Kincannon & Reed has been retained to recruit an experienced Vice MD & Marketing Director, EMEA to lead the global Management & Marketing function for an international leader in the Agri-food sector, specialized in plant research, nurseries, and fresh products. We seek a dynamic and experienced management & marketing executive from the Agri-food sector (Produce, Horticulture, Seeds, Agrochemicals…) with a proven track record of success leading business & marketing strategy development and driving growth across diverse geographies.
The Company
The Company is a global operator in the agri-food sector, specializing in plant research, nursery, and fresh produce. Headquartered in Spain, they are one of the leading plant variety and nursery operators within the berry category worldwide..
The Group provides seeds, plants, and R&D services to farmers for fruits such as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries as well as garlic, endives, and asparagus, and offers fresh produce to retailers across the world. With 3,500 employees worldwide, they supply customers globally from its 20 production facilities across 12 countries in Europe, the Americas, and Asia.
Since 2008, they have worked to increase investment in R&D to develop new and/or improved product offerings to drive growth. In parallel, a series of operational initiatives have been undertaken to position the business for future growth. Several acquisition opportunities have also been explored globally.
The Company has destined a major part of its R&D resources to develop new varieties using selection breeding. It has four research centers all around the world (Spain, France, US, Mexico), and development centers in different climatic areas to observe and test new varieties.
This position is newly created as part of the Company’s growth and internationalization strategy.
The Position
The Vice MD & Marketing Director will support the Managing Director, EMEA in developing and implementing the management & marketing strategy to position the company for long-term success in the global markets it serves. He or she will build and maintain strong customer relationships and grow the Company brand across the region. The regional organization for EMEA, includes Spain, France, Italy, Romania, Poland, and Morocco, with a turnover of €110 million, consisting of 7 farms and 350 fixed employees.
Together with the MD, the role will be responsible for the profit and loss account, income/sales, investments, contribution margin, and cash flow for the region. It will be mainly oriented towards increasing the company’s efficiency, and therefore the role should attain maximum integration of the company’s entire value chain. This integration should range across coordination for the agricultural/operations/production activity, with the commercial/sales/clients’ scope, increasing the integration with the functional support areas (financial and human resources) in the region and for the company overall (quality, R&D).
They are looking for an experienced commercial leader with a global vision, and strongly involved in the company and in its day-to-day operations.
The candidate must have a high leadership capacity to bring the team together and generate enthusiasm and demonstrate commercial and market vision for increasing the company’s client-based orientation, yet also ensuring the company’s profitability.
Likewise, it is essential that the selected person knows how to listen to the company’s current management team, gain their trust and identify himself/herself with the company’s challenges.
Specific responsibilities include Strategic & Operational Functions & responsibilities:
Candidate Profile
The Vice MD & Marketing Director, EMEA will have gained experience in plant breeding, nursery, fresh produce, agri-food companies, or related sectors. He or she will lead the Business & Commercial marketing activities and team and have frequent interactions with local institutions, suppliers, customers, visitors, and guests of the Company.
Experience:
Personal Characteristics and Personal Skills:
Location & Travel:
This job will be located at the headquarters in Spain, with trips to subsidiaries, vendors and/or clients in Spain and abroad whenever necessary. It is expected that travels will be 50% of the time.
Hierarchy:
The candidate will report to the MD and the CEO. The EMEA management committee comprises the regional operations management, product manager(s), and the director of fruit sales and business development in Northern Europe.
Other Criteria: