Head of Commercial in Düsseldorf

Chief Commercial Officer- European Wholesale – Sportswear, Athletic Footwear & Lifestyle Brands.

Location: London, United Kingdom – Office-Based Role

Salary: Up to £200,000 + 40% Bonus DOE

An exceptional opportunity for a commercially ambitious, entrepreneurial and hands-on senior executive to lead the European commercial operations of a well-established international business with a portfolio of globally recognised brands.

We are looking for someone who has built and grown European wholesale businesses within sportswear, athletic footwear, apparel or lifestyle brands, with strong relationships at senior buyer and decision-maker level across Europe's leading retailers.

Strong SMU (Special Make-Up) experience is essential, together with the commercial acumen to structure, negotiate and close profitable deals.

This is not a role for someone who simply manages an established sales operation. We need a commercially hungry individual who can identify opportunities, open doors, personally negotiate major deals and drive profitable growth.

IMPORTANT – LOCATION

This is a UK-based appointment. The successful candidate will be required to work from our client's London office. We welcome applications from suitably qualified candidates across Europe who are prepared to relocate to London.

The Role

Reporting directly to the CEO, you will take full responsibility for the European commercial strategy and performance, covering wholesale, key accounts, distributors, agents and new business development.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Develop and execute the European commercial strategy, identifying opportunities across markets, channels and product categories.
• Drive profitable revenue growth, with clear accountability for gross margins, operating profit, customer profitability and cash generation.
• Develop and negotiate SMU programmes with major European retailers, identifying commercially attractive opportunities and securing profitable agreements.
• Personally manage and develop strategic relationships with leading European sporting goods, footwear and lifestyle retailers.
• Structure, negotiate and close major commercial agreements, including new distribution partnerships.
• Identify and develop new wholesale accounts and expand existing retail partnerships across Europe.
• Lead and develop distributor and agent networks in markets where the business does not operate directly.
• Establish pricing, margin and commercial frameworks that support sustainable growth.
• Build, lead and develop a high-performing European commercial team.
• Work closely with the CEO and wider leadership team on annual budgets, long-term growth plans and commercial priorities.

Experience Required

• Minimum 15 years' senior commercial leadership experience within sportswear, athletic footwear, apparel or lifestyle brands.
• Proven track record of leading and growing European wholesale businesses.
• Strong, hands-on SMU experience, including developing programmes, negotiating commercial terms and securing business with major retailers.
• Established personal relationships with senior decision-makers at leading European sporting goods and footwear retailers.
• Experience dealing with major European retail groups such as Deichmann, Decathlon, Intersport, Sports Direct/Frasers, Foot Locker, Snipes, Courir, Schuh, Office, Sport 2000 and Sportisimo, or comparable accounts.
• Proven ability to personally structure, negotiate and close substantial commercial deals.
• Strong commercial and financial understanding of pricing, gross margins, customer profitability and cash generation.
• Experience developing and managing European distributor and agent networks.
• Demonstrable success in delivering profitable growth, not simply increasing turnover.
• Experience leading commercial teams across multiple European markets.
• Ideally, experience within a mid-sized, entrepreneurial and fast-moving business where commercial leaders remain directly involved in customers and negotiations.

The Individual

We are particularly interested in someone who is:

• Commercially hungry – ambitious, driven and motivated to build a bigger business.
• Hands-on – comfortable personally engaging with customers, negotiating deals and closing business.
• Entrepreneurial – capable of identifying opportunities and making things happen without relying on extensive corporate infrastructure.
• Proactive – someone who opens doors rather than waits for opportunities.
• Well-connected – already has the senior European retail relationships needed to make an immediate impact.
• Commercially disciplined – understands that profitable growth, margins and cash generation matter as much as revenue.
• A strong leader – able to develop a capable team while remaining personally accountable for commercial results.

The right candidate will bring an established European retail network, proven SMU expertise, strong deal-making ability and the energy and ambition to take the business to its next stage of growth.

Location: London, United Kingdom – Office-Based

Remuneration: Up to £200,000 basic salary + 40% bonus

Reporting to: CEO

Start: ASAP

This is an opportunity for a commercially successful European wholesale leader who wants to make a significant impact within an entrepreneurial international business.

If you have the relevant background, relationships and track record, I would be pleased to hear from you.

#ChiefCommercialOfficer #CommercialDirector #EuropeanCommercialDirector #ManagingDirector #InternationalSalesDirector #EuropeanWholesaleDirector #WholesaleDirector #HeadOfWholesale #Sportswear #AthleticFootwear #SportingGoods #PerformanceFootwear #LifestyleBrands #SportswearIndustry #FootwearIndustry #EuropeanWholesale #WholesaleSales #WholesaleDistribution #InternationalSales #EuropeanSales #CommercialLeadership #CommercialStrategy #BusinessDevelopment #KeyAccountManagement #StrategicAccounts #RetailPartnerships #DistributorManagement #SMU #SpecialMakeUp #CommercialNegotiation #ProfitableGrowth #LondonJobs #ExecutiveRecruitment

#J-18808-Ljbffr