Mohammad El Said

A dynamic and people-focused leader with a passion for driving business impact and continuous improvement. With over 20 years of industry experience, I started my career at a technology startup as employee number four—an invaluable experience that taught me the power of small, agile teams. I then transitioned to a global FTSE 100 organisation operating in a highly regulated environment, where I held diverse roles across Engineering, Operations, and Leadership, spanning multiple regions and production facilities.

I have a proven track record of leading teams through change, fostering innovation, and leveraging external partnerships to drive success. Over the past four years, I have focused on developing and executing strategies that enable transformational change. To support this, I designed governance frameworks and facilitated high-level decision-making forums with senior leaders. I thrive in PMO-style roles, working across functional groups to create alignment, clarity, and strategic focus.

Fluent in English, Arabic, and Swedish, I am also a Chartered Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE). Currently based in the UAE, I am always keen to connect with like-minded professionals.

Julphar Gulf Pharmaceuticals 05/2024 – Present. Director   Ras Al Khaimah 

• Leading 158 strong team as key member of Site Leadership Team. 
• Responsible for performance management and delivery across multiple functions including Operations, Engineering, Procurement and Quality teams to execute facility and process upgrades.
• Introduced Lean Six Sigma methodology through advocacy including RCA, Kanban and 5S tools. 
• Accountable for equipment and facility operational support for 12 manufacturing plants producing Solids, Semi-Solids, Liquids, Steriles, and Biotech dose forms. 
• Step change in compliance performance achieved within 6 months resulting in zero overdue CAPAs. 

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 2007 - 2024 

Head of Strategy & Programmes- Engineering Automation Nov-22 to Apr-2024, London

• Developed and executed GSK's Engineering Digital & Automation strategy, collaborating with process automation, cybersecurity, and data infrastructure teams. 
• Owned governance framework- Developed KPI scorecard to drive performance tracking and reporting to C-level stakeholders. Facilitated monthly cross functional governance meetings.
• Managed a £20M fund dedicated to accelerating digital and automation initiatives and projects. 
• Facilitated GSK's Digital & Automation Steering forum decisioning on GSK's technology stack. 

Programme Director- Engineering Automation Dec-20 to Nov-22, London

• Tasked by GSK Engineering head to lead development of a global automation strategy for GSK. 
• Successfully built a strategic framework based on 4 key programmes; ‘Paperless’, ‘Connectivity’, ‘Robotics’ and ‘Data Analytics’.
• Established governance for efficient performance management to drive decision-making, project initiation, funding, and execution. 
• Launched 'Aha' tool and transformed project delivery by synergizing with IT organisation to create access to and visualise delivery plans across 28 site network.

Enterprise Facilities Management - Rest of World Lead May-18 to Dec-20, London 

• Managed an Enterprise Facilities Management (EFM) programme with £28M annual budget of across 6 manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. 
• Partnered with site leaders and service providers (CBRE, Sodexo) to deliver performance excellence and contract compliance across soft and hard services. Co-negotiated new 5-year contract through enterprise-wide RFP, awarding £1B+ in five-year contracts.

Regional Engineering Lead - Middle East & Africa May-16 to Jun-18, London

• MEA leadership member, partnered with SC head and site directors to set regional strategy. 
• Matrix-managed 7 site engineering directors with focus on enterprise standards and capital delivery. 
• Facility Master Planning- Owned process for MEA delivering 7 plans forecasting investment needs. Launched corporate Equipment Standardization Programme, successfully delivered 15 global standards through SMEs in 2 years. 

Operations Manager - Bulk Sterile Manufacturing Jul-13 to May-16, Worthing 

• Ran sterile manufacturing facility producing 45 tons of Augmentin sterile bulk powder per year. 
• Operated 24/7 with a 61 strong team in highly complex facility with high process safety requirements. 

Operations Support Manager   Mar-12 to Jul-13, Worthing 

• Appointed to improve performance of manufacturing facility. 
• Led cross-functional team, transformed operations planning, increased output and hosted successful MHRA and FDA audits within 18 months. 

Engineering Support Manager Jan-10 to Mar-12, Worthing

• Led a team of senior equipment engineers responsible for technical support and delivery of OEE projects and new packaging equipment installations for Augmentin OSD production. 

Capital Project Engineer Jan-09 to Jan-10, Ware 

• Managed capital projects within GMP facilities including commissioning and validation. 
• Successfully delivered a purified water system modification and dispensary upgrade. 

Technical Support Engineer Sep-07 to Dec-09, Worthing

• Provided Technical Support for Secondary Packaging and Manufacturing operations. 
• Implemented OEE project with cross-functional team increasing OEE by 50% across 7 packaging lines. 

d3o Lab Jul-03 to Aug-07, Brighton

Development Engineer 

• Early stage hire in a Tech start-up, led material test lab achieving BSI and CE certification. 
• Learnt the art of sales by engaging customers and demonstrating benefits scientifically. 

Rolls-Royce PLC Sep-01 to Sep-02, Bristol

Experimental Engineer 

• Fantastic grounding in engineering excellence of the aerospace industry.
• Worked in the Pegasus engine team for the Harrier VSTOL aircraft.
• Conducted 'Accelerated Simulated Mission Endurance Tests' (ASMET) to develop new components. 

BEng Mechanical Engineering • First Class Honours

University of Hertfordshire • Included Industrial Placement