President

Job Description

Our client is one of the top global producers of non-commodity chemicals, supplying a large number of industries through an extensive and well-established international presence in North America, Europe, and Asia.

TH Bender has been retained to search for a strategic, hands-on, and experienced president to drive the growth of the US business and lead the development of the short- and long-term operational strategy in the US, in line with the Company’s global business objectives. This executive will manage the day-to-day operations of, as well as provide exemplary leadership towards the North American organization. The primary goals are to drive revenue growth and profitability, guide the future corporate direction, and expand the company's headcount.

We are looking for an experienced sales and operational leader in the chemical industry serving various applications. The ideal candidate is someone who exemplifies a bold persona and has a strategic approach to managing a business and who is keen on challenging the status quo and thinking ‘outside of the box’ to meet or exceed overall business objectives.

The location of this role is in the Atlanta, GA-area.

Key Responsibilities:

Provide leadership and vision to the US subsidiary, working together with the international executive management.

Actively develop and execute mid- and long-term go-to-market strategies, plans, priorities and goals.

Review and improve the existing sales and organizational structure; develop and refine processes and structures to increase the company’s market share, sales revenue, and profitability.

Conduct in-depth market analyses of the current and prospective target markets.

Initiate, lead, and manage the implementation of action plans to grow existing markets and penetrate new markets.

Actively engage in the acquisition of new key customers, while expanding sales with existing clients and partners.

Lead the business development efforts to pursue and evaluate potential growth opportunities. Initiate and implement strategic alliances with key partners and customers.

Manage client relationships on a high level and be actively involved at the key strategic points of each transaction.

Serve as a change agent for business improvements, new initiatives, policies, and processes.

Promote effective communication on all levels of the organization and regularly evaluate processes to drive improvement initiatives.

Responsible for P&L and budget management.

Support and participate in local and global trade fairs, conferences, workshops, etc.

Represent the organization in important external business relationships with major clients, joint venture partners and the public.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Key Qualifications:

Several years of leadership experience in sales management, business development and/or key account management coupled with general management capacity.

Substantial experience with non-commodity chemicals used in various industries and applications.

Solid chemical industry background and familiarity with the account base is strongly desired; preferably with experience selling within a distribution environment and directly selling to manufacturers.

Strong B2B sales and key account management skills and demonstrated success in building and managing key strategic accounts.

Proven track record managing a company, business unit, or group with P&L responsibility, ideally within a small- to medium-sized organization.

An existing rolodex of industry contacts in relevant industries would be an advantage.

Demonstrated experience in transforming strategies, processes, and organizations to drive business results.

Show success in maintaining and establishing new business, negotiating contracts, and closing deals.

Direct experience working across diverse cultures would be beneficial with previous experience working for European-owned companies considered a clear advantage.