Associate Director

Lewis Personnel Management; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 260,000 - 460,000; Full time

Job summary

Lewis Personnel Management is seeking an Associate Director – Asia to drive revenue and profit growth across Asia, with direct responsibility for Malaysia and Singapore and oversight of other markets through a team of Business Development Managers. You will lead distributor and key customer relationships and develop regional growth strategies.

The role requires a business degree (MBA preferred), 10+ years in commercial leadership, strong FMCG/CPG experience, and proven P&L ownership, pricing,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, finance, or related field.
• MBA is an advantage.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in commercial, sales, distributor management, customer management, trade marketing, or related functions.
• Strong FMCG/CPG industry experience.
• Proven experience managing distributors and indirect sales across multiple markets.
• Experience with P&L ownership, pricing strategy, trade spend management, and margin optimization.
• Experience developing regional commercial or business growth strategies.
• Strong business, financial, and analytical acumen.
• Excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to thrive in complex, fast-paced, and changing business environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver annual sales, revenue, and gross profit targets across assigned markets.
• Drive market share growth through effective pricing, product mix, trade spend, and cost optimization strategies.
• Identify new business opportunities across markets, channels, customers, and product categories.
• Develop and execute long-term commercial and growth strategies for the region.
• Lead strategic relationships with distributors and oversee negotiations, business planning, pricing, margins, and performance.
• Optimize route-to-market and distributor coverage to improve market reach and execution.
• Build and maintain relationships with key local, regional, and global customers.
• Lead customer planning and guide commercial execution across product assortment, pricing, merchandising, and promotions.
• Maintain P&L accountability and monitor financial performance, margins, and commercial investments.
• Lead and develop a high-performing team while fostering accountability, collaboration, and a strong results-driven culture.

Skills

Leadership

Negotiation

Communication

Stakeholder management

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or related field

MBA (advantage)

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Microsoft Word

Job description

The Associate Director – Asia will drive revenue and profit growth across assigned markets, with direct responsibility for the Malaysia and Singapore businesses and oversight of other Asian markets through a team of Business Development Managers. This role will lead distributor and key customer relationships, develop regional growth strategies, optimize commercial performance, and ensure strong execution across markets.

Key responsibilities

Own and deliver annual sales, revenue, and gross profit targets across assigned markets.

Drive market share growth through effective pricing, product mix, trade spend, and cost optimization strategies.

Identify new business opportunities across markets, channels, customers, and product categories.

Develop and execute long-term commercial and growth strategies for the region.

Lead strategic relationships with distributors and oversee negotiations, business planning, pricing, margins, and performance.

Optimize route-to-market and distributor coverage to improve market reach and execution.

Build and maintain relationships with key local, regional, and global customers.

Lead customer planning and guide commercial execution across product assortment, pricing, merchandising, and promotions.

Maintain P&L accountability and monitor financial performance, margins, and commercial investments.

Lead and develop a high-performing team while fostering accountability, collaboration, and a strong results-driven culture.

About you

Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Finance, or a related field; an MBA is an advantage.

At least 10 years of progressive experience in commercial, sales, distributor management, customer management, trade marketing, or related functions.

Strong experience within the FMCG or CPG industry.

Proven experience managing distributors and indirect sales organizations across multiple markets or countries.

Demonstrated experience with P&L ownership, pricing strategy, trade spend management, and margin optimization.

Experience developing and executing regional commercial or business growth strategies.

Strong business, financial, and analytical acumen.

Excellent leadership, negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

Ability to thrive in complex, fast-paced, and changing business environments.

Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and Word.

About us

We are an established international organization focused on driving sustainable growth through strong commercial strategies, strategic partnerships, and customer-focused execution across multiple markets.