1. [ Al Ghadeer Village, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | +971 05 05 68 34 52| chrisdefrance@gmail.com]
CHRISTOPHE
DEFRANCE
INTERIOR DESIGN | FURNITURE | DECORATION ITEMS | LARGE EVENTS | EXHIBITION | FAIRS
Summary Enthusiastic and passionate hands-on executive with a strong international profile.
I have 20 years of professional experience in Asia. I learned to multitask under very though
environments. I climbed my way from factory manufacturing QC to Asia regional sales and
management. My bosses and colleagues refer to me as "Mr. Reliable", once a task is assigned, I
focus and deliver. I have lived and worked across the world, hence I am very adaptable to new
places, cultures and teams. I am driven, yet easy to work with. I am dedicated, yet
approachable. I am reliable, yet humble. I am loyal and amiable.
Where I can add value to your operations?
Furniture & decorative accessories design/production/stock/repair | quality control | complex
event/project management & full delivery | interior design | HORECA / office design & fit-out | B2B and
B2C sales | Business Development / CRM
Core Skills Geographic Functional Products
UAE Project Management Furniture / Fixtures
Saudi Arabia Client Development Deco
Qatar Sales & CRM Booth / Display
Iran Sourcing / Manufacturing Tents / Marquees
South East Asia Design / Fit-out Light / Sound
China Quality Control Resin masterpiece
Interests
Charity, combat sports, tennis, water sports,

2. [ Al Ghadeer Village, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. | +971 05 05 68 34 52| chrisdefrance@gmail.com]
Experience
Electra Events and Exhibitions | Project Manager 09/2015-06/2016
United Arab Emirates
In charge of different projects in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia.
I solely managed the project execution, client liaison, coordinating suppliers & logistics, production follow-up, quality control, event
set-up, wrap-up. Key projects delivered for Hermès, Dubai Mall, Renault cars showrooms interior fit out, Christian Dior, Thales,
Dassault Aviation, Airbus, Boatshow Marina, Abu Dhabi Education Council.
Achievements: a) 100% of my projects delivered within the timeline and the budget. b) 100% of my projects rated
“Fully Satisfied” by our clients c) Sold project in Iran although I was not responsible for sales.
Freelancer, Furniture & Decoration | Project Manager, Interior design 11/2014 -08/2015
Asia & the Middle East
Sales and Quality Control Manager at Wood Trade Saigon Express, a furniture trading company exporting to Europe | Sales
Manager and Research and Development at ABPRO, a Sport apparel company | Supervising the opening of a retail store in Ho Chi
Minh City | Sourcing and development of furniture and decoration items for the UAE market for a leading European brand | Interior
design and fit-out of a global Management Consulting firm in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Achievements: a) Selling projects to clients on my own. b) Received several jobs offers from our clients
c) Successfully delivered projects in the UAE, a new market for me then.
Interior's Group | Quality Control Manager (Sourcing & Sales Manager Asia) 1995-10/2014
Vietnam
Developed outstanding relationships and worked closely with our key Asian customers, assist them with their needs. Managed CRM.
New customer’s prospection, all over Asia.
Achievements: a) Increased sales by 40% for 3 of our key customers b) Delivered two new large customers in
Japan, Korea, Australia/NZ
Organized and managed 4 production lines and 800 workers. Managed raw materials reception, human resources, & machinery
Supervised and constantly improved the productivity of workers to ensure that the production is achieved as planned, on time, and
within budgets Developed new collections of products and decoration items, in collaboration with the Research and Development
Team Production costs calculations of all new products.
Achievements: a) Losses reduction of raw material, from 40% to 14 % in 8 months b) Implementation of a kiln dry
line, guarantying near-zero crack or bending on our USD 22 million of export sales
Worked with France’s HQ to find new components partners in Vietnam Sourcing trips for new materials and new collections
development in China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Direct supplier’s due diligence in Vietnam. Identified and qualified new
suppliers at VIFA, IFFS, CIFF furniture fairs in Vietnam, Singapore and China.
Achievements: a) Identified and contracted 20 new suppliers in Vietnam and Malaysia b) Reduced components costs
by 20%. Implemented “Sustainable Tropical Forest Sourcing”.
Checked all incoming materials and components to ensure they comply with clients’ standards of quality. Supervised QC teams
engaged in inspection and testing activities to ensure high productivity and high technical integrity. Quality control missions of
suppliers based in China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Achievements: a) Implemented a new QC system (Reporting / Resourcing / Packaging) b) Trained 8 staff on QC to
ensure all did not solely depend on me.
Education University Romain Rolland, France
1988-1990 Electrotechnical Engineering Diploma,
Languages
English +++ Vietnamese +++ Spanish ++
French +++ Arabic +