Samer Makarem
Regional General Manager at Factory People- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Christian Afif
Sam is an outstanding leader that approaches life with a creative edge. I worked with Sam as part of the Marketing team responsible for The Grand Factory and ClapClap. On a personal level, he is extremely capable, customer-centric, hard-working and a leader who leads by example and inspires others. His strong experience and knowledge of both the marketing and branding worlds make him a fantastic person to work with and for - encouraging you to always think outside of the box. Sam always promoted an environment that enabled the team to grow and thrive, and he also led initiatives promoting and enhancing activities across the business. He has made a great impact on a team he's built from scratch. What Sam taught me, I use in my everyday life and I am forever grateful for everything he's given me.
May Chaker
Samer is one of the most gifted communicators I have had the privilege of working with and learning from. He always tackles his work with a clear sense of strategy as well as a meticulous attention to detail. Not only that, but he is highly motivated, driven, and always keen on being ahead of the curve be it from a business or cultural perspective. That coupled with his superior interpersonal and communications skills makes Samer a force to be reckoned with in the Communications field.
Christian Afif
Sam is an outstanding leader that approaches life with a creative edge. I worked with Sam as part of the Marketing team responsible for The Grand Factory and ClapClap. On a personal level, he is extremely capable, customer-centric, hard-working and a leader who leads by example and inspires others. His strong experience and knowledge of both the marketing and branding worlds make him a fantastic person to work with and for - encouraging you to always think outside of the box. Sam always promoted an environment that enabled the team to grow and thrive, and he also led initiatives promoting and enhancing activities across the business. He has made a great impact on a team he's built from scratch. What Sam taught me, I use in my everyday life and I am forever grateful for everything he's given me.
May Chaker
Samer is one of the most gifted communicators I have had the privilege of working with and learning from. He always tackles his work with a clear sense of strategy as well as a meticulous attention to detail. Not only that, but he is highly motivated, driven, and always keen on being ahead of the curve be it from a business or cultural perspective. That coupled with his superior interpersonal and communications skills makes Samer a force to be reckoned with in the Communications field.
Christian Afif
Sam is an outstanding leader that approaches life with a creative edge. I worked with Sam as part of the Marketing team responsible for The Grand Factory and ClapClap. On a personal level, he is extremely capable, customer-centric, hard-working and a leader who leads by example and inspires others. His strong experience and knowledge of both the marketing and branding worlds make him a fantastic person to work with and for - encouraging you to always think outside of the box. Sam always promoted an environment that enabled the team to grow and thrive, and he also led initiatives promoting and enhancing activities across the business. He has made a great impact on a team he's built from scratch. What Sam taught me, I use in my everyday life and I am forever grateful for everything he's given me.
May Chaker
Samer is one of the most gifted communicators I have had the privilege of working with and learning from. He always tackles his work with a clear sense of strategy as well as a meticulous attention to detail. Not only that, but he is highly motivated, driven, and always keen on being ahead of the curve be it from a business or cultural perspective. That coupled with his superior interpersonal and communications skills makes Samer a force to be reckoned with in the Communications field.
Christian Afif
Sam is an outstanding leader that approaches life with a creative edge. I worked with Sam as part of the Marketing team responsible for The Grand Factory and ClapClap. On a personal level, he is extremely capable, customer-centric, hard-working and a leader who leads by example and inspires others. His strong experience and knowledge of both the marketing and branding worlds make him a fantastic person to work with and for - encouraging you to always think outside of the box. Sam always promoted an environment that enabled the team to grow and thrive, and he also led initiatives promoting and enhancing activities across the business. He has made a great impact on a team he's built from scratch. What Sam taught me, I use in my everyday life and I am forever grateful for everything he's given me.
May Chaker
Samer is one of the most gifted communicators I have had the privilege of working with and learning from. He always tackles his work with a clear sense of strategy as well as a meticulous attention to detail. Not only that, but he is highly motivated, driven, and always keen on being ahead of the curve be it from a business or cultural perspective. That coupled with his superior interpersonal and communications skills makes Samer a force to be reckoned with in the Communications field.
