Global Director Category & Brands, Milk Based Beverages - Aarhus

Are you the inspiring Marketing leader with entrepreneurial drive who will unlock the next wave of growth for Arla Foods’ fastest growing category, Milk Based Beverages?

With an average annual growth rate of 15% over the past decade, Milk Based Beverages (MBB) is the fastest growing category in Arla Foods and our ambition is to continue this growth momentum and develop our branded MBB business from a Net Revenue of EUR 500m in 2025 to EUR 1bn by 2030.

For this to materialize, we need to continue the strong growth of our licensing partnerships with Starbucks© and Mondelez as well as of our own brands Arla Protein, Cocio etc. and potentially open additional opportunity areas. To enable agility, secure beverage expertise and a strong global steer, MBB is organized as a Global Business Unit driving a beverage business within our dairy organization.

How you will make an impact

As the Director Category and Brands you will report to the Senior Global Vice President MBB and be responsible for leading the Global MBB Category Strategy as well as all globally led MBB brands (Starbucks©, Milka, Cocio, Pucko etc.). It’s a leadership responsibility of 13 strong talents within Category Management, Brand Management, Innovation and Portfolio Management.

You will be responsible for the global brand development in collaboration with our licensing partners, develop all Marketing Mix Activities (innovation, communication, activation, packaging design etc.), and drive the global marketing agenda which is translated into local activity plans across more than 60 markets.

You will play a key role in building and managing the relationship with our licensing partners Starbucks© and Mondelez. Within Arla, key stakeholders are the local Marketing VPs across our European markets, the Middle East and our Rest of World organization.

Further, you will:

• Develop and drive Global Category Strategy
• Drive Global Brand Strategy, Brand Communication and Activation, Media Strategy and Packaging Design for globally led MBB brands in close collaboration with licensing partners
• Drive innovation and renovation for globally led MBB brands in close collaboration with licensing partners and manage innovation pipeline for entire MBB Category

• Lead the Global MBB Category and Brand Team consisting of 1 Senior Category Manager, 3 Senior Brand Managers and 6 Brand Managers, 2 Senior Innovation Managers and 1 Portfolio and Innovation Manager  
• Manage relationship to Licensing Team and Global Brand Teams in Starbucks© and Mondelez
• Be an active member of the Global MBB Leadership Team and participate in overall MBB business strategy development & specific strategic business development projects

What will make you successful

You enjoy working in a high pace environment and you are energized by pursuing innovative ideas and exploring new opportunities. You enjoy being together with your team, building relationships comes natural to you and you like to collaborate with others. You have a natural ability to generate enthusiasm and rally people around initiatives.

Specifically, you have:

• Minimum 10 years of experience from Marketing and Innovation roles in Global FMCG company
• Experience in leading high performing teams
• Experience in working in a regional or global role
• Ideally experience from the beverage industry
• Speak and write English excellently

The position is based at Arla Foods Global Headquarters in Aarhus. You should expect 30-40 days of travel per year.

Would you like to join us?

If you want to impact our business and help shape the industry, then seize this exciting opportunity. Please apply as soon as possible as we will process applications on a continuous basis and close the recruitment once the right candidate is found. For questions, please call Senior Consultant, Talent Acquisition Dorthe Holm Jensen +45 5148 2035.

Shape the Future of Dairy 

Arla is a global leader in the dairy industry, committed to producing high-quality products while championing sustainability and innovation. We're passionate about people and our planet, striving to unleash the full potential in each of us. Our goal is to make healthy dairy nutrition and good food habits accessible to all. Join us at Arla Foods and become part of a worldwide cooperative dedicated to making a significant impact on the planet and steering the dairy industry towards a sustainable future. 

We are devoted to creating a workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. Diversity and collaboration are key to our success, propelling us to new heights in the dairy industry. 

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