Marketing Director

Kraft Heinz owns some of the most renowned brands you will find in a Dutch supermarket. Brands like Venz, de Ruijter and Honig. And the company recently intensified its marketing approach. This gives the new Marketing Director Benelux a golden ticket: a mix of strong local brands, the opportunity to drive R&D, innovation, communications, positioning and strategy, and the invitation to be disruptive. In a setting where performance is king and autonomy is the standard, the Marketing Director has a central position in the most fact based company in FMCG.

KRAFT HEINZ: A FOOD INDUSTRY POWERHOUSE

With 26 billion in revenue Kraft Heinz is the fifth largest food and beverage company in the world. The company owns some of the biggest global brands in food industry. Heinz Ketchup is probably their most iconic. Besides global brands, Kraft Heinz’s portfolio consists of a wide variety of local brands. In the Netherlands they’re most famous for Venz, de Ruijter, Karvan Cévitam, Roosvicee and Honig. Household names that every family has in its fridge or pantry.

Kraft Heinz is aspiring to be the best food company in the world. They strive to have the highest EBITDA margins, grow their top line, own the most beloved brands and sell the highest quality products. To become the best, they hire the most talented people. Their philosophy is that people is the only true competitive advantage. The only asset others can’t copy. That’s why Kraft Heinz is only looking to hire the best and spends a great deal of time and effort in unlocking their full potential.

MERITOCRACY WITH A LOT OF ROOM FOR THE INDIVIDUAL

Kraft Heinz gives its employees the freedom to chart their own course. They stimulate people to get out of their comfort zone, never accept the status quo, take calculated risks and be creative. At Kraft Heinz no one is hung up on titles and hierarchy: good suggestions are always encouraged.

Kraft Heinz is a company of owners. People who step up and take responsibility. Who are willing to take decisions and act as if the company is theirs. Outperformers can move quickly through the ranks, regardless of age or experience.

“Kraft Heinz has developed a coherent culture that values performance, not glamour; accomplishments, not age or status; contribution, not title; the talent, not the credentials; simplicity, not outfits; they have created a recipe for success and sustained results.” – Jim Collins about Kraft Heinz in his famous book ‘Good to Great’

MARKETING REINVENTED

In the coming years Kraft Heinz will intensify its marketing efforts. The company increases focus on brand building and marketing driven innovation. Last month Bernardo Hees, global CEO of Kraft Heinz, visited the Netherlands. During his visit he reiterated the intensified marketing efforts and committed to increasing marketing expenditure. But it’s not just about budget. Or how they say at Kraft Heinz: we don’t outspend, we outsmart.

“We realize we need to become better at brand building. In the past years it was enough to rely on our brands. They literally sold themselves. But the world has changed. We need to invest. We need to hire expert brand builders.” – Carlos Henrique Faria, Managing Director Benelux

About a year ago Victoria Sjardin joined Kraft Heinz as CMO for the EMEA region. She is the embodiment of the revamped marketing focus. She talks about marketing as a combination of magic and logic, of creativity and analytics. Historically Kraft Heinz might have been leaning more towards logic, but she is working hard to bring the magic back, without losing sight of business performance.

VACANCY: MARKETING DIRECTOR

Marketing carries the suggestion of being fluffy. But not at Kraft Heinz. The Marketing Director designs appealing campaigns that resonate emotionally, but the P&L is never far from mind. This person manages the business through marketing and builds the brands to achieve financial metrics such as sales and market share. He/she has a strategic view on marketing and understands how it contributes to overall company goals.

The Marketing Director is responsible for all marketing activities in the Benelux, of which the Netherlands is the largest market. He/she is right hand to the Managing Director Benelux on strategic topics, also reports to the EMEA CMO and manages a team of about eleven Marketing and Brand Managers. In this capacity he/she has lots of exposure to senior management.

The Marketing Director is part of a larger team. He/she builds close relationships with internal and external stakeholders, such as the Innovation Center, advertising agencies, packaging agencies and suppliers. The Marketing Director works closely with Category Management and Sales. These departments are tasked with the more tactical and operational side of marketing, allowing the Marketing Director to focus on brand strategy.

INNOVATION IS KEY

The Marketing Director creates and executes disruptive, innovative marketing plans, campaigns and activation programs. Analyzing and understanding the consumer and translating these insights into new concepts and products is their foundation.

Innovation is the way to reinvigorate brands that show mixed performance, e.g. because of a declining category. Sometimes a brand needs more than just a line extension. The Marketing Director understands this dynamic. He/she knows when and how to step into a new category, recognizes the drivers behind category performance and has a feel for how to position different brands in order to gain market share.

TRANSFORM THE MARKETING ORGANIZATION

The Marketing Director has huge impact on Kraft Heinz’s brands. He/she shakes up the marketing agenda and transforms the local brand portfolio. Kraft Heinz Benelux has a three year innovation program in place for the marketing organization. The company has a clear sense of direction but needs an experienced Marketing Director to add vision and detail. Part of detailing the strategy is also managing the marketing budget and deciding where to invest.

“Our new Marketing Director is a true marketing expert. He or she will be a reference, a guide, a role model even. Someone who can transfer his or her marketing capabilities to others, to help them become better.” – Joris Veger, People & Performance Director Benelux

EXPERIENCE

• Academic education
• 10+ years of work experience
• Experience with big brands and remarkable campaigns
• Experience with leading multidisciplinary teams

PERSONALITY

• Confident
• Inspiring
• Creative
• Communicator
• Results driven
• Entrepreneurial

Kraft Heinz works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy. Contact Janko Klaeijsen at janko@topofminds.com for more information.