Kimberly Ko: Director of Product Management in tucson, AZ

? Utilize broad scope of industry knowledge toward directing first-to-market energy-efficient product categories for Omni-channel retailers, including optimizing all channel sales, product development, and inventory management of cutting-edge optical lens technology in LED lighting solutions that deliver highest-energy savings and ROI. ? Cement Samsung- and LG-funded competitive advantage through continuous improvements and integration of multi-industry innovative technologies and customer acquisition programs across industries, including developing tailored assortments through retail market intelligence, store cluster analysis, and short/long-range product strategies for omni-channel customers to align their business and financial goals with quantifiable solutions to drive sales performance, competitive advantage, profitability, and broader assortment reach into key product drivers and private label brands. ? Lead product development and line lifecycle from strategic planning to tactical activities; and monitor emerging technologies, trends, competition, social media, consumer behavior, marketing effectiveness, promotion relevancy, email campaigns, and pricing discoveries to capture actionable insights to drive business growth opportunities. ? Ensure delivery of financial and operational objectives, and P&L and gross margin growth accountability; oversight of product development/production/launches, assortment and brand management, Vendor contracts/negotiations, QC compliance, supply chain management, sales training, marketing and POP collaterals/packaging, go-to-market strategies, and communication functions; and develop action-driven analytics to maximize accuracy and results in sales projections, financial forecasts, performance metrics, inventory planning, and product/price positioning. ? Exhibit high-level analytical abilities toward compiling, evaluating, and defining business requirements and KPIs; articulating project goals and scope, and instilling shared accountability for achieving project milestones; creating product specifications and roadmaps, OTB budgets, profit-driven concepts, SWOT/VOC/gap and cost-benefit-ROI analysis, and risk assessments; re-engineering processes and workflows; and supporting team recruiting and mentoring. ? Equipped the company with proprietary hi-tech applications in scalable design configurations for a maximum savings of 81%, shortened sales cycle of 56%, and increased net profit margins up to 72%. ? Led profitable teams in technical, conceptual, and content development of sales-winning catalog / website merchandising, promotions, and innovative media kits for use in sales presentations. ? Successfully helped close major retail accounts up to $1+ million in initial orders via strong networking and collaborations with key business partners and executive-level decision makers. ? Attained $1.5 million in qualified savings (semiconductor suppliers) via negotiation leveraging, global competitive sourcing, and total cost of ownership improvements. ? Designed a multidimensional demand data exchange in POS transaction system that automated qualitative and quantitative analysis to define core product lifecycle and planning cycles’ impact to KPIs.

? Strategically steered development of forward-thinking CE / ISO certified and licensed designer brands and private-label eyewear for e-commerce and big-box retailers, including managing development, sourcing, inventory planning, supply chain activities and sales operations to optimize business growth efforts. ? Led decision-making in oversight of all phases of pre-design discovery, 3D modeling, injection-mold construction, prototype build, quality testing, global compliance, order fulfillment, and sales forecasts, including exhibiting an ability to design for manufacturability, implement quality standards, and apply lean manufacturing principles for production. ? Liaised among design, production, marketing, sales teams, executives, and clients to ensure strict adherence to costs, specifications, robust design, product manufacturability, and transition from complex prototype to production. ? Identified and capitalized on unmet market needs via ongoing market research and demographic profiling. ? Established company with an automated POS and inventory system that provided complete real-time transparency globally, scalable distribution centers for US & South America, strategic partnership in Mexicali for assembly and packaging. ? Cultivated and acquired 3 new high-profile brand licenses across diverse industries that were coveted and requested by mass retailers. ? Trained sales teams in retail strategies, pricing structures and negotiation methods; attended and helped close major accounts such as Target, Wal-Mart, Macy’s, and Sunglass Hut International. ? Developed groundbreaking R&D advancements in seamless integration of wireless blue-tooth technology in injection-molded eyewear frames to interface with MP3s, cell phones and hearing aids. ? Propelled category sales from $25.9 million to $41.3 million within 1 year by developing and launching new product offerings, multi-channel print, web catalog, and direct marketing campaigns. ? Created a unique web portal to transform an archaic intranet into a dynamic website improving communication flow and adding an effective sales tool for field representatives.

