Country Manager - Australia

Ekornes; Melbourne; Vor Ort; AUD 180.000 - 240.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Ekornes in Melbourne seeks an experienced Country Manager to lead the Australian business across two core brands, IMG and Stressless. You will own full P&L, build and mentor a cross-functional team, and shape go-to-market strategy in a competitive home furniture market.

Reporting to the SVP Commercial Asia Pacific, you will travel across Australia and internationally, drive revenue growth, manage partnerships with retailers and dealers, and ensure operational excellence while upholding

Qualifikationen

• At least 5 years in a senior general management or commercial leadership role.
• Experience in consumer brand, retail or wholesale.
• Proven track record of driving revenue growth and profitability.
• Strong commercial acumen with analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to lead, motivate and develop multi-functional teams.
• Knowledge of Australian retail/wholesale market.
• Willingness to travel across Australia and internationally.

Aufgaben

• Own the Australian P&L end to end and deliver revenue/profit targets.
• Develop and execute the commercial strategy and promotional calendar across two core brands.
• Oversee operations, logistics and customer service to ensure delivery quality.
• Build strong relationships with retail and dealer partners.
• Lead, mentor and develop the Australian team across functions.
• Ensure compliance with Australian laws and regulations.

Kenntnisse

P&L Management

Strategic Leadership

Retail & Wholesale

Team Development

Go-to-Market Strategy

Jobbeschreibung

• We improve everyday living: Ekornes’s vision is to be one of the world’s most attractive suppliers of furniture for the home.
• Unique leadership opportunity – lead, mentor, coach and develop a passionate team
• Step into a market named a strategic priority within the group's Asia Pacific growth plans.
• Shape the go-to-market strategy across two complementary, well-established brands, with genuine scope to influence direction.
• Melbourne based position (Dandenong South Location) – permanent full time

About Us

Ekornes is one of Europe's largest furniture manufacturers, home to a portfolio of brands including Stressless, a globally renowned premium furniture name recognised worldwide.

Ekornes is the largest furniture manufacturer in the Nordic region and owns such brand names as Ekornes®, Stressless® and Svane®. Stressless® is one of the world’s most famous furniture brands, while Ekornes® and Svane® are the best known brands in the Norwegian furniture market. Products are manufactured in Norway and marketed across large parts of the world by a network of national and regional sales companies.

Australia is a priority market within this strategy, and our client is looking for an experienced, hands-on Country Manager to lead the next phase of growth for its Australian businesses.

The Opportunity

Reporting to the SVP Commercial Asia Pacific, the Country Manager holds full profit-and-loss responsibility for the Australian business across two of its core brands, IMG and Stressless. You'll lead these highly respected and established businesses within the Australian market, mentoring and supporting a multi-disciplinary team that spans sales, operations, finance and customer service, while setting and executing a strategy aligned to the group's broader ambitions for both brands.

With headquarters in Norway and a global footprint, Ekornes has a matrix structure, so you'll need to be comfortable working across brand, regional and group functions, partnering closely with the SVP Commercial Asia Pacific on strategy, execution and market development.

This is a role for a commercially sharp, hands-on leader who combines strategic thinking with a supportive, growth-focused leadership style.

Above all, we're looking for a genuine people leader - someone who thrives on developing and coaching their team, not simply managing outcomes. You'll be decisive when it counts, and skilled at creating an environment where your people feel confident to grow. You provide clarity and stability to the team while providing people with autonomy and the opportunity to problem solve independently. You are an active listener with empathy but can also step back and make a commercial decision that considers all points of feedback. You know how to motivate, and drive results the right way, by creating a positive, engaging and supportive environment for people to thrive within.

What You'll Own

• P&L and commercial performance - Own the Australian P&L end to end, setting annual budgets and delivering against revenue and profit targets. Analyse market trends, competitor activity and customer need to identify and act on opportunities for growth.
• Strategy and go-to-market - Develop and execute the commercial strategy and annual promotional calendar across the two core brands, working with sales and marketing to build effective go-to-market plans.
• Brand and marketing investment - Champion the marketing and brand-building agenda for both brands to sharpen brand positioning, elevate the customer experience across retail and digital touchpoints, and ensure commercial decisions don't come at the expense of long-term brand equity.
• Partner and stakeholder management - Build and maintain strong relationships with key retail and dealer partners, including regular visits to major accounts, and lead negotiations with customers and partners to secure favourable terms.
• Team leadership - Lead, develop and mentor the Australian team across all functions, building the capability and high-performing culture needed to deliver to plan.
• Operations, risk and compliance - Oversee operations, logistics and customer service to ensure a consistently high standard of delivery, identify and manage commercial risks, and ensure the business operates in full compliance with Australian laws and regulations. Report regularly on business performance to the SVP Commercial Asia Pacific and group leadership.

About You

Key to your success in this role will be your ability to lead, inspire and develop a team across sales, operations, finance and customer service, while building genuine trust with retail and dealer partners at every level. You bring strategic agility and sound commercial judgement, translating market insight into clear direction and decisive action, and you take real pride in representing the brand and business at every opportunity.

Commercially astute and hands-on, you read the P&L with confidence, spot opportunity in market trends and competitor activity, and adjust strategy to keep the business on track.

• At least 5 years in a senior general management or commercial leadership role, ideally with P&L responsibility.
• Experience working within a consumer brand environment, ideally in a consumer-facing, retail or wholesale business.
• A proven track record of driving revenue growth and profitability.
• Strong commercial acumen, with sound analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A demonstrated ability to lead, motivate and develop teams across multiple functions.
• Sound knowledge of the Australian retail and/or wholesale market.
• Experience in furniture, homewares or premium consumer goods is an advantage, but not a prerequisite.
• A positive, energetic, hands-on approach, with a willingness to travel across Australia and internationally.

We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer so, even if you don’t think you quite meet all of the skills listed or tick all the boxes, we’d still love to hear from you!