Group Category Lead - Lifestyle

About the role

Lead a multi-brand Lifestyle portfolio and a team of Category Managers across strategy, innovation, product lifecycle and commercial performance. Drive overarching category strategy, multi-brand product roadmaps, innovation pipelines, and commercial performance to ensure sustainable global growth and market competitiveness. Direct cross-functional alignment across marketing, sales, and supply chain to ensure seamless execution from concept ideation through commercialization and lifecycle management. You will lead category strategy across a diverse Lifestyle portfolio spanning consumer products, luxury, learning and travel-related offerings.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute comprehensive multi-category growth strategies for the Lifestyle portfolio to achieve revenue, profitability, and market share objectives
• Manage category roadmaps and product lifecycles, including new product launches, line extensions, and discontinuation planning
• Conduct market research, consumer insights analysis, and global competitor benchmarking
• Lead, mentor, and direct the team of Category Managers to drive excellence, accountability, and operational efficiency across all assigned lifestyle brands
• Lead end-to-end cross-functional projects from concept development through commercialization and market launch
• Manage project timelines, milestones, risks, budgets, and deliverables to ensure successful execution
• Coordinate stakeholders across sourcing, procurement, supply chain, QA/QC, marketing, and sales teams
• Oversee product development activities, including concept validation, specification development, testing, certification, and commercialization
• Collaborate with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure products meet technical specifications, quality standards, safety requirements, and cost targets
• Ensure all product specifications, technical documentation, and launch materials are accurate and up-to-date

About you

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Product Management, Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum 8 to 10 years of experience in category management, product management, or product development, with demonstrated leadership experience overseeing multiple categories or product lines
• Strong understanding of category management, product lifecycle management, and business performance analysis
• Proven experience leading cross-functional projects and working with global suppliers and manufacturers
• Good command of English, both written and spoken
• Strong commercial mindset with the ability to balance consumer needs, technical requirements, and business objectives
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint
• Proactive, detail-oriented, and results-driven individual with excellent collaboration skills
• Willingness to travel when required