Brand Head - Samsonite

01 Brand Strategy & Premium Positioning
-
Own the brand vision and strategy for Samsonite India - defining what the brand stands for, how it earns its premium, and how it stays relevant to a discerning millennial and beyond audience.
-
Continuously find new and credible ways to strengthen brand imagery: through design language, retail experience, brand collaborations, product storytelling, and consumer engagement.
-
Identify the cultural moments, channels, and spaces where Samsonite should show up to recruit the young millennial consumer - recognising that the sharpest competition is not another bag brand, it is the consumer's own mindset about what deserves a premium spend.
-
Build and track brand health metrics - awareness, premium conviction, consideration - as first-order KPIs alongside commercial targets.

02 Consumer Obsession
-
Make the consumer the most important voice in every decision - from the colour of a product to the price on a tag to the copy on a POSM. This is not a stated value; it is an observable standard of behaviour.
-
Develop a deep, ongoing understanding of the Samsonite buyer: who they are today, who they need to be tomorrow, and what it takes to make a young millennial see Samsonite as their brand.
-
Commission and apply consumer research, retail observation, and trends intelligence to sharpen every brand and product decision.

03 Product - India Lens & India-Specific Development
-
Serve as the primary India voice in global product development discussions with the Singapore headquarters - contributing a well-informed, commercially grounded perspective on what will and will not work for the Indian consumer.
-
Lead India-specific product development end-to-end: from consumer insight to design brief, working with Singapore design teams, the Nasik factory, and sourcing partners to bring the right products to market.
-
Ensure every product decision - material, finish, colour, category entry, price architecture - reflects Samsonite's engineering heritage and the evolving expectations of the Indian consumer.
-
Maintain a category-level view across luggage, backpacks, and accessories, identifying gaps, white spaces, and competitive pressure at every tier.

04 Singapore HQ Collaboration & Brand Operations
-
Build and maintain a deep, productive working relationship with the Singapore headquarters across all functions: brand, product, design, supply chain, planning, and inventory management.
-
Drive the India brand operations calendar in alignment with global brand cycles, seasonal launches, product rollouts, and regional campaign frameworks - adapting intelligently for the India market.
-
Work closely with the Singapore design team on visual identity, product design direction, and campaign creative - ensuring global standards are met while India-specific nuances are incorporated.
-
Coordinate with India supply chain and planning teams on inventory forecasting, product availability, and launch timing to ensure India is never undersupplied or over-stocked on key lines.
-
Partner with the Nasik factory on India-specific production requirements, quality standards, and development timelines.
-
Act as the India market's most credible and consistent representative in all regional conversations - bringing clarity on India's commercial context, consumer behaviour, and strategic priorities.

05 Pricing, Promotions & Annual Brand Planning
-
Own the pricing architecture for Samsonite India - building a price ladder that reflects the brand's premium positioning while remaining competitive and justifiable to the consumer at every tier.
-
Design consumer promotions and trade offers that drive volume and conversion without eroding brand equity - a particularly critical balance for a premium brand.
-
Develop and own the annual brand plan across all Ps of marketing: product, price, promotion, place, and proposition - with clear KPIs, a well-structured investment rationale, and a calendar the business can execute against.
-
Operate with a business head's mindset: understand the P&L implications of every brand decision, and ensure the brand grows profitably.

06 Brand Communications & Retail Experience
-
While the communications team owns media planning and buying, this person is the custodian of the brand and has a stake on all communications outputs - deciding how Samsonite speaks, what it says, and what it does not.
-
Involvement in briefs and ATL, digital, ecommerce, and D2C communications - ensuring brand voice and visual standards are consistent and premium across every touchpoint.
-
Own the full suite of BTL brand assets: in-store creatives, POSMs, catalogues, retail atrium activations, pop-up experiences, and the overall in-store brand environment.
-
Drive Samsonite's retail experience strategy with the consumer experience head as a key stakeholder - the store network is a primary brand asset, and the visual merchandising and in-store communication must consistently reflect the brand's premium standing.
-
Lead brand collaboration opportunities that strengthen premium credentials and cultural relevance with the target audience.

07 Channel Strategy & Business Development
-
Lead brand strategy across all channels: retail, ecommerce, D2C, B2B, and department stores - adapting the brand proposition intelligently without fragmenting the brand identity.
-
Partner with sales and commercial teams to ensure premium positioning is protected and consistently communicated at the point of sale across all channels.
-
Bring a business development orientation to B2B and institutional channels - a meaningful opportunity for a brand of Samsonite's standing and retail presence.

STAKEHOLDER ECOSYSTEM
This role operates at the centre of a wide and cross-border stakeholder network. The Singapore HQ relationship is not occasional alignment - it is a deep, functional, day-to-day working partnership.

We are looking for someone who is an MBA from a reputed Institute & has a genuine feel for premium, not as a label, but as a standard of judgment. Someone who notices when a detail is wrong and insists on getting it right. Someone who is as comfortable in a product development review in Singapore as they are walking a store floor in Mumbai.
Experience & Background
-
10-12 years of brand, category, or product marketing experience, with a strong preference for premium consumer brands - fashion, lifestyle, consumer durables, or FMCG.
-
Demonstrated experience managing a brand or category P&L with full accountability for business outcomes.
-
Proven track record across the full marketing mix - not just communications, but product development, pricing strategy, and trade planning.
-
Prior experience working with regional or global brand headquarters is important; candidates who have navigated Singapore or other Asia-Pacific HQ structures will have a clear advantage.
-
Familiarity with retail, ecommerce, D2C, and B2B channel dynamics in India.
Mindset & Skills
-
A genuine knack for premium brands - an instinct for what elevates a brand and what cheapens it, developed through experience and close consumer observation.
-
Consumer-first in every decision - not a stated value but an observable behaviour in how this person approaches briefs, reviews, and trade-offs.
-
Commercially sharp: pricing, margin management, and P&L fluency are non-negotiable.
-
Design sensibility - the ability to write a clear, inspiring product or creative brief and evaluate outputs with confidence and clarity.
-
Strong cross-functional and cross-cultural collaboration skills - working with Singapore headquarters across multiple functions simultaneously requires patience, influence, and consistent credibility.
-
Excellent communication and storytelling skills - this person is the most senior brand voice in India and must be able to represent Samsonite compellingly in all forums.