Business Head – Specialty Chemicals

3P Consultants; Mumbai; On-site; INR 700,000 - 1,100,000; Full time

Job summary

3P Consultants in Mumbai seeks a senior strategy leader to create and scale a new adjacency vertical across Paints, Oil & Gas and Crop Science, leveraging the firm’s capabilities and portfolio. The role will define a five-year vision, market priorities, application roadmap, and investment thesis, while building the operating model, governance and talent needed to deliver sustained growth.

The ideal candidate has 15–20 years of B2B specialty chemicals experience, a track record of growing new

Qualifications

• 15-20 years of relevant experience in B2B specialty chemicals or related industrial solutions.
• Experience in surfactant chemistry and high-margin applications.
• Proven ability to define growth strategy and convert it into execution.
• Experience with joint development agreements, licensing, partnerships, or M&A.
• Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Define the 5-year vision and growth priorities for the new vertical.
• Map target segments in Paints, Oil & Gas and Crop Science by application and geography.
• Develop market intelligence, value propositions and go-to-market models.
• Build business cases including TAM/SAM, margins, capex and ROI projections.
• Decide route-to-market with internal R&D, outsourcing, partnerships or licensing.
• Create operating model, org structure, governance and decision rights.
• Align stakeholders across functions and build the talent plan.

Skills

B2B experience

Surfactant chemistry

Growth strategy

Joint development agreements

Licensing arrangements

Exports experience

Education

Bachelor’s / Master’s degree in Engineering or Chemistry

MBA or equivalent business qualification

Job description

• The incumbent would be responsible to create, build and scale a new adjacency vertical by leveraging the company’s existing capabilities and product portfolio for new, high-margin industry applications in Paints, Oil & Gas and Crop Science.

Job Purpose

• The incumbent would be responsible to create, build and scale a new adjacency vertical by leveraging the company’s existing capabilities and product portfolio for new, high-margin industry applications in Paints, Oil & Gas and Crop Science.

Company Background

• A leading Indian listed MNC in the specialty chemicals industry.

Key Responsibilities

• Build the Adjacencies growth strategy: Define the 5-year vision, market priorities, application roadmap, revenue pools, margin aspirations and investment thesis for the new vertical.
• Identify and prioritize target segments: Assess opportunities in Paints, Oil & Gas and Crop Science by application, customer segment, geography, market size, value pools, competitive intensity and ease of entry.
• Map white spaces and emerging trends: Scan the broader chemical and industrial landscape to identify areas where surfactant technology, bio-based chemistries or sustainable solutions can be critical enablers in high-value applications.
• Build market and competitive intelligence: Monitor competitor moves, technology shifts, regulatory changes, customer needs and potential market disruptions across target and emerging adjacency spaces.
• Create market-entry and go-to-market models: Develop segment-wise plans covering value proposition, pricing, channel strategy, key account approach, partnerships and commercialization milestones.
• Develop robust business cases: Prepare opportunity assessments covering TAM/SAM, customer economics, margin pools, capex requirements, ROI projections, technical feasibility and commercialization risks for each priority adjacency.
• Define the right-to-win and route-to-market choices: Evaluate whether each opportunity should be pursued through internal R&D, outsourcing, strategic partnership, licensing, joint venture or M&A, based on capability fit, speed to market, investment need and risk-return profile.
• Build the business structure: Recommend and implement the operating model, organization structure, roles, governance mechanisms and decision rights required to launch and scale the vertical.
• Create the talent blueprint: Design Organization Structure supporting the strategy aligning critical roles and capability requirements enabling the hiring priorities and leadership bench needed to build a high-performing business over the next five years.
• Own business planning and performance: Deliver annual operating plans, revenue and margin targets, pipeline reviews, business forecasts and periodic updates to senior leadership.
• Drive cross-functional alignment: Align internal stakeholders across Business Creation, Application Development, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Finance and Accounts around the vertical’s growth priorities.
• Build organizational capability: Establish market intelligence, application knowledge, customer insight processes and commercial excellence practices specific to the new vertical.
• Mitigate regulatory and technical barriers: Anticipate and address product stewardship, REACH, EPA or other relevant regulatory requirements, along with application-specific technical barriers that may affect market entry or scale-up.
• Ensure governance and compliance: Oversee adherence to product stewardship, regulatory, quality, safety and commercial compliance requirements in the new application areas.

Qualification

• Bachelor’s / Master’s degree in Engineering, Chemistry or a related discipline is preferred.
• An MBA or equivalent business qualification would be advantageous.

Ideal Candidate Profile

• 15-20 years of relevant experience with significant exposure to B2B businesses, specialty chemicals, specialty ingredients, materials, platform chemistries or other application-led industrial solutions preferably with experience in surfactant chemistry.
• Demonstrated success in building or scaling a business, category, region or new market from a relatively early stage.
• Strong understanding of at least one or more of the target industries—Paints, Oil & Gas, Crop Science—or adjacent industrial application domains.
• Track record of developing growth strategy and converting it into commercial execution.
• Experience in exports, customer development, key account management, channel building and strategic partnerships.
• Experience in structuring joint development agreements, licensing arrangements, commercial partnerships, or other ecosystem-led growth models.
• Ability to work across technical, commercial and operational teams to translate products into winning applications.
• Strong financial and business acumen with comfort in handling business cases, investments, pricing, margins and growth plans.
• Strong ability to build fact-based business cases, including market sizing, investment evaluation, margin analysis, risk assessment and ROI projections.
• Ability to build teams, shape organization structures and develop talent for emerging business opportunities.
• Maturity and executive presence to engage with senior leadership, customers, external partners and internal stakeholders.