Portfolio · 2026 The Hague, Netherlands Strategy · Insights · Growth

Shahab
Shirani

Strategy & Customer Insights
Research-driven growth & business development

I uncover what customers and markets are really doing, then translate it into measurable growth. Research and analysis are the method; commercial outcomes are the proof.

Shahab Shirani
Education

MSc E-Commerce · BA Sport Management · BA Translation

Research

Theses: 9.5 (BA) · 9.0 (MSc) / 10

Focus

Insight · Analysis · Strategy · Growth

Languages

English (fluent), Persian (native), Dutch (A2-B1), Italian (A2)

01 How I create value

Every meaningful result begins with understanding what's really happening. I start with research, challenge assumptions, uncover patterns, and turn insight into clear strategic action.

01
Research & Insight
I design the research (surveys, interviews, audience and market analysis) to uncover what customers and markets are genuinely doing.
02
Analysis
I interrogate the data, from IPA to engagement analysis, separating noise from signal to find the decision that matters.
03
Strategy
I translate the finding into a clear plan (positioning, market entry, content, retention) with measurable targets.
04
Execution & Impact
I build the systems to deliver it end to end, and own the result: revenue, growth, retention.
02 Evidence

Outcomes,
measured.

A decade of commercial results, built on research and analysis.

Export revenue
$0
Delivered into global markets · Shimi Taghtiran
Audience growth
Insight-led content · ~500 → 13,000+ · SPĒXS
B2B sales
$0
Ferroalloys to domestic manufacturers, closed by phone · Radaron
Audience analysis, turned into growth
At SPĒXS I analyzed the audience, and my bachelor thesis (graded 9.5) examined what they actually want to watch. That research became a content strategy that grew the brand's audience on founder Darja Menesi's Instagram, from a standing start to sponsor-ready, between May 2024 and March 2025.
~5000
26× growth B2B decks · pitched to HEAD
May 2024 Mar 2025
Recognition Theses · 9.5 & 9.0 / 10 1st place · EASM business-strategy game, Paris 2024 ASICS Benelux · Best Content Award Best project · sustainability-minor documentary
03 Trajectory

One line through
a global path.

A research-driven method that transfers across trade, commerce and sport, from Iran to the Netherlands.

2010–2014
BA English-to-Persian Translation
Azad University · Isfahan, Iran
My first degree, and the door into international work. Professional translation, from scripts to business correspondence to live interpreting at exhibitions, trained me to read meaning across languages and contexts. It is the root of how I negotiate, articulate, and read a room.
2014–2016
Shimi Taghtiran · Export Sales
Isfahan, Iran
Ran the full commercial cycle for an oil-products exporter: priced by destination, quoted, negotiated, and managed export documentation and shipping. Closed $2M+ across global markets.
2017–2020
MSc E-Commerce · Research foundation
Ashrafi Isfahani University
Built the analytical foundation. Authored a master's thesis on smart-technology adoption and customer commitment in digital ecosystems, graded 18/20 on the Iranian scale (≈9.0/10 European).
2018–2020
Radaron · Commercial Manager
Ferroalloys & Floryan Group · B2B
Selected from 300 applicants. For ferroalloys, I built a procurement-manager database, qualified the most relevant buyers, and closed $300K+ in domestic B2B sales over the phone. For the Floryan sub-brand (Tragacanth gum, pharma-grade waxes), I developed the European market-entry plan: specifications, certifications, buyer research and the website.
2020–2022
Palladium Gym · Fitness Supervisor
Isfahan, Iran
Rose from the gym's top performer to supervising its trainers and bridging management, coaches and clients, and earned a national Physical Fitness Coaching certification (I.R. Iran Sport for All Federation, 2021) along the way. It sharpened the part of the job no framework teaches: reading a room in real time, communicating with clarity, leading very different personalities, staying calm under pressure, and bringing structure to chaos.
2022–2025
BA International Sport Management
The Hague University · Netherlands
Directed an 8-week sustainability documentary (best project in the minor), led a 50-person city event end to end, and finished 1st in the EASM Paris business-strategy game. Graduated with an 8.6 average and a 9.5 bachelor thesis.
2024–2025
SPĒXS · Content & Growth Lead
Sports media · The Hague
Translated audience research into a content strategy that scaled Instagram 26× to 13,000+ (May 2024 to March 2025), won ASICS Benelux's Best Content Award, and powered B2B sponsorship decks pitched to HEAD.
2026
BeneFIT Studio · Insight & Retention
Netherlands
Joined as a personal trainer and moved into the data: designed surveys, ran an IPA analysis on previously untouched customer records, and built retention and offboarding strategy across a three-location business.
04 Case studies

Problems solved,
not roles performed.

