General Manager - Europe

KINTO is a premium Japanese home and living design brand. They focus on long-term sustainable growth by cultivating a vision that matches high quality products and stylish designs. The General Manager will lead KINTO’s European organization, and lead sales, team management, digital marketing, e-commerce, and process efficiency.

About KINTO

Creating warmth, balance, and connection, KINTO offers thoughtful home and living objects that provide people with a comfortable and inspiring ambiance. Their unique coffee, tea, tableware, and lifestyle accessories blend harmoniously in the living space. KINTO’s designs feature a range of textures and materials, including glass, porcelain, stainless steel, and wood, that balance usability with an aesthetic touch. They develop functional, made-to-last products in Japan, and work with manufacturing partners in Asia, and worldwide exporters.

KINTO is a family business that employs about sixty people worldwide with annual revenues of thirty million euros, two-thirds of which come from Japan. They work with retailers, cafés, hotels, and restaurants that fit their unique brand. Through tailored marketing, KINKO creates awareness among its ideal client group and fosters brand ambassadorship. KINTO could increase sales further with advertisements, a wider distribution network, price promotions, and sales targets for its staff. However, they choose not to, in order to protect their brand integrity and create long-term sustainable growth.

In 2016, KINTO opened its European headquarters in Amsterdam. Their key regional markets are the UK, France, Germany, and the Benelux. The total size of KINTO’s European business is about five million euros, with ample expansion opportunities that are estimated to double its European sales within five years.

Vacancy: General Manager – Europe

The General Manager (GM) will lead KINTO’s European organization, with a team of six professionals who focus on sales and marketing, brand communications, sales operations, logistics, and customer service. The GM will empower them to contribute to the successful growth of the business and improve workflow efficiencies with a deep understanding of business operations and the capability to leverage digital technology. The GM will report to KINTO’s President of Europe and the US, who is also the global Chief Branding Officer.

“We like to work with partners and customers who share our philosophy and are excited ambassadors of our brand. We value quality over quantity and are confident that consistently delivering beautiful products will lead to sustainable growth. That is why we do not believe in aggressive target setting: it is short-term focused and will stand in the way of our long-term success.” – Shimpei Koide, President of Europe and the US & Chief Branding Officer of KINTO

KINTO’s customers are specialty interior and kitchen shops, charming coffee and tea boutiques, elegant hotels, intimate cafés, and restaurants. Recently, the company has expanded its scope to include specific apparel and outdoor retailers. The General Manager will source new partners as well as manage existing relationships with their most valued accounts.

Digital marketing and e-commerce are strategic priorities for KINTO, which earn twenty percent of European revenue through direct online sales. The GM will leverage digital marketing and communication activities and optimize the e-commerce business to create synergies between online and offline sales that will nurture the brand.

The full scope of the General Manager’s position includes a wide range of functions:

• marketing
• sales
• brand communications
• supply chain
• logistics
• HR management
• system utilization; and
• team leadership and development.

Product development, finance and accounting are managed in Japan. For an experienced leader in sales and marketing, this GM leadership position offers an excellent opportunity to drive the expansion of a premium home and living brand with a dedicated long-term focus in a vast region with significant growth opportunities.

Interested?

Kinto Europe is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Gijs Millaard at gijsmillaard@topofminds.com.