Managing Director (Food & Consumer Business Set-up)

Position Overview

We are seeking an entrepreneurial Managing Director to establish, grow, and lead a Food & consumer products business with full accountability for commercial and financial performance.

This role requires a hands-on business builder who can identify market opportunities, develop commercially viable products, build brands and distribution channels, and manage operations across the entire value chain. The successful candidate will have the autonomy to shape the business strategy, prioritize investments, build the leadership team, and create a scalable platform for sustainable growth.

Key Responsibilities

Business Leadership and Growth

• Define the company’s strategic direction, business model, growth priorities, and execution roadmap.
• Identify attractive consumer segments, emerging market opportunities, and potential areas for business expansion.
• Lead new business creation, market entry, business scaling, and performance improvement initiatives.
• Translate strategic opportunities into clear commercial plans and measurable business results.

Financial and Commercial Ownership

• Assume full responsibility for revenue, profitability, gross margin, EBITDA, cash flow, working capital, and return on investment.
• Develop annual budgets, business plans, forecasts, and performance targets.
• Evaluate investment opportunities and make disciplined decisions regarding capital allocation and commercial trade-offs.
• Establish performance-management processes to ensure timely corrective action and sustainable profitability.

Product and Portfolio Development

• Build and manage a commercially attractive product portfolio based on consumer insights, market trends, and competitive opportunities.
• Lead the product journey from concept development and feasibility assessment through testing, launch, scaling, and lifecycle management.
• Coordinate effectively with product development, technical, manufacturing, and external partners.
• Review portfolio performance and make decisions regarding product expansion, repositioning, improvement, or discontinuation.

Brand and Go-to-Market Strategy

• Shape brand positioning, pricing, marketing, communication, and demand-generation strategies.
• Convert consumer insights into differentiated product propositions and compelling brand experiences.
• Develop integrated go-to-market plans supporting both brand development and commercial conversion.
• Monitor consumer response, market penetration, and post-launch performance.

Sales and Distribution

• Design and execute channel strategies across modern trade, traditional trade, convenience stores, e-commerce, social commerce, and direct-to-consumer platforms.
• Lead pricing, trade terms, distribution coverage, sell-in, sell-out, and sales productivity.
• Build strong relationships with key customers, distributors, commercial partners, and other relevant stakeholders.
• Optimize the channel mix to strengthen market reach and profitable growth.

Operations and Supply Chain

• Oversee sourcing, manufacturing partnerships, demand planning, inventory, quality, cost, and service levels.
• Manage OEM, ODM, and third-party production partners to support product quality and business scalability.
• Balance commercial demand with operational capacity, working-capital requirements, and cost efficiency.
• Establish appropriate operating standards and performance controls as the business expands.

Partnerships and Business Expansion

• Develop strategic partnerships across product development, manufacturing, distribution, retail, technology, and other growth areas.
• Assess potential alliances and new business opportunities that can accelerate market access or strengthen competitive advantage.
• Lead commercial negotiations and ensure that partnerships deliver clear strategic and financial value.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Business Administration, Marketing, Management, Economics, Engineering, Food Science, or another relevant discipline.
• At least 10 years of experience in consumer products, FMCG, food and beverage, or a related industry.
• Previous experience as a Managing Director, General Manager, Chief Commercial Officer, Business Unit Head, Business Director, or in a comparable senior leadership role is preferred.
• Strong P&L ownership with a proven track record of building a new business, brand, product portfolio, or commercial platform from the ground up.
• Strong experience in New Product Development (NPD), R&D coordination, and product commercialization is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated success in launching, scaling, or turning around a product, brand, channel, or business.
• Broad commercial expertise across sales, marketing, pricing, trade management, channel strategy, and distribution.
• Working knowledge of manufacturing, sourcing, OEM/ODM management, supply chain, demand planning, inventory, quality, and cost management.
• Experience making strategic and investment decisions with a high degree of ownership and accountability.
• Strong financial and analytical capability, with the ability to balance growth, profitability, cash flow, investment, and risk.
• Effective leadership and stakeholder-management skills, with the ability to collaborate across functions and manage external partners.
• Fluent in Thai & English