Director - Branding & Marketing (Premium Brand Principal)

Location: Shanghai, China

About Our Client We are partnering with an international brand principal in the premium lifestyle sector to appoint a commercial and strategic Director of Branding & Marketing. Operating as the brand authority in Mainland China, this role focuses on driving brand growth, positioning, and commercial success by managing and steering key distributor partners.

The Role This is a high-impact leadership role responsible for defining the brand vision and driving commercial execution through distributor networks. Operating from the Brand Principal perspective, you will oversee distributors across all online and offline channels to ensure high-ROI marketing, robust sales performance, and strict brand alignment.

Key Responsibilities

• Distributor Management & Steering: Lead, evaluate, and hold distributor partners accountable for executing marketing strategies, commercial deliverables, and sales targets across Mainland China.
• Channel-Specific Product Strategy: Define tailored product and merchandising strategies for distributors to deploy across distinct digital and physical retail channels.
• Performance Marketing & ROI Governance: Oversee distributor performance marketing campaigns, ensuring data-driven execution, optimized budget allocation, and measurable ROI.
• E-Commerce Channel Oversight: Guide distributor execution across major online platforms, including Tmall, JD.com, and specialized e-commerce wholesale networks.
• Retail Partner Execution: Supervise distributor operations across physical Points of Sales to ensure premium store execution and brand experience.
• Agency Collaboration: Direct marketing agencies to support distributor initiatives, aligning external creative and campaign execution with global brand standards.

The Ideal Candidate

• Brand Principal & Distributor Experience: Proven track record working for a luxury brand, premium consumer product or lifestyle brand principal, with deep experience steering distributor networks in Mainland China.
• Performance & Commercial Acumen: Strong background in performance marketing, channel metrics, and driving distributor performance through ROI-focused strategies.
• Strategic Influence: Excellent stakeholder management and negotiation skills to align external partners with overall brand vision.
• Background Preference: Candidates with strong Mainland China market experience and fluency in reading and writing Mandarin Chinese.