Head Of Sales - Middle East & Africa

Head Of Sales - Middle East & Africa

The Head Of Sales – MEA will be responsible for driving Hershey’s commercial agenda across the Middle East and Africa, with a sharp focus on high-priority markets like Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The role will oversee the regional sales team, manage a complex distributor network of over 10 partners, and lead the execution of commercial strategy across all trade channels (Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, E-commerce, and Travel Retail). This is a senior leadership role requiring strong strategic vision, operational excellence, and people leadership to accelerate growth, improve profitability, and enhance Hershey’s go-to market execution across the region.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and deliver the MEA region’s sales targets, with a strong focus on Saudi Arabia and UAE.
• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing sales team of 3 direct reports.
• Manage and optimize distributor relationships across 10+ markets, ensuring effective Joint Business Plans (JBPs), forecasting accuracy, and in-market execution.
• Drive channel-specific growth strategies across Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, E-commerce, and emerging formats.
• Lead annual commercial planning, pricing strategy, trade investment allocation, and market prioritization.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, finance, and supply chain to ensure end-to-end business alignment.
• Monitor KPIs, market share, and competitive trends, adjusting plans as needed to deliver performance.
• Champion RTM (Route-to-Market) optimization and margin accretive growth across priority markets.

Soft Skills & Leadership Traits

• Inspirational leader who develops talent and builds winning teams.
• Collaborative mindset with a strong ability to influence across functions.
• Resilient, agile, and highly adaptable in fast-changing environments.
• Results-driven and highly accountable.

Qualifications and Experience

• Must have at least 10 years of commercial experience.
• Must have at least 2.5 years of experience in a sales leadership role in FMCG.
• Must have people management experience.
• Must have Channels Experience (Modern Trade, Traditional Trade, and E-commerce).
• Must have Distributor Management Experience.
• Must have Regional Experience (KSA + Dubai or any Middle East Country).
• Must have FMCG Experience.
• Must have Full P&L Accountability.
• Must be amenable to a hybrid setup of 3 days a week at the office.
• Proven track record in managing multi-market distributor networks in the Middle East and/or Africa.
• Strong experience in managing key accounts and channel development across Modern Trade and Traditional Trade.
• Strategic thinker with a strong bias for action and executional excellence.
• Strong commercial acumen, negotiation skills, and financial understanding.
• Experience working in matrix organizations is a plus.