Senior Director, General Manager, Tea Company

Summary: The Coca-Cola Company, a global beverage leader with a rich history of 140 years and a portfolio of over 200 brands worldwide and TeaCo is a dedicated 'hothouse' tasked with step-change growth and disruptive innovation in the ready-to-drink tea category. Operating within a 'sandbox' (primarily Guangdong province, with initial focus on the Greater Guangzhou area), TeaCo is expected to: •    Test creative ideas and new business models at startup speed. •    Leverage the global scale of Coca-Cola and local execution strength of Swire •    Deliver validated concepts that can scale back into the core ATH system or launch as independent brands. •    Achieve +150M incremental unit cases over a 3-year horizon.   This is not a traditional internal functional leadership role. It requires entrepreneurial capability, commercial ownership, stakeholder management, and the ability to operate in ambiguity with pace. The position is legally hosted under Coca-Cola, reporting to the Synthetic Board, within a virtual entity structure where costs are shared proportionally between KO and Swire.   What You'll Do for Us: Own the Innovation Agenda and Product Roadmap •   Define the innovation strategy, prioritize concepts, and manage the pipeline from ideation to pilot launch •   Lead consumer insight integration, concept development, and rapid prototyping •   Ensure innovation efforts protect and enhance the ATH master brand equity •    Build and test digitally enabled commercialization models, including digital consumer acquisition, O2O activation, DTC experimentation, social commerce, and platform partnerships.   Own Commercial and Financial Outcomes •   Full P&L ownership for TeaCo — accountable for revenue, cost, margin, and investment returns •    Build and refine the business model across incubation, early commercialization, and potential scale phases •    Deliver against +150M unit cases 3-year target   Build and Lead a High-Performance, Lean Team •    Recruit, develop, and retain a world-class, entrepreneurial team (1+4 structure). •    Foster a culture of speed, experimentation, accountability, and psychological safety. •    Attract talent willing to embrace a 60%+ failure rate on individual experiments (as a portfolio, the goal is success). Manage Complex Stakeholder Ecosystem •    Internal: Navigate Coca-Cola (Shanghai HQ, GDI (Global Development and Innovation), Consumer Insights, KO Legal), Swire (TAC, S&M, Supply Chain), and XNode (external facilitator). •    External: Co-packers, ingredient suppliers, research agencies, advisory network. •    Governance: Manage Board engagement, prepare for Gate Reviews, and ensure transparent progress reporting Drive Speed-to-Market and Consumer Validation •   Move from concept to consumer test in 90-day cycles where possible. •    Build rapid feedback loops with target consumers in the Guangzhou test market. •    Make "accelerate/ pivot/ pause/ stop" decisions with confidence and data. •    Use digital channels and consumer data to test propositions, acquire target consumers, and accelerate product-market fit validation. •    Run rapid experiments across digital targeting, product concepts, pricing, promotions, conversion pathways, and repeat purchase behavior. Protect Brand Integrity and Ensure Governance Discipline •   Maintain a connection point with the BAU ATH brand team to monitor brand risks. •   Operate within KO compliance framework while pushing for speed. •   Ensure all innovation experiments do not inadvertently damage global brand equity. Qualifications & Requirements: Industry: 10+ years in consumer goods; F&B strongly preferred. P&L Management: At least 2+ years independently managing a business unit P&L (scale flexible). Channel & Sales: Experience working with frontline sales teams and using digital channels to test and scale