Ion Barbu - SAP S4HANA Retail Expert

Q: Where is Ion based?

Ion is based in Athens, Greece .

Q: What languages does Ion speak?

Ion speaks the following languages: Greek (Advanced), French (Advanced), Romanian (Advanced), English (Intermediate) .

Q: How many years of experience does Ion have?

Ion has at least 18 years of experience. During this time, Ion has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 5 different companies . The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 1 month . Note that Ion may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

Q: What is Ion's latest experience?

Ion's most recent position is SAP S4HANA Retail Expert at Carrefour UHD .

Q: What companies has Ion worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ion has worked for Carrefour UHD and Ahold Delhaize .

Q: Which industries is Ion most experienced in?

Ion is most experienced in industries like Retail .

Q: Which business areas is Ion most experienced in?

Ion is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Supply Chain Management , and Procurement and Purchasing . Ion also has some experience in Project Management and Operations .

Q: Which industries has Ion worked in recently?

Ion has recently worked in industries like Retail .

Q: Which business areas has Ion worked in recently?

Ion has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology (IT) , Supply Chain Management , and Project Management .

Recommended expert

Athens, Greece

Experience

Oct 2025 - Present

5 months

SAP S4HANA Retail Expert

Carrefour UHD

Overhauled Article Creation processes, reducing overall complexity from 38 files down to one.
Acquired solid understanding of S/4HANA and integration with other SAP modules (MM, SD, CAR, etc.).
Created a custom Collective Order tool for Fresh Item procurement, allowing fair-share and price-driven procurement optimizations.
Collaborated closely with clients to gather business requirements and translate them into effective SAP solutions, working with technical teams for enhancements, interfaces, and custom developments.
Simplified customer returns processing supported by SAP Advanced Returns Management (ARM).

Jan 2024 - Oct 2025

1 year 10 months

Athens, Greece

Tech Lead - SAP to Store Team

Ahold Delhaize

Digitized in-store processes and improved operational efficiency for 1,300 stores in multiple countries by delivering user-friendly Fiori applications, streamlining daily workflows and reducing manual effort.
Directed design, UX, and architecture for custom Fiori applications, leveraging Figma for user-story mapping and mockups to deliver scalable, intuitive, mobile-first designs that increased usability and data quality.
Led all downstream delivery phases—from blueprinting and functional specifications to UAT and training—resulting in consistent, on-time, high-quality deliverables that accelerated user adoption and reduced training and post-launch support needs.
Engineered custom solutions for complex business needs, including EUDR compliance, GK POS integration, and Bluetooth printer integrations, enhancing compliance and simplifying store processes.

Jan 2019 - Jan 2024

5 years 1 month

Athens, Greece

Senior SAP Retail & F&R Consultant

Ahold Delhaize

Led project streams within the SAP Retail domain, including design, configuration, and testing, ensuring alignment with client objectives and timelines and adhering to best practices.
Integrated SAP Forecasting & Replenishment (F&R) including system configuration, interface troubleshooting, order proposal optimization, exceptions-based communication to stores for stock counting, BI interfaces, and sales history loads.
Increased team transparency and stakeholder alignment as Scrum Master, driving Agile delivery through ceremony facilitation, Jira board management, and continuous improvement across the development cycle.
Created functional specifications, test scripts, user training guides, and documentation.

Mar 2012 - Dec 2018

6 years 10 months

SAP Retail Consultant

Delhaize Group

Deployed SAP In-Store MIM applications to 300+ stores across desktop and mobile platforms, increasing process accuracy and accelerating in-store execution.
Delivered high-impact retail solutions, including the Central Customer platform for address validation, centralized credit and surcharge logic, POS invoicing via web services; the Franchisee Sales platform with full SD flow; enhanced POS Outbound (WP_PLU); SAP–JDA planogram integration; and BRF-Plus-driven rules for flexible, code-free business logic.
Implemented major process improvements for fresh-item buying by deploying the Perishables Procurement solution covering external procurement, distribution center operations, and automated article onboarding.
Enhanced enterprise-wide article creation by developing an integrated Article Master cockpit that unified GDSN and PRICAT vendor data with enriched SAP Retail attributes.

