Fayez Akkad

Strong managerial background with senior level local / international experience, dependable, results orientated, self-motivated, general manager with over 25 years experience of managing two large companies, one of them from the inception phase. Ability to nurture and grow a business, evaluate opportunities and risks and also deliver innovative new solutions to challenges. Having a professional attitude and an ability to be flexible and handle change in a positive manner. 

Possessing excellent communication skills and able to establish sustainable and profitable relationships with customers, suppliers and companies across the world. 

General Manager/Partner - Safir advertising & Alsham travel & tourism 

November 1993-present

Duties for the Company in general:

•     Manage staff daily work; closely monitor their performance, and recruitment of the new employees.

•     Involved in purchasing all hardware and any special necessary software for the company.

•     Monitor expenditures and income with the staff and accountants to ensure achieving the planned profitability of the company.

Safir advertising:

My main goal was to keep the name of the company, which was established in the year 1955, in the list of the top advertising agencies in Syria. I kept old clients and attracted new ones, local and international. In the past 25 years, we became affiliated with big international companies for their advertising work in Syria. We have big accounts of various categories.

Duties:

•     Develop and maintain relationships with potential clients and service providers (Media, Printing Houses, Production Houses...) 

•     Develop contracts with foreign advertising agencies for affiliation for the campaigns of international products.

•     Follow up with the Accounts Managers on contracts to be signed with clients.

•     Approve the planning and the execution of the advertising campaigns.

•     Approve the designs to be presented to main clients.•     Check the data reports of the market and the competitors

Alsham travel & tourism:

In those 25 years at my company, I managed to attract some of the biggest tourism companies in the Middle East, Europe, United States and Australia to send tourists to Syria; I even managed to take the business for most of them for combined tourism to the area including Jordan and Lebanon.I also handled contracts on behalf of our company to become the sole agent in Syria for some of the biggest companies in the Middle East and Europe. We also became the affiliate of one of the biggest worldwide chauffeured services company in nine countries in the Middle East. I started working on a project of handling educational trips for students that intend to travel abroad for language courses and/or universities all around the world.

 Duties:

•     Maintain good relationships with clients and service providers (Hotels, Rent-A-Car companies...) 

•     Develop contracts with companies and service providers.

•     Set the yearly goals, and organize participation and / or attendance of international tourism fairs.

•     Follow-up all marketing and advertising projects to promote the company

•     Monitor tariffs and special promotional rates.

Project Manager - International Company for Engineering & Decoration      

July 1992-October 1993

The project was an office building and a residential development located in Damascus commissioned for a private owner.

Duties:

•     Control of all design approvals, materials, and specification

•     Pre-qualifying and recommending subcontractors.

•     Reviewing and approving projects suppliers and more particularly ensuring that the above is in line with quality standards and design requirements approved by the owner.

Resident Engineer - International Company for Engineering & Decoration        

June 1991-June 1992

The project was a seven storey residential building in Damascus. It was completed on time and on budget to the satisfaction of the developer.

Duties:

•     On site supervision of Structural, Architectural and Landscaping works.

•     Reviewing plans and documents and controlling the site supervision activities of the works including regular inspections, materials approval, and coordination of the interior finishes and MEP works of the building structure.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS:

B.Sc. Engineering (Civil), University of Damascus

Graduate Studies: Soil Mechanics, University of Damascus

ADVANCED TRAINING / COURSES:

Finance 360 Financial management for non-finance managers, ESA BUSINESS SCHOOL, Beirut, Lebanon (2022)

General Management Program, ESA BUSINESS SCHOOL, Beirut, Lebanon (March-July 2021)

Accounting Basics, European Skills, Damascus, Syria (2008)

Negotiation Skills, Damascus Chamber of Commerce, Syria (2007)

Advertising course, Damascus, Syria (2005)

Marketing Basics, PIMO/APL Advertising, Beirut, Lebanon (1997)

Advertising Basics, Trust Advertising, Beirut, Lebanon (1995)

Ticketing, Damascus, Syria (1994), Completed two Ticketing courses, to the intermediate level.

COMPUTER SKILLS: 

Microsoft Office suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint): Expert

Adobe Photoshop: Intermediate

Adobe Illustrator: Intermediate

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Arabic: Mother tongue

English: Expert proficiency

French: Advanced