Modern Trade Business Development Manager

About the role

We are looking for an entrepreneurial and commercially driven Modern Trade Business Development Manager to establish and grow the company's presence across Malaysia's modern trade channel.

This is a new business development and account-opening role, with a specific focus on securing International Key Accounts (IKA) and National Key Accounts (NKA) for the company's beverage and baby product portfolio.

The role is an individual contributor, requiring someone who can independently identify opportunities, open doors, negotiate with buyers and convert opportunities into listings, distribution and sustainable revenue.

Key Responsibilities

1. Open International & National Key Accounts

• Identify and develop new business opportunities with major IKA and NKA retailers in Malaysia.
• Build relationships with key decision-makers across Buying, Category Management, Commercial and Merchandising.
• Secure new customer accounts, product listings and distribution opportunities.
• Develop account strategies and commercial proposals tailored to each retailer.
• Expand the company's presence across hypermarkets, supermarkets, pharmacy chains, specialty retailers and other relevant modern trade channels.

2. New Product Listing & Distribution

• Lead the end-to-end process of introducing beverage and baby products into modern trade.
• Present product propositions, category opportunities and business cases to buyers.
• Negotiate listings, ranging, shelf placement, promotional programmes and store expansion.
• Drive numeric and weighted distribution across targeted accounts.
• Identify opportunities for additional SKUs, pack sizes and new channels.

3. Commercial Negotiation

• Lead negotiations on pricing, margins, rebates, listing fees, promotional support and trading terms.
• Develop commercially viable proposals that balance customer requirements with company profitability.
• Monitor account P&L, trade spending and promotional ROI.
• Develop annual business plans with strategic customers.

4. Market & Category Development

• Monitor Malaysian FMCG, beverage and baby product trends and competitor activities.
• Identify market gaps and opportunities for portfolio expansion.
• Provide market intelligence and customer insights to the Country Manager.
• Work with Marketing and Trade Marketing to develop customer-specific activation programmes.

5. Account Relationship Management

• Establish strong relationships with buyers and senior commercial stakeholders.
• Act as the key commercial contact for newly established strategic accounts.
• Understand retailer strategies, category priorities and purchasing requirements.
• Resolve commercial issues and ensure strong customer relationships after account opening.

6. Independent Business Ownership

As an individual contributor, the Manager is expected to independently manage the full business development cycle, including:

Prospecting → Relationship Building → Pitching → Negotiation → Listing → Launch → Distribution Expansion → Account Growth

• Manage own pipeline and business development activities.
• Develop regular sales forecasts and business updates for the Country Manager.
• Coordinate internally with Supply Chain, Finance, Marketing and Operations to fulfil customer requirements.
• Take ownership of agreed revenue and profitability targets without direct reports.

Candidate Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Sales or related discipline.
• 8–12 years of FMCG sales, modern trade or business development experience.
• Proven experience dealing directly with International Key Accounts and/or National Key Accounts in Malaysia.
• Strong network and established relationships with modern trade buyers is highly preferred.
• Experience in beverages, baby products, food, nutrition, personal care or other FMCG categories.
• Demonstrated track record of opening new accounts and securing product listings.
• Strong understanding of Malaysian modern trade structures and retailer buying processes.
• Excellent commercial negotiation and presentation skills.
• Strong understanding of margins, trade terms, promotions and customer profitability.
• Self-driven and comfortable working independently without a sales team.
• Strong English communication skills; Bahasa Malaysia is an advantage.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a hunter with strong retailer relationships, rather than someone whose experience is primarily in maintaining existing accounts.

They should be able to walk into a retailer, identify the right buyer, build the commercial case, negotiate the terms and ultimately get the product onto the shelf.

Because this is an individual contributor role reporting directly to the Country Manager, the person must be highly autonomous, commercially mature and capable of managing the entire business development cycle with minimal supervision.

The key differentiator is not simply having modern trade experience — it is having a proven ability to open doors, secure listings and build new FMCG business in Malaysia.