Jamal Imraweh Ahmad Barakat
Riyadh,SAUDI ARABIA
Summary
Award-winning retail executive with 20+ years of progressive leadership across luxury travel retail, fashion, beauty, fragrance, and duty-free operations in GCC and international markets. Architect of an AED 900M duty-free retail empire spanning 13 stores and 7 airport concessions - managing world-class brands across Fashion & Accessories, Niche & Designer Fragrances, Fine Jewellery, Gold, Beauty & Cosmetics, and Luxury Goods. Proven track record of building market-entry operations from zero, structuring Public Investment Fund (PIF) joint ventures, and driving passenger retail revenues across 24 million annual travellers. Former Operations Manager for H&M across 15+ GCC stores (AED 500M fashion retail). Deep expertise in luxury brand relationships, concession negotiations, category management, and visual merchandising excellence aligned with global luxury retail standards (LVMH / Chalhoub / Alshaya benchmarks).
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Hamat Holding
05.2025 - Current
- Overseeing luxury tenant mix across 16 premium shopping malls including fashion, jewellery, beauty, and accessories anchors
- Driving luxury brand acquisition strategy, elevating mall positioning through premium tenant curation and visual standards
- Managing lease negotiations with international luxury and lifestyle brands - optimising rental terms and revenue share models
- Implementing luxury retail service standards, mystery shopping programs, and tenant performance scorecards
- Supporting commercial strategy to grow NBO, footfall, and luxury brand penetration across the portfolio
- 16 Shopping Mall Assets | Mixed-Use Retail, F&B & Entertainment
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Lagardère Travel Retail
05.2017 - 05.2025
- Directed full commercial operations for 13 duty-free stores across KSA airports - product mix spanning fashion & accessories, designer & niche fragrances, fine jewellery, gold, luxury goods, beauty & cosmetics, spirits, and confectionery
- Managed strategic commercial partnerships with 400+ global brands including luxury fashion houses, prestige beauty brands, niche fragrance labels, and gold & jewellery suppliers
- Drove category management strategies for fragrance (niche/designer/travel exclusive), beauty, fashion accessories, and gold - maximising sales per sqm and passenger conversion
- Implemented merchandising excellence aligned with luxury brand guidelines - VM standards, planogram compliance, brand zoning, and storytelling displays
- Negotiated brand-exclusive travel retail activations, pop-up experiences, and sampling programs to drive fragrance and beauty sales uplift
- Developed traveller segmentation and buying behaviour analytics, tailoring product mix for GCC, Asian, and European passenger profiles
- Achieved consistent top-line revenue growth through pricing strategy, promotional campaigns, and cross-category selling initiatives
- Travel Retail | Duty-Free | Luxury & Beauty | Fashion | Fragrance | Gold | AED 900M Revenue | 13 Duty-Free Stores | 7 Airport Concessions | 600+ Staff | 24M+ Passengers/yr
- Landmark Achievement: Won 7 competitive airport duty-free concessions across Saudi Arabia - securing multi-year operational and commercial rights through rigorous tender processes
- Negotiated concession agreements with GACA, Riyadh, Dammam, and other Saudi airport authorities - revenue sharing (MAG/percentage rent), CAP structures, and performance obligations
- Structured PIF Joint Venture for airport retail development in alignment with Vision 2030 national strategy
- Established Lagardère's first Saudi market operations - commercial model, category plans, pricing strategy, brand partnerships, and Saudisation workforce compliance - from market entry to full launch in 90 days
- Led Africa market entry: Dar es Salaam Airport, Tanzania (2022) - complete commercial setup and operational activation
- Led full P&L accountability: AED 900M revenue, gross margin management, OPEX control, inventory optimisation
- Achieved KPIs: 95%+ CSAT, 99%+ stock availability, sales-per-passenger growth YoY, labour productivity benchmarks
- Implemented sales analytics platform: conversion rates, basket size, sales per sqm, passenger buying patterns
- Optimised space planning, traffic flow, and luxury merchandising layouts to maximise revenue per sqm
OPERATIONS MANAGER
H&M - M.H. Alshaya Group
01.2008 - 12.2017
- Managed 15+ H&M fashion stores across GCC - Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain, Jordan - with full P&L and commercial accountability for AED 300M+ revenue portfolio
- Executed seasonal fashion campaigns, new collection launches, trend-led visual merchandising, and conversion optimisation strategies
- Led commercial operations: pricing, markdown management, sell-through optimisation, margin delivery, and fashion category performance
- Managed landlord/mall negotiations: lease renewals, rental terms, CAM charges, relocations, and percentage rent agreements with premium mall operators
- Implemented H&M global operational standards: VM compliance, inventory accuracy, shrinkage control, and store audit programmes
- Achieved 40% reduction in staff turnover through talent programmes, structured training, and leadership development initiatives
- Built and developed high-performing store management teams across 4 GCC markets through coaching, succession planning, and performance frameworks
- Fashion Retail | Multi-Store Operations | AED 500M Portfolio | AED 300M Revenue | 15+ Stores | 400+ Staff | Full P&L
SALES MANAGER
H&M - M.H. Alshaya Group
01.2005 - 12.2008
- Led sales operations in high-volume fashion retail stores - team performance, KPI delivery, and customer experience execution
- Translated commercial targets into floor-level action plans, driving consistent KPI achievement through coaching and motivation
- Managed stock control, fashion promotions, VM execution, and markdown optimisation to maximise sell-through and store productivity
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Strategic Management, Organisational Leadership & Business Innovation
Anglia Ruskin University
United Kingdom10.2023
Qualifi Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership -
Chestnut Education Group
03.2023
Skills
- Luxury Brand Management
- Travel Retail & Duty-Free
- Category Management
- Fashion Retail Operations
- Niche & Designer Fragrance
- Fine Jewellery & Gold
- Beauty & Cosmetics
- Concession Strategy
- Airport Retail
- P&L Leadership
- Commercial Negotiations
- Passenger Analytics
- Visual Merchandising
- Brand Partnership Development
- JV & Strategic Partnerships
- Market Entry Strategy
- Multi-Unit Leadership
- Vision 2030 Alignment
- Saudisation Compliance
- Team Development
- Lease negotiation
- Project management
Accomplishments
- Secured 7 airport duty-free concessions across Saudi Arabia - multi-year commercial rights won through competitive tender
- Built Lagardère's first Saudi operations in Riyadh & Dammam from zero to full commercial launch in 90 days
- Structured strategic JV with Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) - aligned with Vision 2030 airport retail program
- Led AED 900M travel retail portfolio: fashion, luxury goods, niche fragrance, beauty, gold & accessories
- Managed 400+ luxury & lifestyle brand partnerships across duty-free categories
- Drove 95%+ customer satisfaction & 99%+ stock availability across 13 duty-free stores
- Achieved 40% staff turnover reduction across 15+ H&M fashion stores (AED 500M revenue)
- Completed international market entry into Tanzania (Dar es Salaam Airport, 2022) - Africa expansion
Languages
Arabic
English
Websites, Portfolios and Profiles
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamal-barakat-40a541109?
Timeline
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
Hamat Holding
05.2025 - Current
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
Lagardère Travel Retail
05.2017 - 05.2025
OPERATIONS MANAGER
H&M - M.H. Alshaya Group
01.2008 - 12.2017
SALES MANAGER
H&M - M.H. Alshaya Group
01.2005 - 12.2008
Master of Business Administration (MBA) - Strategic Management, Organisational Leadership & Business Innovation
Anglia Ruskin University
Qualifi Level 7 Diploma in Strategic Management and Leadership -
Chestnut Education Group