We are seeking an accomplished and commercially driven Group Chief Executive Officer to lead a large-scale retail group with an established presence across multiple countries. This is a pivotal leadership role with full accountability for the Group’s strategic direction, financial performance, operational excellence, and long-term growth.
The successful candidate will drive the next phase of business expansion, strengthen the Group’s competitive positioning, and build a high-performance organisation across diverse markets. The role requires a strategic thinker who is equally comfortable driving business transformation, making critical commercial decisions, and working closely with local leadership teams to deliver measurable results.
Key Responsibilities
1. Group Strategy & Business Growth
- Develop and execute the Group’s overall business strategy, aligned with long-term growth ambitions and shareholder expectations.
- Identify new market opportunities, expansion strategies, and potential business partnerships across the region.
- Drive organic growth, market penetration, and new revenue streams to strengthen the Group’s competitive position.
- Evaluate market trends, consumer behaviour, competitor activities, and emerging retail models to inform strategic decisions.
- Lead business transformation and strategic initiatives to support sustainable growth and scalability.
2. Financial & Commercial Performance
- Assume full P&L responsibility across the Group’s regional operations, driving revenue growth, profitability, and cash flow generation.
- Establish clear financial targets, business KPIs, and performance management frameworks across all markets.
- Optimise gross margins, operating costs, pricing strategies, and overall business productivity.
- Strengthen financial discipline and resource allocation to maximise returns on investment.
- Work closely with the Board and shareholders on financial performance, capital allocation, and long-term value creation.
3. Regional Operations & Retail Excellence
- Oversee end-to-end retail operations across multiple countries, ensuring consistency in execution while adapting to local market requirements.
- Drive operational excellence across store networks, supply chain, merchandising, inventory management, and customer service.
- Review store productivity, sales performance, stock turnover, and operational efficiency to improve overall performance.
- Establish scalable operating standards, governance frameworks, and best practices across the Group.
- Ensure effective coordination between country leadership teams and corporate functions.
- Lead the Group’s regional expansion strategy, including new store openings, market entry, and potential mergers, acquisitions, or strategic partnerships.
- Assess investment opportunities and develop business cases to support expansion decisions.
- Strengthen relationships with key landlords, suppliers, business partners, and other strategic stakeholders.
- Ensure expansion plans are commercially viable and aligned with the Group’s financial and operational capabilities.
5. Leadership & Organisation Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop a strong regional leadership team comprising country heads and functional leaders.
- Establish a performance-driven culture with clear accountability, ownership, and measurable outcomes.
- Build leadership succession plans and strengthen organisational capabilities to support future growth.
- Drive collaboration and alignment across markets while empowering local teams to respond effectively to market conditions.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and customer-centricity.
6. Customer, Brand & Digital Transformation
- Strengthen the Group’s brand positioning, customer experience, and overall retail proposition across markets.
- Drive initiatives to improve customer acquisition, retention, loyalty, and
lifetime value.
- Champion digitalisation, data-driven decision-making, and technology adoption across retail operations.
- Explore opportunities in omnichannel retail, e-commerce, automation, and other emerging business models.
- Ensure the Group remains competitive and relevant in an evolving retail landscape.
7. Corporate Governance & Stakeholder Management
- Work closely with the Board of Directors and shareholders to establish strategic priorities and business objectives.
- Provide regular updates on Group performance, strategic initiatives, key risks, and growth opportunities.
- Ensure compliance with applicable laws, regulatory requirements, and corporate governance standards across all operating markets.
- Oversee enterprise risk management and ensure appropriate internal controls are in place.
- Represent the Group in key industry forums and maintain strong relationships with strategic stakeholders.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Finance, or a related discipline. An MBA or relevant postgraduate qualification would be an advantage.
- Extensive senior leadership experience in the retail industry, with a proven track record in managing large-scale retail operations and multi-country businesses.
- Demonstrated success in leading business growth, regional expansion, and commercial transformation.
- Strong financial acumen, with experience managing full P&L responsibility, driving profitability, and improving business performance.
- Experience overseeing multiple markets, large operational teams, and geographically dispersed business units.
- Strong understanding of retail operations, merchandising, supply chain, inventory management, and customer experience.
- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing leadership teams across different markets and cultures.
- Experience in digital transformation, omnichannel retail, or large-scale operational improvement would be advantageous.
- Excellent strategic thinking, commercial judgement, negotiation, and stakeholder management capabilities.
- Willingness to travel regionally as required.