SEGMENT HEAD - PERSONAL CARE & WELLBEING INNOVATIONS

Key Accountabilities

Product Innovation & NPD Strategy

• Set and own the personal care portfolio innovation strategy and new product development (NPD) roadmap, ensuring alignment with brand vision and business growth priorities.
• Lead the innovations team in translating consumer insights, trends, and unmet needs into prioritized innovation opportunities.
• Oversee and validate the strength, balance, and strategic fit of the personal care portfolio innovation pipeline.
• Ensure alignment of innovation priorities across Marketing, R&D, and Commercial stakeholders through clear strategic direction and governance.

End-to-End New Product Development Governance

• Provide overall accountability for end-to-end NPD delivery, while overseeing execution to NPD Leads and cross-functional teams.
• Review, challenge, and approve product concepts, positioning, claims, and value propositions developed by innovation members.
• Authorize business opportunity proposals, ensuring assumptions on market size, volume, pricing, costs, and margins meet commercial expectations.
• Ensure launch readiness by holding teams accountable to brand, regulatory, quality, and commercial standards.

Project Management & Execution Oversight

• Establish and enforce NPD governance, stage-gate discipline, and project management standards.
• Monitor progress of NPD projects led by NPD Leads, ensuring timelines, milestones, and budgets are met.
• Escalate and resolve risks by guiding trade-off decisions on scope, timing, cost, and formulation feasibility.
• Facilitate cross-functional NPD forums to drive timely decisions and accountability.

Brand & Commercial Stewardship

• Ensure that all output delivered by innovation professionals are consistent with personal care brand strategy and portfolio priorities.
• Guide collaboration between innovation team members, Sales, and Trade Marketing on launch strategies and commercialization plans.
• Review post-launch performance, and direct corrective actions to optimize innovation success and portfolio performance.

Stakeholder & Cross-Functional Leadership

• Serve as the senior marketing authority for portfolio innovation in engagements with R&D, Supply Chain, Regulatory, Finance, and external partners.
• Influence senior leadership decisions on innovation investments, prioritization, and resource allocation.
• Ensure effective collaboration between innovations teams and technical teams.

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Lead, coach, and develop innovation professionals.
• Set clear expectations, decision rights, and performance standards for innovation team members.
• Build innovation capability in consumer-centric thinking, commercial judgment, and project leadership.
• Drive succession planning, talent development, and performance management for the beauty innovation team.

QUALIFICATIONS

• Graduate of a bachelor’s degree, preferably in Marketing, Business Management.
• A progressive career track record in innovation and new product development gained from FMCG or Consumer Health companies. Candidates with experience in the personal care segment will have an advantage.
• Demonstrates advanced project management skills. Able to manage multiple initiatives at different stages of development.
• Competent in communication and creative frameworks for marketing communications. Able to collaborate with multiple stakeholders
• Adept to business analytics and data driven decision making.
• Technology savvy. Attuned to industry trends and able to leverage technology to advance team capabilities and product agility.
• Experienced in people management. Able to coach, inspire and lead a high performing team.