International Business Manager – Middle East & Africa (MEA)
- Sri Lanka
Position Summary
The International Business Manager – MEA will be responsible for driving sustainable business growth across the company’s branded portfolio and other business formats within the Middle East and African regions. The role encompasses international sales development, market expansion, distributor management, channel development, and long-term brand-building initiatives across key export markets.
The position requires a commercially driven and entrepreneurial professional with strong expertise in the Tea and/or FMCG industry, particularly in international business development, branded channel management, and distributor network expansion. The ideal candidate should possess sound knowledge of regional trade dynamics, route-to-market strategies, market entry planning, and strategic business growth within international consumer markets.
Key Responsibilities
1. International Sales & Business Development
- Drive business growth and achieve revenue targets across assigned international markets.
- Identify, develop, negotiate, and manage strategic distributor and channel partnerships.
- Lead market entry initiatives for new territories while strengthening existing market presence.
- Develop and execute annual sales and business development plans aligned with organizational growth objectives.
- Build and maintain a strong customer pipeline and secure long-term commercial partnerships.
- Negotiate commercial agreements, pricing structures, promotional programs, and business terms with regional partners and distributors.
2. Market Expansion & Go-to-Market Strategy
- Conduct detailed market mapping and opportunity assessments for target countries and recommend market prioritization strategies.
- Analyze market potential, competitor activity, pricing benchmarks, consumer trends, and route-to-market structures.
- Develop territory-specific go-to-market strategies to drive sustainable long-term growth and profitability.
- Identify growth opportunities across retail chains, wholesalers, food service, and other secondary channels through distributor partnerships.
3. Distributor & Channel Management
- Manage and strengthen relationships with distributors, importers, and key channel partners across assigned territories.
- Monitor distributor performance against agreed KPIs, sales targets, and market development objectives.
- Develop country-specific trade marketing strategies and ensure effective route-to-market execution.
- Collaborate with distributors on promotional campaigns, visibility initiatives, and market penetration activities.
- Monitor inventory levels, sales off-take, slow-moving products, and promotional effectiveness through periodic business reviews.
4. Brand Development & Strategic Growth
- Support long-term brand-building initiatives to strengthen global brand positioning across regional markets.
- Identify white-space opportunities for portfolio expansion and recommend new product opportunities aligned with regional consumer preferences.
- Contribute to regional business expansion strategies through customer-centric and equity-led marketing initiatives.
- Enhance brand visibility and channel presence through strategic market activation programs.
5. Planning, Reporting & Market Intelligence
- Prepare sales forecasts, business performance reports, and market intelligence updates.
- Monitor market performance and recommend corrective actions to achieve commercial objectives.
- Maintain accurate sales pipelines, distributor development plans, and risk assessments across assigned markets.
- Undertake extensive regional travel to strengthen customer engagement, gather market intelligence, and identify emerging business opportunities.
- Provide strategic recommendations based on on-ground market insights and commercial evaluations.
Qualifications & Experience
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Management, Marketing, International Business, Sales, or a related discipline.
- MBA or relevant professional qualification will be an added advantage.
Experience
- Minimum 5–8 years of experience in the Tea and/or FMCG industry.
- Proven experience in international business, export sales, regional business development, or channel management roles.
- Strong exposure to branded product distribution and international channel development.
- Demonstrated experience handling Middle Eastern and/or African markets is essential.
- Experience in tea, beverages, food products, or premium FMCG brands will be highly preferred.
Language Requirements
- Excellent command of English (written and spoken) is mandatory.
- Arabic language proficiency will be considered a significant advantage.
- Additional regional language capabilities will be an added advantage.