Business head, european furniture & lights (india distribution & marketing)

SMB Catalyst · Mumbai, India

Employer: SMB Catalyst (on SMB Catalyst payroll)

Role: Business Head of a new strategic marketing & distribution unit

Reports to: SMB Catalyst Leadership

Role type: Full-time, India-based (travel across key metros)

Mandate: Set up, build, and run a new marketing & distribution business that represents premium European furniture & lighting brands in India 1. Role Purpose

SMB Catalyst is launching a new strategic business unit that will act as the exclusive India representative and agent for premium European furniture and lighting brands. The Business Head will be the single accountable leader of this unit — responsible for building it from the ground up, owning its P& L, and growing the India presence of the brands under management.

This is an entrepreneurial, build-and-run role. You will create the go-to-market engine — distribution, retail presence, and architect/designer specification — and lead a team of Business Development & Brand Managers who each champion a brand on the ground. You will be the face of the unit to both the principal brands overseas and the Indian design and trade ecosystem. 2. Key Responsibilities A. Business Setup & P& L Ownership (Primary Accountability)

· Build the unit from scratch — operating model, team, processes, and market-entry strategy.

· Own the complete P& L of the distribution & marketing business — revenue, costs, and margin.

· Drive revenue across the unit's commercial model — commission / agency margin on India sales and exports, annual brand retainers / budgets, marketing spends, and incremental-sales incentives.

· Negotiate and structure brand mandates — exclusivity, territory, commercials, and marketing-support budgets.

· Plan and manage the unit's budgets and brand-wise marketing spends for accountable, ROI-led deployment. B. Brand Representation & Exclusivity

· Act as the exclusive India agent for the represented European furniture & lighting brands.

· Build deep knowledge of each brand's product range, positioning, and price architecture.

· Develop and execute a brand-wise India growth plan — targets, channels, and activities.

· Provide principals with structured weekly updates on on-ground activities, pipeline, and market feedback. C. Distribution & Retail Presence

· Establish and grow distribution channels across India — dealers, distributors, project partners.

· Build retail / showroom presence — own, partnered, or shop-in-shop formats as appropriate.

· Set up logistics, fulfilment, after-sales, and inventory processes for imported product.

· Identify and onboard the right channel partners city-by-city. D. Specification Selling (Architects & Designers)

· Drive specification of products with architects, interior designers, and consultants — the core demand-generation engine.

· Build and nurture relationships with leading design firms, studios, and project influencers.

· Position brands into residential, hospitality, commercial, and luxury projects.

· Create a specification pipeline and convert it into orders through the distribution network. E. Marketing & Brand Building

· Plan and execute India marketing — launches, design-week presence, trade shows, PR, digital, and trade engagement.

· Deploy brand marketing budgets to accelerate growth where principals invest in the market.

· Build the India brand narrative for each represented label. F. Team Leadership

· Build and lead a team of Business Development & Brand Managers, each dedicated to a brand — responsible for distribution, retail, and specification for their brand.

· Set targets, KPIs, and a performance culture; coach and develop the team.

· Allocate brands and territories; ensure consistent weekly reporting discipline across the team. G. Principal & Stakeholder Management

· Be the primary relationship owner with the European principal brands.

· Manage commercial reviews, performance reporting, and renewals of brand mandates.

· Represent the unit credibly to principals, partners, and the Indian design trade. 3. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Dimension

Indicative KPI

Financial

Unit P& L, agency/commission revenue, retainer & marketing-budget income, incremental sales growth

Sales

India sales / imports per brand, order pipeline, conversion rate

Specification

Active architect/designer relationships, specifications generated & converted

Distribution

Channel partners onboarded, retail/showroom points live, geographic coverage

Brand

New brands signed, exclusivity mandates secured, marketing activities executed

Governance

On-time weekly activity reporting to principals, budget adherence/ROI 4. Candidate Profile Experience

· 12–18+ years in premium / luxury furniture, lighting, building materials, or interior products, with strong India market exposure.

· Proven experience building or leading a distribution / marketing business — ideally representing imported or international brands.

· Prior management consulting experience is essential — strong structuring, problem-solving, and stakeholder-management discipline, and the ability to set up systems and governance from first principles.

· Strong track record in specification selling to architects, designers, and consultants.

· Demonstrated P& L ownership and entrepreneurial build-from-scratch capability. Functional Skills

· Deep relationships across the Indian architecture & interior design ecosystem.

· Strong distribution, channel, and retail development capability.

· Commercial acumen — agency/commission structures, retainers, pricing, and budget management.

· Experience working with international principals and managing exclusivity mandates.

· Marketing & brand-building sensibility suited to premium/luxury positioning. Behavioural

· Entrepreneurial owner's mindset — builds and runs, doesn't just maintain.

· Polished and credible with both global principals and Indian design elite.

· Disciplined on reporting and governance — comfortable with structured weekly updates.

· Strong leadership — can hire, lead, and inspire dedicated brand managers.

· High integrity, ownership, and commercial rigour. Education

· Degree in Business / Marketing / Design / Architecture or related. MBA preferred. International exposure is an advantage. 5. What Makes This Role Unique

· You will build and lead an entire strategic business unit, not run a slice of an existing one.

· You hold genuine P& L authority backed by SMB Catalyst's transformation, systems, and management capability.

· You sit at the intersection of global premium brands and the Indian luxury design market — a rare, high-visibility mandate.