The General Manager - Brand Strategy & Marketing will serve as the strategic brand and business leader with end-to-end ownership of brand strategy, marketing, category growth, and commercial outcomes.

The role requires a commercially oriented brand leader who can build long-term brand equity while driving measurable business growth. The incumbent will translate consumer and market insights into growth opportunities and lead integrated brand and marketing initiatives across products, categories, channels, and consumer touchpoints.

Job Description:

Key Responsibilities:

Brand Strategy & Growth:

- Define and lead the long-term brand strategy, including positioning, brand architecture, identity, consumer value proposition, and communication framework.

- Develop annual brand plans aligned with business priorities, growth objectives, and market opportunities.

- Strengthen brand equity and ensure consistency across all consumer, retail, digital, trade, and in-store touchpoints.

- Leverage consumer insights, market research, brand health metrics, and competitive intelligence to identify opportunities and refine strategy.

Commercial Ownership:

- Drive brand-led revenue growth, category performance, market share, and other agreed commercial objectives.

- Lead brand and marketing budgeting, investment planning, and performance tracking.

- Evaluate the commercial impact and ROI of marketing initiatives and optimise investments to maximise business outcomes.

- Partner with Finance and business teams to ensure effective investment governance and accountability.

Portfolio, Category & Product Growth:

- Lead portfolio and category growth strategies to strengthen existing offerings and build scalable new revenue streams.

- Partner with Product, NPD, Operations, and Sales teams to identify consumer-led innovation opportunities.

- Drive the brand and go-to-market strategy for new product launches, seasonal offerings, and category extensions.

- Monitor category performance and identify opportunities for innovation, portfolio optimisation, and growth.

Integrated Marketing & Communications:

- Develop and lead integrated marketing strategies that build brand equity and drive consumer engagement and business growth.

- Oversee 360-degree campaigns across ATL, BTL, digital, social, influencer, PR, partnerships, and in-store channels.

- Provide strategic and creative direction to internal teams and agency partners, ensuring all communication is differentiated, relevant, and aligned with the brand strategy.

- Build and manage the annual marketing calendar across key business priorities, consumer occasions, product launches, and seasonal opportunities.

Channel, Regional Marketing & Partnerships:

- Develop channel-specific marketing strategies across QSR, FMCG, Modern Trade, General Trade, Quick Commerce, and e-commerce.

- Partner with Sales and business teams to drive trade marketing, shopper marketing, visibility, and channel activation initiatives.

- Lead regional marketing initiatives based on local consumer insights and business priorities while maintaining overall brand consistency.

- Identify and develop strategic partnerships, collaborations, sponsorships, and influencer initiatives that strengthen brand relevance and reach.

- Oversee PR, brand reputation, and crisis communication in collaboration with the leadership team.

Team & Agency Leadership:

- Build and lead a high-performing marketing team with strong strategic, creative, commercial, and analytical capabilities.

- Manage relationships with creative, media, digital, PR, research, and other agency partners, with clear performance expectations and accountability.

- Work closely with senior leadership and cross-functional stakeholders to align brand priorities with broader business objectives.

Qualifications & Skills:

- MBA or postgraduate qualification in Marketing, Brand Management, or a related discipline. A graduate degree is mandatory.

- 10 - 14 years of experience in brand strategy, marketing, category management, or business leadership roles, preferably within F&B, QSR, FMCG, retail, consumer products, or lifestyle brands.

- Demonstrated experience in driving brand or category growth and delivering revenue, market share, and other commercial outcomes.

- Proven ability to develop long-term brand strategies and translate them into integrated, commercially effective growth plans.

- Strong experience in portfolio strategy, category growth, product innovation, and new product launches.

- Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to evaluate marketing investments and drive ROI.

- Experience leading teams and managing agency ecosystems.

- Strong strategic thinking, stakeholder management, communication, and influencing skills.