Job Description

Head of Commercial & Strategy

Location: Singapore (primary) | Melbourne considered
Reporting to: CFO
Role Type: Senior Leadership | Confidential Search

The Context

Our client is a fast-scaling, international consumer and retail business with a strong footprint in Asia. The organisation is entering its next phase of growth, requiring sharper commercial judgment, disciplined market prioritisation, and faster, data-informed decision-making across diverse Asian markets.

This role sits at the centre of growth, performance, and strategic execution. It is designed for a commercial operator, not a pure strategist. The successful candidate will shape strategy through numbers, market insight, and real-world trade-offs — not slides.

Deep, lived experience in Asia is non-negotiable.

The Role

The Head of Commercial & Strategy will act as a trusted partner to the executive leadership team, driving growth decisions, market entry logic, and performance management across Asia.

This is a hands-on leadership role that blends strategic thinking with operational execution. The individual will be expected to move seamlessly between high-level direction and detailed commercial analysis.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape and drive the commercial strategy for Asia, grounded in financial reality and market insight

• Lead market prioritisation, entry assessments, and scaling decisions across multiple Asian markets

• Partner closely with the CEO and commercial leadership on growth planning, performance, and trade-offs

• Translate data, consumer insight, and market dynamics into executable commercial plans

• Build and challenge business cases, scenarios, and unit economics with imperfect information

• Improve the speed and quality of decision-making across the organisation

• Act as a bridge between strategy, finance, operations, and local market teams

What This Role Is

• A commercial leadership role, not a theoretical strategy position

• A decision-making role with real accountability for outcomes

• A partner to senior leadership, not a back-office function

• A blend of strategy, finance, and execution

What This Role Is Not

• ❌ A career consultant or slide-driven strategist

• ❌ A head-office-only role disconnected from markets

• ❌ A pure FP&A or finance controller position

Critical Experience & Capabilities

1. Deep Asian Market Experience (Essential)

• Lived and worked experience in multiple Asian markets

• Strong understanding of how consumers, partners, and regulators operate in Asia

• Able to distinguish between theory and on-the-ground reality

2. Retail / Consumer Business Scaling

• Proven experience scaling a retail, consumer, or omni-channel business in Asia

• Exposure to market entry, localisation, pricing, assortment, and supply chain trade-offs

• Understands execution complexity, not just strategy design

3. Strong Commercial & Financial Acumen

• Excellent grasp of unit economics, commercial finance, and performance analysis

• Uses numbers to inform forward-looking decisions, not just report history

• Comfortable building scenarios with incomplete or imperfect data

4. Multi-Cultural Leadership Effectiveness

• Proven ability to work across cultures, languages, and operating styles

• Influences without relying on hierarchy

• Balances local nuance with regional and global direction

5. Data-Driven and Digitally Fluent

• Highly comfortable with data, dashboards, and analytics

• Understands how digital tools and AI can support better commercial decisions

• Not a technology leader, but a sophisticated consumer of technology

6. Start-Up and Builder Mindset

• Thrives in ambiguity and low-structure environments

• Comfortable with limited resources and evolving priorities

• Willing to roll up sleeves and personally drive outcomes

• Makes decisions, learns fast, and adapts quickly

Ideal Background (Indicative)

• Senior commercial leadership experience in retail, consumer goods, or omni-channel businesses

• Roles may include Head of Commercial, Commercial Director, Head of Strategy (operator-led), or similar

• Has worked inside Asia, not merely managed Asia from a global HQ

• Energised by building and scaling rather than maintaining mature systems

What Success Looks Like

• Clear, data-led market prioritisation across Asia

• Faster, higher-quality commercial decision-making

• Strong alignment between strategy, financial reality, and execution

• Executive leadership views this role as a true thinking and execution partner