Chief Merchandising Officer

As Chief Merchandising Officer of a US$100M apparel and textile manufacturing group, the primary mandate is responsible for driving sustainable year-on-year to drive topline growth of 15%, while maintaining or improving margins. The position will strengthen strategic, strengthening customer relationships, expand market share, develop new business opportunities, and build a high-performing Sales, Merchandising, Business Development and Design organization.

Commercial Strategy and Revenue Growth

• Develop and execute a 3 to 5-year commercial growth strategy to deliver 15% annual year-on-year revenue growth from the current US$100 million base.
• Identify new markets, product categories, customer segments and business opportunities that support sustainable growth and margin improvement.
• Build and manage a robust sales pipeline with clear conversion strategies.
• Establish annual sales targets, budgets, revenue forecasts and commercial priorities.
• Drive initiatives to improve customer retention, wallet share and profitability.
• Lead contract negotiations and strategic customer partnerships.

Leadership of Sales and Merchandising Function

• Lead, mentor and develop the Sales and Merchandising organization across all operating locations.
• Set clear KPIs and performance standards for customer acquisition, sales growth, order conversion, on-time delivery and profitability.
• Strengthen customer relationship management and key account growth strategies.
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, customer satisfaction and business results.
• Develop succession plans and talent pipelines within the commercial organization.
• Oversee capacity planning to ensure factories are evenly loaded and minimize production peaks and valleys.

Business Development Leadership

• Lead the Business Development team in identifying and securing new customers and strategic opportunities.
• Expand the Group’s presence with global brands, retailers, sourcing offices and emerging customers.
• Monitor industry trends, market shifts and competitor activities to identify growth opportunities.
• Represent the Group at customer meetings, trade fairs, industry forums and international business events.
• Develop strategic partnerships that enhance market competitiveness and commercial capability.

Design and Product Development Leadership

• Guide the Design and Product Development teams in developing commercially relevant products and collections, supported by AI and digitalization tools where appropriate.
• Ensure product innovation is aligned with customer requirements, market trends and manufacturing capabilities.
• Collaborate with customers to convert concepts into commercially viable products.
• Promote speed-to-market initiatives and solution-based selling approaches.
• Drive innovation in materials, sustainability and manufacturing processes.

Customer Relationship Management

• Maintain executive-level relationships with key customers and strategic accounts.
• Act as the primary commercial representative for major customer negotiations and business reviews.
• Lead customer engagement strategies to improve satisfaction, retention and long-term partnership outcomes.
• Resolve critical customer issues in a timely and commercially balanced manner.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Operations, Manufacturing, Technical, Supply Chain and Finance teams to align commercial commitments with operational capabilities.
• Ensure profitable order acceptance and optimal capacity utilization.
• Support cost management initiatives and margin improvement programmes.
• Participate in strategic planning, budgeting and business transformation initiatives.

Quality and Compliance

• Work with relevant teams to ensure customer requirements, quality standards and compliance expectations are clearly understood and properly executed.
• Support commercial decisions that are aligned with quality, compliance, ethical sourcing and customer audit requirements.

Industry and Market Intelligence

• Monitor global apparel and textile market trends, sourcing dynamics and emerging opportunities.
• Identify strategic investments or acquisitions that support business growth objectives.
• Provide market intelligence and commercial insights to the Executive Leadership Team and Board.