Different industries, the same discipline.

01
$2M+ delivered into export markets
Shimi Taghtiran · 2014–2016 · Trade · B2B
Challenge

A paraffin-wax and vaseline manufacturer needed to win and retain international buyers across multiple regions.

Research

Mapped destination markets and their landed-cost dynamics.

Analysis

Calculated FOB and CIF pricing by destination to protect margin while staying competitive.

Strategy

Targeted high-fit buyers and committed to the right trade exhibitions in Rome and Lahore.

Execution

Quoted, negotiated and ran the full export cycle: documentation, B/L and shipping.

Impact

Closed $2M+ in sales over two years.

Inquiry FOB / CIF by destination Quote & negotiate Export documentation Ship & track $2M+ closed
Fig. 01 · Export cycle I owned end to end
02
Domestic B2B sales, and a European entry built
Radaron · 2018–2020 · Commercial Manager · 1 of 300
Challenge

Grow domestic ferroalloy sales, while the Floryan sub-brand (Tragacanth gum, pharma-grade waxes) sought a route into Europe.

Research

Built a database of ferroalloy manufacturers and identified the procurement managers who actually decide.

Analysis

Narrowed a large database to the most relevant, highest-probability buyers.

Strategy

Phone-led B2B selling for ferroalloys at home; a European market-entry plan for Floryan, built on certifications and documented specifications.

Execution

Ran B2B phone sales and sample dispatch domestically; produced specifications, secured certifications, and designed the website for the European push.

Impact

$300K+ in domestic B2B sales closed over the phone, plus a built-out European entry foundation for Floryan.

Ferroalloymanufacturers Potential buyers Qualified buyers $300K+ won
Fig. 02 · Ferroalloy buyer qualification, $300K+ closed
03
Research that scaled an audience 26×
SPĒXS · 2024–2025 · Insight · Digital growth · spexs.eu
Challenge

A new sports-media brand with almost no audience and the ambition to attract sponsors.

Research

Analyzed the audience and authored a 9.5 thesis on what audiences actually want to watch.

Analysis

Isolated the formats, platforms and cadence that genuinely drove engagement.

Strategy

Built a data-informed content plan: weekly schedule, format and platform direction.

Execution

Produced and edited the content, built the first website and an ASICS × SPĒXS teaser.

Impact

~500 → 13,000+ (26×), ASICS Benelux's Best Content Award, sponsorship decks pitched to HEAD.

SPĒXS audience on Instagram, 14.1K followers
Fig. 03 · SPĒXS audience growth on founder Darja Menesi's Instagram · 14.1K followers
04
Turning untouched data into strategy
BeneFIT Studio · 2026 · Research · Data · benefitstudio.nl
Challenge

A three-location fitness business had no structured view of customer experience or retention drivers.

Research

Designed and deployed satisfaction, onboarding and exit surveys.

Analysis

Ran an IPA (importance–performance) analysis on previously untouched customer data.

Strategy

Built retention and offboarding strategy around the gaps the analysis exposed.

Execution

Implemented the satisfaction and exit surveys and embedded them into the customer journey.

Impact

Management adopted the recommendations and refocused the three-location business on its highest-impact customer-journey moments. The remit expanded to surveys for new product and service launches, with retention tracked through year-end.

IPA matrix, BeneFIT customer insight analysis
Fig. 04 · IPA analysis: importance vs. performance · BeneFIT Studio
05 Capabilities

Commercial by outcome,
analytical by method.

Research & Insight

  • Survey & research design
  • Customer insight
  • IPA & data analysis
  • Market research
  • Audience analysis

Strategy

  • Digital strategy
  • Market entry
  • Positioning
  • Content strategy
  • Go-to-market

Growth & Commercial

  • Business development
  • B2B sales
  • International trade & export
  • FOB/CIF pricing & quoting
  • Audience & brand growth

Communication

  • Stakeholder comms
  • Storytelling
  • Presentation
  • Negotiation
  • Coaching & leadership
Tools & methods Generative AI Power BI Advanced Excel Dashboard development Systems & process design Survey design & quantitative analysis Presentation design Content & video editing Web & landing pages Audience & web analytics
06 Closing
Find the signal.
Build the strategy.
Deliver the result.

That sequence is the whole job. I'm looking for strategy, customer-insight, digital-strategy, business-development and growth roles where rigorous analysis is expected to produce real commercial results.

Email[email protected]
LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/shahab-shirani
Phone+31 6 44470571
Based

The Hague, Netherlands

Shahab Shirani · Strategy & Customer InsightsResearch into results.