Category Head

The Product Category Head is the global custodian of the brand and product management for a specific Product Category, with accountability to maximize brand preference and deliver targeted business outcomes for International Business (IB). This role owns the end-to-end product and brand agenda for the assigned category, driven by deep consumer understanding and market insights.

• Key Deliverables-
• 1. Effective delivery of new products & variants stemming from deep consumer insights
• 2. Build and manage the Product category portfolio 3. Develop and implement brand marketing ideas.

This role will drive managing of the lifecycle of a specific product line (e.g., Commuter/scooters/Premium/3W) from market insights to launch, pricing, GTM, Branding, Marketing, SKU localization, compliance, and Product refreshesensuring profitable growth, customer delight, and brand competitiveness across priority markets.

1) Product Category Portfolio Strategy & Roadmap

• Build 35 year product roadmap for the Product Category aligned to IB strategy and volume/profit objectives.
• Conduct opportunity sizing for segments and price bands; define product positioning and variant mix.
• Run periodic portfolio reviewsPVC, product Market Fit, rationalize SKUs, sunset non-performing models, propose Product upgrades & refreshes, Brand Health Scores, Product NPS

2) Voice of Market & Customer Insights

Own structured market intelligence with the help of Regional teams (Comprising of Product, Marketing, Sales)competitor benchmarking, spec/price/features, and PVC. Conducting brand health research , Road trip and brand communciation validation study. Organize NPD validation study like dynmamic clinic, style clinic and TGR CUFT for customer feedback.

3) Product Definition & Localization

• Create Market Requirement Documents (MRDs) & Project Kick offs for evaluating new models/variants , as inputs for creating DR0s.
• Drive localization needs (features, colors, accessories, language packs, connected features, HMI).
• Partner with Regional Teams to deliver region-specific configurations. Ensure Timely execution of EIRs, PERs, DR0s, EJOs as per the PD Plan

5) Go-to-Market (GTM) & Launch Excellence

Own the complete GTM stratgey for new product launches and execute with the help of Regional Teams.

Develop Product Sales presentations and value communication specific to the Product Category: product story, featurebenefit mapping, competitive advantages. Develop the communication insight for postioning of the brand. Build brand strategy by defining vision, value porposition and by building standards for brand guidelines.

Partner with Regional Marketing for campaigns; enable Sales with playbooks, price ladders, and channel intel

6) Revenue, Profitability of the Product Category - Ensure retail and Market Share target achievement for the product Category with effective co-ordination with regional business heads and country managers. Increase the the brand revenue in terms of CAME for the categories responsible by improving contribution, implementing VAVE ideas etc.

7) Product Lifecycle Management & Performance

Define and execute Product upgrades & refresh plans for the division feature updates, color variants, limited editions, accessories.

Run post-launch reviews and continuous improvement loops with QA , Field Service, and Regional Teams. Periodic refreshes of the Varianting strategy.

9) Stakeholder Management & Governance

• Chair monthly portfolio review with Region/Country Managers and present in Product committee meetings.
• Align with Finance, Product Category Heads, Marketing, After-Sales, and Legal on readiness and performance.
• Publish dashboards and executive updates; enable timely decision-making.
• Experience in product Management/Product planning/NPD/Sales/Marketing around 15-20 yrs in the automotive domain
• Experience in international Business - Product Management+Marketing, Brand management, Product Planning, NPD
• Exposure to homologation/regulatory frameworks (e.g., Africa, Asia, Europe, GCC, LATAM norms, ASEAN standards).
• P&L understanding; hands-on with pricing, cost structures, and business case modeling.
• Data-driven decisioning; proficiency in Excel/BI tools; stakeholder management excellence