Senior HOS Brand Manager

PURPOSE and SCOPE OF ROLE

Lead the development and expansion of the House of Suntory portfolio in Greater China by formulating effective strategies to drive brand power of Hibiki, Kakubin and Yamazaki brands, building a robust value-accretive growth model, developing successful channel strategies, and actively supporting the leadership team in growing Prestige capability within SGS China team.

Role Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of the 3-year and annual brand plan for China (a priority market), aligned with global ambitions and in strong collaboration with the Global Brand Team and the China Marketing Director.
• Lead portfolio strategy development and deployment. Ensure the business dimensioning aligns with demand in China and reflects global priorities. Ensure portfolio strategy is rigorously deployed in priority channels.    
• Deliver on key performance metrics: net sales, gross profit, and brand health. Adjust brand strategies and activation plans in response to volatile environment.
• Own the brand investment strategy, ensuring planning, management, and close monitoring of annual brand investment as per budget. Ensure continuous improvement of marketing spend effectiveness and efficiency towards brand objectives.
• Develop and implement local communication and creative strategy for Kakubin, lead adaptation and implementation for Hibiki and Yamazaki to build brand equity in line with the brands’ DNA. Ensure the development of activation guidelines for different channels

Long Description

• Champion the development and execution of channel strategies.
• Build strong collaboration with Global House of Suntory Brand House and Global Prestige teams in adaptation and deployment of global strategies, as well as influencing resource allocation to support the business and brand growth in China. Provide consolidated and structured feedback regarding strategic needs and key activities/initiatives.
• Assist the leadership team in development of the route-to-consumer in Off- and On-trade, as well as route-to-prestige-consumer via private sales and D2C.
• Foster superior relationships with key stakeholders: internal (Commercial, Finance, Legal, etc.) and external (distributors and agencies) throughout their organizations.
• Proactively support the growth and development of direct (2 FTE) and cross-functional team members, with special focus on collaboration with Brand Advocacy, Digital, VIP sales and MDC (Market commercialization and Deployment) teams.

Qualifications

The candidate should have a strong foundation in brand marketing with solid experience in Luxury/Lifestyle segments. Responsible for significant part of the company’s NSV, this profile is expected to balance strong commercial and financial acumen with aspirational leadership of the brand marketing agenda, critical to maintain value leadership of the HOS portfolio. Given the importance and level of exposure associated with this role, it presents an opportunity to develop a world-class marketing career at Suntory Global Spirits.

This role offers an outstanding opportunity to demonstrate and develop collaborative and inspirational leadership skills, as well as managing complex set of stakeholders.

Requirements:

• 6-9 years of consumer marketing experience
• Experience in managing brands within Luxury / Lifestyle segments
• Deep understanding of Luxury consumer in China
• Strategic thinker with the ability to turn data into insights and actionable business strategies
• Strong commercial and financial acumen
• Strong communication skills with the ability to influence and inspire, as well as to engage diverse internal and external stakeholders
• Collaborative leadership style, excellent listening skills, and cultural sensitivity; proven ability to build credibility and excel in an international and cross-functional environment

Key Relationships

• Internal:  China Commercial and Brand teams, Advocacy team, Global Brand House, Global Prestige team, Supply Chain/Operations, Procurement, Finance, Global Insights, Regional Leadership and Strategy team

• External:  Agencies; distributor partners, ‘halo’ account venue owners and teams, VIP consumers, key media and industry KOLs