Abhishek Kumar

Linc Pen & Plastics Ltd

Apr 2024 - Present • Current

Full P&L ownership of a ₹35+ Cr annual sales business, driving topline growth, margin discipline, and predictable revenue pipelines in a competitive FMCG / writing instruments category at Linc Pen Limited. Built and led a 12-member cross-functional sales engine, spanning: - 5 member field & corporate sales leadership team - 2 member lead generation unit - 2 member lead qualification team - 3 member backend operations team Ensuring end-to-end control from demand creation to order execution and collections. Hands-on leadership across multi-layered sales hierarchies, aligning MT, Sales Managers, Deputy & Assistant Managers toward common revenue and market expansion goals. Defined and enforced a structured MQL → SQL → SAL framework: - Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) filtered on account size, buying intent, and decision authority - Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs validated by inside sales for need, timeline, and budget) - Sales Accepted Leads (SALs formally owned by sales managers Resulting in higher win rates, cleaner pipelines, and predictable forecasting. Adopted the BANT framework to qualify all warm leads, ensuring alignment on budget, decision authority, business need, and purchase timelines. Established strong sales governance through weekly pipeline reviews, tracking:MQL–SQL conversion ratios SAL acceptance rates, Opportunity ageing, Pipeline coverage vs target (3–4x discipline) Strategic contributor in a globally governed environment, working within a joint venture framework with Mitsubishi Pencil Co. Ltd., ensuring alignment with international quality benchmarks, brand positioning, and governance standards. Designed and scaled structured lead-generation and qualification frameworks, improving lead quality, shortening sales cycles, and increasing conversion efficiency across corporate and institutional accounts. Direct accountability for corporate key accounts, large-volume deals, pricing strategy, and negotiations, with a strong focus on sustainable revenue, repeat business, and long-term client relationships. Personally led headhunting and onboarding of sales managers and key performers, hiring for capability, not just experience, ensuring cultural fit, execution discipline, and long-term scalability. Focused heavily on sales retention and productivity, reducing churn by:Clear KRAs and role clarity Performance-linked incentives Structured coaching and review cadence, Building stable, high-performing sales teams rather than constant replacements. Hands-on leadership in large corporate negotiations, pricing strategy, and long-cycle deals, balancing top-line growth with margin protection. Drove sales discipline through data-backed reviews, focusing on pipeline coverage, conversion ratios, forecast accuracy, and execution rigor rather than volume-led selling. Known for building scalable sales systems, not just closing deals, bringing structure to people, process, and performance in high-pressure, target- driven environments. CXO-facing leader with the ability to translate board-level growth objectives into executable revenue strategies across sales, demand generation, and operations.

Sambay Farms

Mar 2021 - Dec 2023 • 2.8 yrs

Founded Sambay Farms to transform the supply chain for edible oils and agricultural products in India by creating a direct connection between farms and buyers. Conceptualised and built a hybrid offline + online distribution platform linking farmers directly with supermarkets, wholesalers, stockists, and institutional buyers. Designed and implemented an integrated distribution model that reduces intermediaries, improves farmer income, and delivers better quality consistency and traceability for buyers. Own end-to-end responsibility for business strategy, sales leadership, channel expansion, key account management, and revenue growth. Scaled operations with a focus on process efficiency, repeat business, and long-term channel partnerships. Launched the venture based on strong market insight into India's edible oil and edibles sector, where annual consumption exceeds 25 million tonnes and market size is valued at ₹1.6+ lakh crore. Recognised early the 8–10% CAGR growth opportunity driven by population growth, urbanisation, rising per-capita consumption, and increasing shift toward packaged and branded edible oils. Enabled direct farmer engagement with national grocery chains, regional supermarkets, and institutional buyers, reducing costs while improving supply reliability and quality control. Built a scalable business model combining physical sourcing with digital order management. Demonstrates a strategic, execution-driven entrepreneurial approach, rooted in deep corporate sales experience and a long-term vision to modernize India's agri-food supply chains.

