GM, SEA, Consumer Goods (Mandarin Required)

Location: Singapore
Coverage: Southeast Asia
Industry: Consumer Electronics / Consumer Goods / E-Commerce

Company Overview
- Our client is a high-growth global consumer technology company, recognized as the #1 player globally in its category.
- The company has a rapidly expanding presence across North America, Europe, and Asia.
- Initially a successful consumer product business, it has evolved into a broader consumer technology ecosystem, spanning hardware, software, mobile applications, and data-enabled products and services.
- The company operates a connected portfolio of smart consumer devices, digital experiences, and data-driven solutions, fostering deep consumer relationships beyond traditional consumer goods.
- Growth has been driven by product innovation, consumer-centric design, technology, brand building, and sophisticated e-commerce execution.
- Southeast Asia has been identified as a major strategic growth market.
- The company is appointing a General Manager, Southeast Asia, reporting directly to the Founder & CEO, to accelerate regional market share and build the next chapter of its business in SEA.

Role Overview
- The General Manager, Southeast Asia, will be the most senior business leader in the region, with full ownership of the SEA P&L and end-to-end accountability for growth, profitability, market share, and organisational development.
- This is a genuine General Management mandate, not limited to selling physical products but also commercializing an integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, apps, and data.
- The GM will determine strategic priorities across countries, consumer segments, categories, products, and channels, and localize the company’s global ecosystem for the SEA market.
- The mandate is to translate global category leadership into regional market leadership, leveraging significant headroom for growth in SEA.

Key Responsibilities
- Take full ownership of the Southeast Asia P&L, including revenue, profitability, investment allocation, and overall business performance.
- Develop and execute a multi-year SEA growth strategy to materially increase regional market share.
- Translate global category leadership into a stronger and more defensible position in Southeast Asia.
- Determine country, category, consumer, and channel priorities across the region.
- Build regional strategy around the company’s expanding hardware, software, mobile application, and data ecosystem.
- Identify opportunities to deepen consumer engagement and lifetime value through integration of physical products and digital experiences.
- Define appropriate go-to-market models by market, including D2C, marketplaces, distributors, modern trade, specialty retail, and other offline channels.
- Drive growth across major e-commerce ecosystems and marketplaces, while developing omnichannel capabilities.
- Own senior commercial relationships with major marketplaces, retailers, distributors, and strategic partners in SEA.
- Lead regional brand, consumer, and category strategy, ensuring global brand equity translates into locally relevant propositions.
- Identify opportunities for new product launches, category expansion, and localization based on consumer insights, market data, and competitive dynamics.
- Leverage consumer and commercial data to improve customer acquisition, engagement, retention, cross-selling, and lifetime value.
- Partner closely with global product, technology, marketing, supply chain, finance, and operations teams to ensure SEA priorities are reflected in the global strategy.
- Build and lead a high-performing Southeast Asia organization to support the next phase of regional growth.
- Serve as the voice of Southeast Asia to the Founder & CEO and global leadership team, influencing product, investment, and market priorities.

Ideal Candidate Profile
- Commercially exceptional consumer leader with structured training from a world-class organization and entrepreneurial instincts to build and scale a high-growth business.
- Approximately 8–12+ years of experience in consumer goods, FMCG, consumer electronics, consumer technology, e-commerce, or adjacent consumer-facing industries.
- Candidates with foundational commercial and leadership experience in leading FMCG organizations (e.g., P&G, Unilever) or blue-chip consumer companies are highly relevant, especially those who have progressed to Country GM, Business Unit Head, Commercial Director, E-Commerce Director, or equivalent roles.
- Leaders from consumer electronics and technology companies with experience at the intersection of product, brand, retail, e-commerce, and digital ecosystems are also suitable.
- Senior leaders from major e-commerce platforms and marketplaces with strong exposure to consumer brands, category management, commercial strategy, and regional growth will be considered.
- Demonstrable experience owning a country, regional, or business-unit P&L, or equivalent end-to-end commercial accountability.
- Proven track record of gaining market share, building categories, entering new markets, or scaling a consumer business.
- Strong understanding of the Southeast Asian consumer landscape, ideally with multi-market experience in the region.
- Experience across e-commerce, marketplaces, distributors, and offline retail is highly advantageous.
- Strong consumer and brand instincts, combined with rigorous commercial and analytical capabilities.
- Experience with connected products, digital platforms, applications, subscriptions, consumer data, or broader technology ecosystems is advantageous but not mandatory.
- Ability to move fluidly between CEO-level strategy and hands-on market execution.
- Entrepreneurial, intellectually curious, and comfortable operating in a fast-moving international organization.
- Fluency in Mandarin is required due to frequent communication and collaboration with key stakeholders at the company’s global HQ.

Opportunity Highlights
- This is not a traditional regional GM role managing an established consumer-goods operation.
- Opportunity to take ownership of Southeast Asia for the global #1 player in its category as the company evolves into a broader technology-enabled ecosystem.
- Direct reporting access to the Founder & CEO.
- Full ownership of the Southeast Asia P&L.
- Mandate to materially grow SEA market share.
- Significant autonomy over market, channel, and investment strategy.
- Opportunity to shape how a hardware + software + app + data ecosystem is brought to market in SEA.
- Ability to build the regional organization and leadership team.
- Platform and resources of an established global category leader.
- Entrepreneurial scope in a business with substantial growth potential.
- Ideal for leaders from top consumer, technology, or e-commerce organizations seeking greater ownership, speed, and strategic influence.

*Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted due to the volume of applicants.

EA Licence No.: 25S3232
EA Personnel Reg. No.: R1874604
EA Personnel Name: Kenneth Ho