Head of Sales France

What makes this a great opportunity?

As a key member of the France Leadership Team, the Head of Sales partners closely with the General Manager to accelerate one of the fastest-growing spirits businesses in the French market. Success requires the ability to seamlessly switch between high-volume FMCG execution and luxury brand stewardship.

The role is accountable for delivering sustainable, profitable growth across the entire French commercial ecosystem, including Modern Trade, On Trade, E-commerce, Wholesalers and Prestige distribution partners.

This role requires operating with the mindset of a business owner rather than a functional leader, combining strategic thinking with a relentless focus on execution.

France is one of Suntory Global Spirits' fastest-growing businesses in Europe. With c.$50M in market value and the ambition to more than double our business over the coming years, France is expected to become one of the company's key growth engines. The Head of Sales will play a pivotal role in making this ambition a reality.

Role Responsibilities

People leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing, challenger culture focused on accountability, execution and collaboration.
• Develop future leaders through coaching, empowerment and continuous feedback.
• Build an organization where talented people thrive and perform at their best.
• Contribute actively to the France and Central & Northern Europe leadership agenda beyond functional priorities.

Commercial leadership

• Own the commercial P&L, delivering sustainable, profitable growth across all channels.
• Lead the entire French commercial ecosystem, including Modern Trade, On Trade, E-commerce, wholesalers and prestige distribution partners, through internal teams and external route-to-market partners.
• Lead and maximize the performance of the outsourced field sales organizations across Modern Trade and On Trade, ensuring flawless execution and consistent delivery of commercial priorities.
• Build winning customer and channel strategies to outperform the market through distribution, pricing, revenue growth management and commercial execution.
• Shape the France business agenda alongside the General Manager and Leadership Team, contributing beyond Sales to overall business performance.
• Accelerate commercial transformation by simplifying ways of working and continuously identifying new growth opportunities.
• Represent Suntory Global Spirits externally and build trusted relationships with France's most strategic customers, distributors and industry partners.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of progressive commercial leadership experience within FMCG, Spirits or Premium Consumer Goods, including senior customer-facing and people leadership roles.
• Demonstrated track record of consistently outperforming the market and delivering profitable growth.
• Experience leading complex route-to-market models involving distributors, wholesalers and outsourced sales organizations.
• Strong customer negotiation, Revenue Growth Management and commercial investment capabilities.
• Proven ability to lead transformation and build high-performing teams.
• Strategic thinker with strong financial and business acumen.
• Fluent in French and English, with the ability to operate effectively in an international matrix organization.
• Exposure to broader business leadership or general management is a strong advantage.

SKILLS & BEHAVIOURS

• Business Leadership – Thinks and acts like a head of sales, balancing growth, profitability, people, priorities and long-term ambition.
• Execution Excellence – Combines strategic thinking with flawless execution. Moves rapidly from ideas to action.
• Entrepreneurial – Demonstrates ownership, resilience and resourcefulness in a fast-changing environment.
• Influencing – Builds commitment without relying on hierarchy and effectively navigates complex matrix organizations.
• Customer Obsessed – Builds trusted relationships with customers and partners while constantly seeking to create mutual value.
• People Leadership – Strong and proven people management and development skills. Ability to create an environment where everyone can be at their best, championing an inclusive and outperformance culture.
• Agility – Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability across a wide range of situations. Embraces change and adapts external best practice to the organization's context.