ekaterra – South East Asia (SEA) Marketing Lead

Who we are…and what we do

With an annual turnover of around €2bn, ekaterra is the world’s largest tea business, with world-class, purpose-driven brands such as Lipton, Pukka, Tazo, T2 and PG Tips. ‘eka’ is a word taken from the Sanskrit language which means unity and one purpose, while ‘terra’ represents the earth and nature. As ekaterra we are truly united in one purpose: growing a world of wellbeing through the regenerative power of plants.

In July 2022, CVC Capital Partners Fund VIII took over the full ownership of the ekaterra business from its previous owner, Unilever. As a standalone entity with a dedicated single-category focus, ekaterra is even better positioned to lead the tea industry, delivering higher growth and value, and a greater impact on the wider world. With 11 production factories in four continents and tea growing estates in three countries, ekaterra is a profitable and growing business whose brands reach hundreds of millions of consumers. It has a presence in over 100 countries.

Under the ownership of CVC, ekaterra has an exciting future ahead with opportunities for increased investments in our iconic brands, our people, and our capabilities.  Combining the strength and scale of our brands with a focus on speed and agility, ekaterra is brewing a corporate start-up mindset that’s opening-up new opportunities for its people to flourish every day.

At ekaterra, we put consumer love at the heart of every decision. We celebrate diverse thinkers who take personal ownership to connect ideas and make impactful things happen; people who share our values around humanity and courage and give their commitment to nurturing the wellbeing of all. In return, we offer a working culture that gives our people freedom and flexibility, and where they can grow both personally and professionally to master their field.

Be part of our amazing blend. Come and grow yourself and, in turn, help us to grow a world of wellbeing.

Your Role

As a marketing lead for Malaysia and other distributor markets South East Asia (SEA) you will be responsible to lead the brand and trade marketing team to drive innovations, communications, execution and own the brand at the region.

You will be Interfacing with Market Unit (MU) & SEA Leadership Team plus cross functional business teams to drive sustainable business growth. The incumbent will be working closely with the market research team to mine local consumer insights and input into both global and local marketing programs.

Your Key Tasks

• Competitive sustainable growth

  • Drive sustainable growth in South East Asia while increasing market share, awareness and other marketing KPIs across Lipton and other brands.

• Drive core black tea

  • Malaysia being an important black tea market, with high penetration and consumption of black tea. it is essential to drive growth through, increasing Lipton market share and driving black tea market value growth. This includes ensuring product superiority and presence of the right SKU mix.

• Category development

  • ekaterra being a market leader in the tea category. This role is responsible for increasing household penetration and consumption occasions to grow the entire tea category, beyond black tea in home consumption, managing different strategies according to the reality and potential for each country in Australasia.

• Profit & Loss Management

  • Bring business acumen to balance marketing investments to drive topline growth with profit delivery. Influence the agenda to maximize return of investment. Work together with Customer Development (Sales) team in defining the promotional plans, in order to assure the correct Trade Term Spending and competitiveness.

• Multi-Channel marketing

  • Creating and driving marketing programs/campaigns across Out of Home (Hotel, Restaurant Café), Retail and e-commerce channel with both Above the Line & Below the Line strategies.

• Innovation driver

  • The Marketing Lead is responsible for local innovations including renovations which will ensure product and brand leadership. The role will also be responsible for disruptive innovations helping ekaterra be the first mover in new products which help expand the tea consumer base.

• Leverage Expert team

  • The Marketing Lead needs to work with global and local experts in market research, media, and digital to build and execute the annual marketing calendar.

• Marketing Operations

  • Partner with customer marketing and key account teams. Input into customer stories and customer development plans. Work with distributor markets to drive sales.

• Multi-cultural, Multi country marketing

  • The Marketing Lead needs to work across multiple countries and factor local cultural differences to create communication and product mixes tailored to the country.

Stakeholder Management and key interfaces

Internal:

• Reporting to SEA General Manger

• Dotted line reporting to Chief Marketing Officer

• Global Brand custodians

• Local Cross functional teams : supply chain, finance, Research & Development & Human Resource

• Global Cross functional leadership team

• Regional marketing expert team (Market research, Digital, etc.)

External

• Customers across multiple channels

• Creative and Media agencies

Skills and Experience

Must Have

• Marketing experience in FMCG industry 

• Leadership and management experience

• Proven track record of delivering top line and marketing KPIs

• Experience in partnering cross functional leadership team

• Experience in managing creative & media agencies

• Experience in managing digital channels and programs

• Degree in relevant fields (e.g. Marketing, Business Management & etc.)

Nice to Have

• Experience in managing tea/beverages category

• Experience in Business to Business (B2B) channel such as Food Services

• Experience of working in Malaysia & other markets in Southeast Asia

Who we are looking for

ekaterra is made up of a special blend of individuals which make our teams exciting and diverse. To be part of our tea family we are looking for individuals believe in and live the values of CHOICE (Connectivity, Humanity, Ownership, Integrity, Courage & Expertise); individuals who think Green and are environmentally conscious, who understand the power of simplicity and who are accountable for their actions. We want those who infuse mastery and passion in everything they do to create great products and unforgettable experiences for our consumers.

What we can offer you

We believe that growth is for everyone, we believe in growing leaders and making space to grow an owner’s mentality and like nature we adapt, we change and we grow. We believe in connections over hierarchies and (work)levels. We have a 'corporate start-up' approach; we act with speed and agility and we have the strength and scale of a large corporation. We are building a better world of wellbeing and a better you.

Excited about the Role?

Please apply online by clicking on “Apply” below. Your application will be reviewed against our requirements. Should you not meet our immediate requirements, your profile will be registered in our talent pool system and we will match your profile to suitable future vacancies.

You will be able to access your status update through the candidate tracking link.Thank you for your interest and application.

ekaterra is an organisation committed to equity, inclusion and diversity to drive our business results and create a better future, every day, for our employees, global consumers, partners, and communities. We believe a diverse workforce allows us to match our growth ambitions and drive inclusion across the business. We are interested in every individual bringing their whole self to work and this includes you! Therefore if you require any support or access requirements, we encourage you to advise us at the time of your application so that we can support you through your recruitment journey.

Unilever est une entreprise engagée en faveur de l’équité, de l’inclusion et de la diversité.  Chaque jour, nous construisons un avenir meilleur pour nos employés, nos consommateurs du monde entier et nos communautés.
Nous sommes persuadés qu’avoir des équipes variées nous permet de répondre à nos ambitions de croissance et d’encourager l’inclusion au sein de l’entreprise. Chez Unilever, nous voulons que chacun apporte son individualité, vous en faites partie ! Si vous avez besoin d’un accompagnement spécifique, faites le remonter afin que nous puissions vous accompagner tout au long de votre processus de recrutement.