About the company

At General Mills, we serve the world by making food the world loves. Our devotion to the community and our planet drives the way we give back and do business. Our brands Häagen-Dazs, Old El Paso, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker and others - are enjoyed in more than 100 countries on six continents. General Mills is a place that prioritizes being a force for good, a place to expand learning, a place to explore new perspectives and a place to reimagine new possibilities, every day. Because becoming the undisputed leader in food means surrounding ourselves with people who are hungry for what’s next.

About the Job

General Mills International is a dynamic business with powerhouse iconic brands such as Haagen Dazs, Old El Paso, Nature Valley, Betty Crocker & so much more. It has a wide footprint across more than 89 markets, playing in more than 22 categories in 4 big geographical clusters (EUAU, Brazil, China & Growing emerging markets).

In this role, you will head up the Head of Consumer Insights for China. China is one of the most dynamic markets in General Mills International with huge headroom for growth. China boasts of iconic brands Haagen Dazs, Wan Cai Ferry & Blue Buffalo competing strongly across omnichannel.

The Head of Consumer Insights for China is a critical leadership role responsible for driving consumer-centric decision-making and fostering business growth across China. This role serves as a key business partner to the China leadership team & China Marketing Director, providing strategic insights and recommendations based on a deep understanding of consumer behavior, shopper behavior. market trends, and competitive dynamics. Additionally, this role directly partners with the regional Brand development team of Wan Cai Ferry which is present in 3 markets (China, HK, Taiwan).

You will report into the CMI Director for International, and coach a team of 3 Consumer insights & data analytics experts who sit in Shanghai & Mumbai. You will drive impact and influence at all levels across the whole organization - communicating insights and action with clarity. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership & Performance steering:

o  Partners with the China leadership team and the Regional Wan Cai Ferry brand team to create and implement an ambitious but consumer centric growth strategy, and contribute to all agenda of the leadership team in unlocking business growth

• Lead the China Monthly Business Review (MBR) performance highlights in partnership with the Analytics lead, identifying key drivers of success and areas for improvement.
• Steer business growth by identifying cross-market and cross-brand challenges and opportunities based on performance analysis and emerging trends.

o  Proactively brings forward external inspiration, and recent trends and new approaches to insights and strategy development.

• Foundational /strategic understanding
• Defines, prioritizes & implements the learning and data acquisition agenda across the region, local markets and key Brands. Identifies and fills in gaps of strategic understanding of consumers across key markets 
• This includes strategically assessing key shopper insight needs & retailer research partnerships across China, in collaboration with the Category lead.
• Lean into strategic retailer shopper researches to enhance our selling stories and retailer relationships, as well as ensure consumer voice is helping define demand generating decisions
• CHINA Insights & Capabilities Development:
• Drive Consumer Insights (CI) and Marketing Capabilities/Culture building initiatives for China, aligning priorities & key topics with the China Marketing leads
• Lead capabilities development for China specific needs and ecosystems
• Drive consumer intimacy within the Leadership Team (LT) and across the CHINA  organization, ensuring the consumer is at the heart of every decision.
• Team & budget Management:
• Lead and develop a high-performing team of consumer insights professionals, ensuring alignment of priorities with business needs and fostering individual growth and development.
• Leads budget management for China CI.
• CI Transformation:
• Lead and drive initiatives for the transformation of CI capabilities, including but not limited to:
• In-housing of research studies to drive efficiency, consistency, and cost savings.
• Promoting consumer empathy throughout the business, ensuring a consumer-first mindset.
• Accelerating digital and AI solutions into everyday use
• Improving our future focus and foresight capabilities to anticipate and capitalize on emerging trends.

Minimum experience & Qualifications:

·      15+ years of experience in consumer insights, market research, or a related field, with a proven track record of driving business impact.

·      Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Psychology, or a related field; Master's degree preferred.

·      International experience - Strong understanding of consumer behavior, market trends, and competitive dynamics in China

·      Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.

·      Experience working with interdependent cross-functional teams in a highly dynamic and challenging environment 

·      Experience working in an agile environment with shifting priorities and multiple concurrent work streams

·      Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.

·      Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

·      Experience and proficiency with a variety of research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative, traditional & agile + AI.

·      Demonstrated ability to influence and collaborate with cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or Master’s Degree in related field preferred
• Consumer insight experience in Hongkong & Taiwan as well
• Experience with CI transformation initiatives, including in-housing of research and building consumer empathy.
• Self-starter with the ability to craft a vision for the team and proactively find ways to add value
• Proven ability navigating matrixed organizations and building effective relationships
• Can effectively navigate ambiguity and work in an agile environment
• Strong command of deep analytics into storytelling for top management
• Familiarity with different analytical approaches and theories
• Confident and clear communicator with executive level leaders