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Hi, I am Alex Maarouf

  • Data-driven professional with a unique blend of business leadership, analytical expertise, and product vision
  • 5+ years experience founding and scaling a retail company, leading end-to-end operations
  • Built and implemented ERP and e-commerce systems to streamline workflows and drive growth
  • Developed machine learning models for procurement optimization and demand forecasting
  • MSc in Quantitative Management Science with a focus on data-driven decision-making
  • Passionate about using data for smarter decisions across analytics, product innovation, and strategic execution

My Resume

Experience

Jun 2019 โ€“ Oct 2024

Al Maktaba Logo

Al Maktaba Al Sagheera LLC

Founder and Director | Alexandria, Egypt

  • Scaled retail operations from 16 to 38 branches with no external capital, growing revenue from 180k EGP to 760k EGP.
  • Directed warehouse launch with optimized logistics and increased SKU capacity, opening a key revenue stream.
  • Led Agile development of a custom WooCommerce e-commerce platform, including UX/UI design and team coordination.
  • Built automated data cleaning and profiling pipelines for scanned sales data, boosting accuracy and reporting speed.
  • Developed a Python-based predictive analytics pipeline using Jupyter, machine learning, and data storytelling tools.
  • Achieved a 58% growth in monthly sales (from 359k to 568k EGP) by designing and implementing a data analytics system.
  • Implemented custom ERP system for offline inventory tracking at remote branches, reducing time on site by 40%.
  • Created company brand identity (logo, color systems, guidelines), contributing to onboarding of 3 B2B retail clients.
  • Managed procurement, inventory, and logistics for over 800 active SKUs using Odoo ERP and Excel-based analytics dashboards.
  • Designed and executed product photography and media assets, used in client marketing campaigns.
Jun 2016 โ€“ May 2019

Alexandria Library Logo

Alexandria Library for Publishing and Distribution

Product Manager & Retail Manager | Alexandria, Egypt

  • Managed ILTSโ€™ Grammar Club Book Series through its product lifecycle and relaunch in the Egyptian market.
  • Oversaw retail distribution across 16 supermarket branches, ensuring merchandising, supply, and category alignment.
Feb 2018

City Centre Logo
City Centre Mall โ€“ Majid Al Futtaim Group | Alexandria, Egypt

Operations Management Intern

  • Received comprehensive training in mall operations including security, firefighting, hygiene, lighting, and traffic flow.
  • Supported daily ops coordination with facility teams under mentorship from senior management.
Feb 2013 โ€“ Feb 2014

Alson Bookstore Logo
Alson Bookstore

Co-Founder | Alexandria, Egypt

  • Co-founded a hybrid bookstore-library with a subscription-funded lending model, rare in local market.
  • Oversaw retail, procurement, inventory, and financial operations, ensuring sustainable daily workflows.
  • Produced and distributed a branded series of IGCSE/GCE prep booklets for in-store and educational center sales.

Skills

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  • Python, R, SQL
  • Git, Jupyter, Excel (Advanced)
  • Tableau, Power BI
  • pandas, NumPy
  • scikit-learn, XGBoost
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  • Predictive Modeling
  • Supervised & Unsupervised Learning
  • Feature Engineering, ROC-AUC
  • Data Cleaning
  • Data Storytelling, Data Mining
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  • GPT-3/4, Prompt Engineering
  • Chain-of-Thought Prompting
  • Text Vectorization
  • Language Modeling, Word2Vec
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  • Agile, Scrum, Waterfall
  • Jira, Trello, Notion
  • Project Lifecycle Management
  • Budgeting & Resource Allocation
  • UX/UI Collaboration
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  • Procurement & Vendor Negotiation
  • Inventory Optimization
  • Logistics, Fulfillment, ERP (Odoo)
  • SOP Design
  • Cross-functional Team Leadership
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  • Microsoft Office, Notion
  • Salesforce, Trello, Jira
  • Data Visualization & Storytelling

Education

2019 โ€“ 2025
Humboldt University Logo

Humboldt Universitรคt zu Berlin

MSc. in Economics and Management Science | Major: Quantitative Management Science | Berlin, Germany

  • Thesis: Leveraging GPT-Based Generative Models for Automated Quiz Generation. Grade: 1,0.
  • Designed an iterative prompting pipeline simulating chain-of-thought reasoning to improve quiz quality from GPT using a design science research framework.
  • Developed Quiztinar, a GUI software that generates high-quality quiz questions from unstructured input (e.g., lecture slides).
  • Completed coursework in Machine Learning in Marketing, Advanced Data Analytics for Management Support, Applied Predictive Analytics Seminar, and Business Analytics and Data Science.
  • Worked on projects involving data mining, profiling and cleaning, statistical analysis, and data storytelling.
Projects
  • Return Prediction (Supervised Classification | R, XGBoost): Predicted product returns using e-commerce data. Engineered features and evaluated models, achieving top ROC-AUC with XGBoost.
  • Clap Prediction on Medium (NLP + Regression | Python): Built hybrid classification-regression model to predict article claps. Used metadata, tags, and feature engineering with ROC-AUC evaluation.
  • Basket Analysis with Product2Vec (Unsupervised | Python): Used word2vec on transactional data to create product embeddings. Predicted next likely purchases and optimized coupon strategies via clustering and recommendation techniques.
2015 โ€“ 2019
Arab Academy Logo

Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport

BBA in Business Administration | Major: Finance and Accounting | GPA: 3.79 | Alexandria, Egypt

  • Thesis: Asylum Gaming Lounge: A Feasibility Study. Grade: A+.
  • Conducted full market research for a gaming lounge focused on competitive gamers.
  • Developed product roadmap, competitive analysis, and business strategy.
  • Led user-centric research including customer discovery, personas, and journey mapping.