained it regularly for 2+ years.
- Conducted the project lifecycle from specifications to delivery, and organized its development.
EDUCATION
Kellogg School of Management / WHU
Executive Master of Business Administration (MBA), 2008-2010 (Vallendar, Germany/Chicago, USA)
- Executive MBA program jointly offered by the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University (USA) and the WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management (Germany). General management program focusing on Team Leadership.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering, 2000-2001 (Atlanta, USA)
- Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (GPA 3.87/4.0). Major in Telecommunications and Minor in Management.
Graduate School in Electronic Engineering:
E.N.S.E.A.
French Engineering Degree in Electronics, 1997-2000 (Paris, France)
- Graduate engineering degree in Networks and Telecommunications.
Preparatory Classes: Lycée Privé
Sainte Geneviève
Two-year program, 1995-1997 (Paris, France)
- Intensive program in Mathematics and Physics preparing entrance to highly selective French Engineering Schools.
PATENT & PUBLICATIONS
- K. El-Khazen, G. Martinez, R. State, "Management of a communications terminal using a management platform in a different administrative domain" (EP1443701).
- More than 50 papers published in international conferences and journals in the field of mobile communications (incl. IEEE Wireless Communications Magazine, IEEE Communications Magazine...).
LATEST PROFESSIONAL TRAININGS
- Highlights: Virtual Leadership Program, Media Training, Leadership Executive Program, The GAP Partnership: Complete Skilled Negotiator, MARGA General Management: International Business Simulation.
PROFESSIONAL AWARD
- T-Mobile International's CTO Award (November 2008).
MISCELLANEOUS
- Languages: Arabic & French: Mother tongues; English: Fluent; German & Spanish: Beginner.
- Volunteer in the Lebanese Youth organization of the Order of Malta.
- Creator & developer of a suite of mobile apps on Lebanese cuisine: "100 Lebanese Recipes".
- Studied in Lebanon, France, Germany and the US.
- Travelled through North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Asia.
- Interests include travelling, cooking, photography, management reading and web technologies.
- Sports include gym, skiing, running, squash, and swimming.
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