Credentials
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300-101 Facebook Certified Creative Strategy Professional
FacebookMar, 2019- Sep, 2024 -
The Road to Efficiency
The Effectiveness PartnershipOct, 2016- Sep, 2024 -
People Management Program
Leo BurnettOct, 2015- Sep, 2024 -
Negotiation Skills
Leo BurnettJun, 2013- Sep, 2024 -
Retail Marketing Transformation
Leo BurnettJan, 2012- Sep, 2024
Experience
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Factory People
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United States
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Retail Apparel and Fashion
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Regional General Manager
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Jan 2022 - Present
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Marketing Director
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Feb 2017 - Dec 2021
Responsible for the Creative and Marketing unit of Factory People, positioning it as thelargest entertainment arts & culture group in the region (Welcoming 360,500 people to ourvenues annually). Led the cultural and financial transformation of the company while co-founding and managing Factory People’s sister creative studio, Clap Clap-Oversaw the growth of the team from 3 FTEs to 12FTEs in my business unit-Initiated cross-department synergies through restructuring & effective workflow framework, transforming the company with 20 FTEs, 150 part-time staff to be results and culture driven-Raised the level of strategic thinking, brand stewardship and creative excellence-Led the crisis management restructuring post pandemic-Developed internal processes and systems to maximize employee and departmental performance-Developed the company’s macro strategy, mission and vision-Oversaw the expansion from 1 outlet to 4 outlets, creating 12 specific brand experiencesand products in the process-Developed the Middle East’s first music festival, Five Islands Festival, attended by 7,000people over two days-Launched Late Knights, a cultural platform that documents the vivid music scene in theregion-Grew Beirut Berlin Express, a grassroots project that allows young Lebanese producersto compete in a wholesome competition, and to further their art through artistresidences in Berlin-Produced and developed several brand building and tactical campaigns, increasingengagement and affinity-Managed and organized all HR processes from hiring, coaching and trainings
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Clap Clap
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Events Services
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Co-Founder/ Managing Director
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Feb 2017 - Present
Responsible for the Creative and Marketing unit of Factory People, positioning it as thelargest entertainment arts & culture group in the region (Welcoming 360,500 people to ourvenues annually). Led the cultural and financial transformation of the company while co-founding and managing Factory People’s sister creative studio, Clap Clap-Oversaw the growth of the team from 3 FTEs to 12FTEs in my business unit-Initiated cross-department synergies through restructuring & effective workflow framework, transforming the company with 20 FTEs, 150 part-time staff to be results and culture driven-Managed studio P&L and business projection-Raised the level of strategic thinking, brand stewardship and creative excellence-Led the crisis management restructuring post pandemic-Developed internal processes and systems to maximize employee and departmental performance-Developed the company’s macro strategy, mission and vision-Oversaw the expansion from 1 outlet to 4 outlets, creating 12 specific brand experiencesand products in the process-Developed the Middle East’s first music festival, Five Islands Festival, attended by 7,000people over two days-Launched Late Knights, a cultural platform that documents the vivid music scene in theregion-Grew Beirut Berlin Express, a grassroots project that allows young Lebanese producersto compete in a wholesome competition, and to further their art through artistresidences in Berlin-Produced and developed several brand building and tactical campaigns, increasingengagement and affinity-Led on organizational, marketing and strategic consultancy products-Managed and organized all HR processes from job descriptions, hiring, coaching and trainings
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Communication Supervisor
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Dec 2015 - Feb 2017
Conceived and implemented 360° communication strategies for local & global brands inmultiple industries such as Telecommunications, Automotive, Entertainment, Real Estate,Retail & FMCG accounts; while also performing client service functions and managing threejunior team members. Leo Burnett Beirut was ranked the 4th Agency & 6th most creativeagency in the world in 2015 and 2012 respectively.-Produced numerous full-fledged integrated campaigns, several of which were awardwinning on the regional & global stage-Designed and presented Client’s communication strategies, yearly roadmap anddeployment plans-Ensured consistent financial growth on key accounts, leading on P&L analysis andcontract negotiations aiming to increase efficiency and profitability-Assisted in acquiring new business and was instrumental in landing revenue totaling$2,457,000 that contributed to 1% of agency’s overall portfolio-Managed recruitment of junior colleagues-Led, managed and coached a team of three account handlers (2 juniors and 1 senior)-The Winner of the 2012 Star Reacher Award, Runner up in 2014. The Star Reacher, is apeer elected recognition for the most ambitious and forward-thinking individuals in theworldwide Leo Burnett network-2015 Leo Intel Finalist. LeoIntel is a Leo Burnett global intelligence award, given to theyear’s best-case studies, pitch presentation, intelligence reports and so forth-Consistently gave talks at the American University of Beirut on Communications and was a jury for 2 final year classes
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Communication Manager
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Dec 2013 - Dec 2015
Conceived and implemented 360 communication strategies for local & global Telecommunications, Automotive, Postal and FMCG accounts; developing integrated campaigns while also performing client servicing functions and managing one junior colleague.
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Senior Communication Executive
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Sep 2012 - Dec 2013
Conceived and implemented 360 communication strategies for local & global Postal & Telecommunications, Automotive,and FMCG accounts, developing integrated campaigns while also performing client servicing functions and managing one junior colleague.
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Junior Communication Executive
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Feb 2011 - Sep 2012
Managed day-to-day activities on the accounts in addition to fine-tuning & executing campaign concepts, communication strategies and presentations.
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Communication Intern
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Jun 2010 - Sep 2010
Performed client servicing functions on local FMCG & banking accounts Performed client servicing functions on local FMCG & banking accounts
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Education
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2008 - 2011
American University of Beirut
BBA, Marketing -
2003 - 2008
International College
Community