Mar 2010 - Mar 2012

2 years 1 month

Aarhus, Denmark

Store Operations Team Lead

Salling Group

Delivered a complete SAP MIM store-operations platform to 155 Swedish stores covering real-time stock monitoring, ordering, promotions, goods movements, and inventory analysis, significantly improving daily execution with minimal training required.
Built custom capabilities including a one-step physical inventory adjustment process, automated discrepancy-detection rules, integrated PDA workflows, seamless F&R integration, and audit-ready reporting, raising inventory accuracy and strengthening store-level control.

May 2007 - Oct 2009

2 years 6 months

SAP Retail Consultant

Accenture

Participated in The SCORE project for Home Depot Canada.
Participated in The ATLAS project for Best Buy International.

Industries Experience

See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time. Longer bars indicate deeper hands-on experience, while shorter ones reflect targeted or project-based work.

Experienced in Retail (18.5 years).

Retail

Business Areas Experience

The graph below provides a cumulative view of the freelancer's experience across multiple business areas, calculated from completed and active engagements. It highlights the areas where the freelancer has most frequently contributed to planning, execution, and delivery of business outcomes.

Experienced in Information Technology (16.5 years), Supply Chain Management (14 years), Procurement (7 years), Project Management (5 years), and Operations (2 years).

Information Technology

Supply Chain Management

Procurement

Project Management

Operations

Summary

Seasoned SAP Retail professional with 20 years of project experience, combining SAP technical expertise, business acumen, and strategic team influence to drive retail transformation initiatives. I am a subject matter expert in Master Data & Assortment Management, Merchandising & Buying, Store Operations, and Sales & POS Integration, with strong configuration experience in Logistics, MM, and SD, and deep Retail Business Process understanding. Excellent communication and client-facing skills; able to lead workshops independently, translating business needs into technical requirements.

Skills

Core S/4hana Retail Processes
Store Operations
Integrations (F&r, Car, Posdta)
Excellent Communicator / Client Facing Skills

Languages

Greek

Advanced

French

Advanced

Romanian

Advanced

English

Intermediate

Education

Sep 2000 - Jun 2004

Wilfrid Laurier University

Honors Bachelor of Business Administration · Business Administration · Waterloo, Canada

Certifications & licenses

Introducing RISE with SAP Methodology for SAP Partners and Customers

SAP

SAP Fiori Overview: Design, Develop and Deploy

SAP

Profile

Created

December 2025

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Frequently asked questions

Do you have questions? Here you can find further information.

Where is Ion based?

Ion is based in Athens, Greece.

What languages does Ion speak?

Ion speaks the following languages: Greek (Advanced), French (Advanced), Romanian (Advanced), English (Intermediate).

How many years of experience does Ion have?

Ion has at least 18 years of experience. During this time, Ion has worked in at least 5 different roles and for 5 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 3 years and 1 month. Note that Ion may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.

What roles would Ion be best suited for?

Based on recent experience, Ion would be well-suited for roles such as: SAP S4HANA Retail Expert, Tech Lead - SAP to Store Team, Senior SAP Retail & F&R Consultant.

What is Ion's latest experience?

Ion's most recent position is SAP S4HANA Retail Expert at Carrefour UHD.

What companies has Ion worked for in recent years?

In recent years, Ion has worked for Carrefour UHD and Ahold Delhaize.

Which industries is Ion most experienced in?

Ion is most experienced in industries like Retail.

Which business areas is Ion most experienced in?

Ion is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Supply Chain Management, and Procurement and Purchasing. Ion also has some experience in Project Management and Operations.

Which industries has Ion worked in recently?

Ion has recently worked in industries like Retail.

Which business areas has Ion worked in recently?

Ion has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology (IT), Supply Chain Management, and Project Management.

What is Ion's education?

Ion holds a Bachelor in Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University.

Does Ion have any certificates?

Ion has 2 certificates. These include: Introducing RISE with SAP Methodology for SAP Partners and Customers, SAP Fiori Overview: Design and Develop and Deploy.