? Capitalized on the opportunity to promote global commercialization and positioning of high profile multi-brands following an assimilation of two newly acquired companies as an executive-level team member, including overhauling 14 global brands by restoring licensing compliance, revitalizing brand equity, optimizing merchandise assortments, restructuring pricing strategy, streamlining inventory, and substantially increasing key market share. ? Incorporated sales / marketing operations’ best practices by establishing achievement metrics to affect cross-channel and direct marketing campaign rollouts, including seasonal budgets and promotions, catalogs, and sales calendars; conducting qualitative / quantitative research, consumer buying patterns and trends, demographic profiling, and marketing communications; and delivering out-of-the-box visuals and key print / media strategies. ? Grew sales by 145% ($79.2 million) in 1st year by expanding existing contributions of 98% via oversight of Pearle Vision, Sears Optical, Sunglass Hut International, and Wal-Mart accounts. ? Leveraged marketing management and negotiation strengths to achieve 15% average under budget. ? Successfully uncovered and negotiated within three months approximately $681,000 in plus-revenues and deployed outsourcing initiatives to decrease aggregate expenditures. ? Earned commendation from Universal Studios, Oscar De La Renta, and Nintendo brand executives for deliverables that targeted desired audiences and articulated brand essence and value.

? Maximized bottom-line performance by directing merchandise categories of 2,430 global retail stores while managing full profit / loss and revenue growth accountability of $360 million; managing OTB budgets, inventory, in-store operations, replenishment cycles, visual displays and supply chain activities for design-label eyewear, watches, apparels, backpacks, cases, and accessories; and global sourcing of millions of components and raw materials to manufacturers for private-label products to ensure seamless business processes. ? Performed financial analysis for pricing (markdowns, IMU, MMU), sales promotions, and incentive programs, and drove retail growth by recruiting, mentoring, and managing buyers and trained 7,000 sales associates. ? Managed product assortments by category/class/subclass, demand and supply planning, inventory levels, POP materials and space planning, supply chain management, multiple distribution centers, corporate marketing, and communications, along with conducting market research and segmentation studies for optimal product offerings. ? Reduced product costs 29% ($51 million) in <18 months via advanced sourcing optimization system to resolve critical issues, and amalgamated sourcing partners to leverage bargaining power over suppliers. ? Negotiated exclusive distribution rights of Mitsubishi’s polarized film production for laminating moderately priced polycarbonate sunglasses for mass distribution; and dominated #1 market share in global sports industry to generate $56 million in annual revenue. ? Generated $22 million in sales in 1st quarter of launch of new revenue stream in micro-fiber textiles for accessories, and achieved 92% GM by bringing in component sourcing, assembly, and packaging. ? Developed a trendsetting assortment matrix and an automated priority-based plan-o-gram replenishment system with versatile and dynamic visual merchandizing schematics that saved the company millions of dollars, including increasing GM from 49% to 78.2% by automating higher-margin substitutions, purging low inventory turns, and reducing surplus liabilities; this was later adopted by Target Optical.

? Played a vital role in aggressively improving global efforts to reduce surplus inventory for 850 retail stores and 300 franchises in 12 countries, including leading product development, store planning and allocation, purchasing, logistics and accountability of $185 million while launching company’s 1st in-house licensed design-label brands to actively grow profit margins. ? Reduced capital investment in inventory by 37% by formulating a customized data-mining algorithm that accurately identified and phased-out 1,200 unproductive SKUs, including streamlining inventory levels, accelerating replenishment process, increasing fill-rates from 74.1% to 99.8%, propelling high-performing SKU sales up to 800%, and motivating vendor consigned inventory participation to 90%. ? Re-negotiated overall increase in vendor volume discounts by 11% at $12 million while soliciting an additional $834,000 in MFD for 1995’s co-op incentive programs, and escalated vendor qualifications. ? Launched private-label brands that contributed 29% of total gross margin growth for 1996, and two of three brands consistently ranked among top eight design-label brands to generate 71% of total sales.