Asics

Oct 2019 - Feb 2021 • 1.3 yrs

Drove ₹15 Crore+ annual revenue by managing the complete B2B and institutional sales portfolio across education, healthcare, and corporate segments. Played a key role in identifying new growth opportunities, working closely with internal sales teams to design and execute strategies aligned with corporate growth targets. Successfully onboarded and supplied ASICS products to IPSC schools across PAN India, establishing a strong national footprint in the institutional education segment. Conceptualised and launched a safety footwear program for hospitals PAN India, expanding ASICS' presence in the healthcare and occupational safety category. Built the CPC (Corporate/Channel Partner/Corporate Purchase) institutional business in Delhi–NCR from the ground up, achieving an annual turnover of ₹1.25 Crore. Strengthened long-term relationships with institutional decision-makers, procurement teams, and channel partners, resulting in repeat orders and sustained revenue. Demonstrated strong execution across business development, large-account negotiations, program rollouts, and nationwide supply coordination. Known for combining market insight, disciplined sales execution, and partnership-led growth to scale institutional businesses in competitive markets.

Titan Company

Feb 2010 - Mar 2018 • 8.1 yrs

Managed a high-value corporate sales portfolio of ~₹35 Cr annually, servicing 268+ active corporate clients across IT, BFSI, manufacturing, and services sectors. Built deep relationships with large corporate business houses and successfully closed marquee deals for Tanishq and Titan group products, including gold vouchers, coins, jewellery, watches, eyewear, fragrances, writing instruments, and international lifestyle brands (Tommy Hilfiger, Fossil, Kenneth Cole, Esprit, Anne Klein, Guess, Montblanc, among others). Consistently grew revenue through a mix of account expansion, inbound and outbound acquisition, and reference-led selling, strengthening wallet share with existing clients. Conceived and executed market-entry and growth strategies that enhanced brand visibility and revenue contribution, particularly within the IT and enterprise segments. Drove competitive positioning by aligning with leading employee rewards and incentive aggregators such as Vouchergram, Advantage Club, Vantage Circle, Mjunction, and NSI Infibeam, enabling access to large corporate buying ecosystems. Represented the organisation at corporate events, conferences, and industry forums across PAN India, strengthening brand credibility and senior stakeholder engagement. Handled crisis situations and reputation management, ensuring business continuity and client confidence during high-pressure scenarios. Maintained strong operational discipline using Salesforce CRM for pipeline management, forecasting, and transaction tracking. Delivered primary and secondary sales targets through structured monthly forecasting and YoY benchmarking. Expanded market reach by opening 45 new Points of Sale (POS) and driving significant growth in Fastrack product categories. Built and managed one of the largest MBO (Multi-Brand Outlet) dealer networks for Fastrack in India. Scaled channel business to ₹28 Cr, achieving 110% YoY growth in the territory under management. Developed and strengthened distributor networks to ensure deep market penetration and consistent product availability across the zone. Mentored and guided sales teams on schemes, market execution, and performance tracking to consistently achieve budgeted targets. Conducted continuous competition tracking and implemented proactive counter-strategies against new market entrants.

Goodyear

May 2008 - Dec 2009 • 1.6 yrs

Managed end-to-end primary sales and collections across the assigned territory, ensuring 100% adherence to credit norms and on-time recovery. Handled a multi-dealer channel network, driving consistent volume growth through structured beat planning and distributor engagement. Played a key role in partner acquisition, onboarding new dealers and strengthening throughput from existing accounts to improve market penetration. Contributed to territory business growth by expanding reach, improving product availability, and reducing stock gaps at the dealer level. Drove new product launches in the market, coordinating with dealers for stocking, visibility, and sales readiness. Executed trade marketing and local activation campaigns to support demand generation and off-take, aligned with regional sales plans. Worked closely with the State Manager on sales forecasting, target tracking, and territory performance reviews.

Apollo Tyres

Aug 2007 - Mar 2008 • 0.6 yrs

Owned primary sales responsibility for the Rajkot territory. Handled a dealer network of ~25–35 active dealers and multiple sub-dealers, ensuring healthy primary-to-secondary conversion and optimal stock norms across the territory. Managed collections and credit control, maintaining DSO within company benchmarks while supporting business expansion with key channel partners. Drove secondary sales velocity by improving product visibility, merchandising compliance, and focus SKU penetration at the trade level. Executed customer awareness programs, mechanic meets, and product shows in collaboration with senior leadership, leading to higher brand recall and improved offtake in focus markets. Ensured 100% communication of trade schemes, pricing updates, and policy changes to dealers and retailers, improving scheme adoption and channel confidence. Tracked competitor activity (MRF, CEAT, JK, Bridgestone) on pricing, schemes, and distribution, sharing actionable market intelligence to support territory strategy. Contributed to YoY territory growth of ~12–18%, driven by dealer productivity improvement, better secondary push, and disciplined channel execution.