Head of Trade Marketing Full Time NEW

About Danone Group:

Mission: ‘Bringing Health through Food to as Many people as Possible’

Danone is a global leader in food and beverages, focusing on Essential Dairy and Plant-based products, Waters, and Specialized Nutrition. Our mission is to bring health through food to as many people as possible by creating nutritious products, raising awareness about healthy eating and drinking habits, and conducting our business sustainably.

Danone’s dual focus on commercial performance and societal responsibility, combined with an ongoing commitment to innovation and the strengthening of its health-oriented brands, has resulted in strong performance worldwide.

More information can be found at www.danone.com.

About Danone India:

India is among the countries in the APAC zone wherein Danone has its presence. Danone operates in India as Nutricia International Pvt. Ltd, focusing on nutrition with a range of products catering to pregnant mothers, infants, young children as well as adults. These products are manufactured in India and sold nationally under recognized brands such as Aptamil, Dexolac, Nusobee, and Protinex. The company’s head office is in Mumbai, Maharashtra, with a manufacturing facility situated in Lalru, Punjab.

More information can be found at https://www.danone.in/

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Role and Responsibilities:

The Head – Trade Marketing will define and steer the trade, customer, & shopper marketing strategy to support with the delivery of the Annual Operating Plan, driving top-line growth, distribution, and in-store excellence. The role leads category and shopper activations, channel programs, optimizes trade investments, and strengthens retailer and partner ecosystems to maximize brand visibility and ROI. It also anchors cross-functional collaboration and shopper insights to shape execution plans (national & market wise), while building and mentoring high-performing regional teams for consistent, high-impact delivery.

• Deliver the Annual Operating Plan (AOP): Achievement of top-line growth, distribution goals, and budget targets across channels incl MT, Ecom etc.
• Develop Trade Marketing Strategy: Create and implement annual customer marketing plans aligned with overall business objectives.
• Drive Channel Programs & Activations
• Develop channels beyond Chemists like Supermarkets etc.
• Lead Category Activations: Design and execute monthly trade and shopper activations across regions, ensuring consistency and impact.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with Sales, Finance, IT, and Supply Chain teams to align execution with business goals.
• Optimize Trade Investments: Manage BTL expenditure and ensure ROI from promotions and activations
• Drive Shopper Insights: Leverage consumer and shopper behavior data to design effective campaigns and promotions.
• Partnership Development: Source and manage partnerships with retailers, distributors, and agencies to enhance execution.
• Brand Visibility & Execution: Champion in-store visibility, merchandising, and promotional campaigns to strengthen brand presence.
• Run the company-wide merchandizing program & loyalty program
• Help organization prepare Annual Operating Plans & Strategic Plans when necessary
• Performance Tracking: Monitor KPIs, campaign effectiveness, and category performance to refine strategies. Deep work with data & dashboards
• Work with Commercial Excellence Team to build right IT & Data Tools for Trade Spends Management & Claims Management Automation
• Ensure Compliance & Governance standards are upheld.
• Team Leadership: Lead and mentor regional customer marketing teams to ensure flawless execution and capability building.

Qualifications and Skills required:

• MBA (Full-time) / PGDM / Equivalent
• 9+ years of experience
• Should have handled Sales Directly for at least 2 years
• Commercial & Shopper Marketing Acumen: Deep understanding of shopper behavior, channel dynamics, in-store execution levers, and category activation to drive incremental sales and distribution.
• Strategic & Analytical Capability: Ability to translate business goals into customer marketing strategies, manage trade budgets effectively, and use data-driven insights to optimize ROI and execution quality.
• Leadership & Cross-Functional Influence: Proven capability to lead teams, collaborate with internal and external stakeholders for high-impact market execution.