Country Head & Commercial Lead - Vietnam (Retail)

About Kerry

Kerry is the world's leading taste and nutrition company for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. Every day we partner with customers to create healthier, tastier and more sustainable products that are consumed by billions of people across the world. Our vision is to be our customers' most valued partner, creating a world of sustainable nutrition. A career with Kerry offers you an opportunity to shape the future of food while providing you opportunities to explore and grow in a truly global environment.

About the Role

The Country Head & Commercial Lead for our Food and Beverage (Retail) business is a highly driven and strategic individual who will have full ownership of Taste & Nutrition business in Vietnam. This role carries end- to-end P&L responsibility and accountability for delivering sustainable, profitable growth in one of Southeast Asia’s most dynamic and fast-evolving food markets.

As the enterprise leader for Vietnam, you will define and execute the country strategy, accelerate growth across key categories (Beverage, Dairy, Savoury, Snacks), and build strong partnerships with both multinational and leading local food players. You will also play a critical role in shaping our regional agenda by representing the Vietnam market within the broader SEA leadership team.

This role requires a high-impact commercial leader with deep expertise in ingredients/flavours, a strong track record in scaling businesses, and proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams in complex, fast-growth environments.

• Job Title: Country Head & Commercial Lead, Vietnam
• Position Type: FT Permanent Location: Vietnam
• Reporting to: GM & Retail Commercial Lead - MY&SG, TH, VN

Key Responsibilities

1. Business Leadership & P&L Ownership

• Own and lead the Vietnam business with full P&L accountability, balancing revenue growth, margin expansion, and long-term value creation
• Define and execute the country strategy, aligned with global and regional priorities
• Identify and unlock new growth opportunities across categories, customers, and applications

2. Commercial Strategy & Execution

• Develop and deliver a robust commercial strategy to drive above-market growth and market share gains
• Define and evolve the route-to-market model, including direct engagement and distributor partnerships where relevant
• Lead pricing, portfolio, and margin management to ensure sustainable profitability
• Drive disciplined pipeline and project management, ensuring strong conversion and resource prioritization

3. Market Development & Customer Leadership

• Build deep partnerships with key multinational and local Vietnamese food manufacturers, positioning Kerry as the “Most Valued Partner”
• Navigate Vietnam’s relationship-driven and fast-moving market, balancing engagement between global accounts and emerging local champions
• Expand Kerry’s footprint across strategic categories, leveraging insights, innovation, and technical capabilities Classified as General Business

4. Cross-Functional & Matrix Leadership

• Collaborate closely with R&D, Supply Chain, Finance, and Regional teams to deliver integrated customer solution.
• Act as the voice of Vietnam within the regional organization, influencing strategy, priorities, and resource allocation
• Ensure strong execution of S&OP, service delivery, and customer commitments
  
  

5. Team Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, lead, and inspire a high-performing commercial team
• Develop next-generation leaders, strengthening succession pipeline and long-term capability
• Foster a performance-driven, agile, and collaborative culture with strong accountability and engagement
  
  

6. Innovation, Sustainability & Growth Agenda

• Drive innovation-led growth, leveraging Kerry’s Taste & Nutrition capabilities
• Lead the execution of Kerry’s Sustainability 2030 agenda, embedding sustainable nutrition initiatives with key customers
• Identify and scale entrepreneurial growth opportunities while ensuring disciplined execution
  
  

7. Governance, Risk & Compliance

• Ensure full compliance with Vietnam regulatory, food safety, and commercial standards
• Maintain strong governance across commercial practices, contracts, and customer engagements

Professional Qualifications & Experience:

• 15+ years of experience in the food ingredients and/or flavours industry, with primary degree in Business, Marketing, Food Technology or similar fields
• Proven leadership experience as a Country Head, GM, or Senior Commercial Leader
• Strong track record of building and scaling businesses in Vietnam or comparable emerging markets
• Deep experience in B2B environment, including key account management and project-based selling
• Demonstrated success in multi-channel and complex route-to-market environments
• Strong techno-commercial understanding of ingredients, flavours, and food applications
• Deep knowledge of Vietnam food industry dynamics, customers, and regulations
• Proven ability to translate market insights into winning commercial strategies
• Highly driven with a strong ownership and growth mindset
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute with discipline and speed
• Strong influencing and stakeholder management skills in a matrix organization
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
• Passion for developing people and building high-performing teams

Leadership Competencies

• Customer Focus: Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions
• Strategic Mindset: Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies
• Ensures Accountability: Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Drives Results: Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances
• Collaborates Effectively: Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
• Attracts and Develops Top Talent: Attracting and selecting diverse and high-quality talent to meet business needs.
• Developing internal talent and aligning career development goals with organisational objectives. Classified as General Business
• Build and Develops High-Performing Teams: Building a strong-identity team that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals
• Drives Vision and Purpose: Painting a compelling picture of the vision and strategy that motivates others to action.
• Instils Trust and Credibility: Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity and authenticity.
• Demonstrates Self-Awareness: Using a combination of feedback and reflection to gain productive insight into personal strengths and weaknesses.
• Entrepreneurial and Growth-Oriented Mindset: Self-starter, proactive in taking actions, agile in learning

Success Measures

• Consistent above-market revenue growth
• Margin expansion and improved profitability
• Market share gains in key categories
• Strength and conversion of the commercial pipeline
• Expansion of strategic customer partnerships
• Development of a high-performing, engaged team