Category Manager

Our client is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. It was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. Their strategy and aim are to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. The company owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 23 countries and they have employed approximately 4,000 people.

Responsibilities:

Portfolio & business performance management:

• Owns the Portfolio Growth plan end to end for the Category.
• Delivery of Category performance in line with Marketing P&L metrics & growth targets
• Reports monthly key achievements or issues against the set KPI
• Contributes to the development of local strategies consistently with global brand guidelines, ensuring full alignment with the Group Strategic Marketing team
• Conducts research to define targeted customer segments and determine the key values that drive buying behavior for each segment. Constantly follows consumer and competitive landscape and the evolution of new trends 
• Responsible for the design and execution of all ATL, BTL, brand PR and innovation activities 
• Tracks the overall brand budgets and monitors the effectiveness of marketing campaigns
• Manages new product development projects / launches in the market, and supports the development of pricing strategies in cooperation with the Commercial team
• Maintains strong relationship with media / creative agencies and encourages creative output

Leadership & people management:

• Act as a leader for cross functional team to drive growth agenda for the category
• Seeks opportunities to motivate strong team engagement & coach direct reportee
• Continuously promotes and supports capabilities development in marketing organization 

Reporting and other key relationships:

• The role reports to the Chief Marketing Officer, India, who in turn reports to the Managing Director. 

Requirements:

• At least 10 years experience in a global company with 7 to 8 years experience in marketing. Prior category head experience is a plus
• FMCG or large Alco bev MNC
• Premier B-school MBA only