Paul Sharp

Business Unit Manager France & Benelux March 2007 – Current
• Leading the largest business unit in the region including Coatings / Composites / Polymers / Lubricants
• Generating an annual turnover in excess of € 130 million
• Managing a team of 50 employees including 6 middle manager direct reports
• Re-structured the team by
o Appointing additional Business Developers & Technical Service engineers in order to better support our 15 Field Sellers and respective Customer Sales Reps. in selling the value of our expertise in specialty chemicals
o Created Key Account Manager positions with a view of improving our knowledge, service and efficiency at large accounts with complex decision making processes
o Promoted high potential field sellers and Business Developers to Product Group Manager roles to structure and extract more value out of our relationship with our major suppliers.
• Implemented value selling tools - Key account plans ; Supplier plans ; OSR ; Value propositions – to adopt a more professional approach towards suppliers and larger customers
• Managed a team of key account managers in the Food Ingredient and Pharmaceutical industries
• Aligned the team with basic sales processes – Territory and Forward planning ; visit preparations with the three P steps (Purpose, Process, Pay-off)

• Reporting to the global leader of the Paints and Coatings segment with P&L responsibility for my region (France / U.K. / Spain / Italy)
• Managed a team of 8 direct reports consisting of 1 PhD chemist, 5 sales engineers and 2 customer sales representatives
• Developed and started implementing 5 year Sales and Marketing strategy in my area of responsibility
• Optimised channel to market approach via a restructured distribution network across Europe. Reduced complexity in our supply chain, maximised value and geared-up distribution partners for long term growth through a 5 year business plan.
• Successfully convinced a conservative market to accept a state of the art emulsion polymer
• Developed a value proposition for this pressure polymer adapted to market requirements. Increased sales by 45% per year over the last 2 years reaching market penetration equivalent to that of conventional polymers
• Spearheaded the launch of a new cost-efficient Vina Copolymer to defend and further grow our market share

• Overall responsibility for the sales of technical plastics (ETP) to strategic accounts in the Electrical and Lighting industries. (T/O € 15 million per annum)
• Coordinated and motivated multi-functional account teams.
• Created a new European sales department of 7 people turning over in excess of € 15 million designed to auction ETP off-grade
• Managed the distributor network for France and the Benelux implying the motivation and stimulation of 25 ETP sales people generating a turnover of some € 17 million

• Accelerated sales of ETP products to users in South Western France
• Managed PA, SPS and TPU product ranges in France
• Started-up and developed sales of SBR, BR, NBR elastomers in France