Manager Business Development EM
Manager Business Development Emerging Markets
Purpose & Overall Relevance for the Organization:
The Manager, Business Development – EM HUB plays a pivotal role in unlocking and accelerating profitable growth across Emerging Markets, a region defined by its diversity, scale, and opportunity. This role is embedded within the Business Development team to act as a regional growth partner—bridging markets, central functions, and long-term commercial goals across the region.
Key focus areas include:
- Identify and activate commercial growth opportunities all the regions that sit within the market portfolio, with a consistent lens on profitability and scalability.
- Accelerate market execution by aligning HUB strategies with local operations, eliminating barriers, piloting initiatives, and scaling new partner or channel opportunities.
- Drive commercial visibility and strategic alignment through market performance reporting, business case modelling, and stakeholder engagement to fuel both short term and long-range planning.
Key Responsibilities:
- Partner with local GMs and cross-functional teams to develop market-specific growth plans, new business models, and commercial expansion strategies.
- Lead market opportunity assessments and business case development across new channels, partners, or concepts.
- Support execution of strategic priorities including DTC expansion, new partnerships, and cross-border enablement.
- Serve as a connector between HUB functions and country teams to accelerate decision-making and commercial readiness.
- Ensure all initiatives maintain a clear focus on profitability, working closely with Finance, Brand Teams, Commercial Teams and Markets to model impact.
- Provide regional leadership with insight and recommendations on market trends, consumer behavior, and commercial dynamics.
- Coordinate pilot projects and initiatives from concept to execution, tracking impact and aligning on long-term scale-up strategies.
- Track key KPIs and support commercial performance reporting to ensure visibility and alignment across the region.
- Support the business by providing business development inputs and aligning market-level opportunities with regional growth target
- Work pro-actively, propose changes in processes to continually drive best in class experience for the adidas consumer.
- Other duties as requested by your manager.
Key Relationships:
- Market GM’s & Local Commercial Teams
- Supply Chain and Logistics
- Demand Planning/Finance Teams
- Marketing Activations/Brand Teams
- Emerging Markets Analytics& Business Intelligence
- Digital & Store Operations Teams
- Global & Regional Business Development Counterparts
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Strong commercial and financial acumen with a focus on sustainable profit delivery
- Excellent stakeholder management and ability to influence across cultures and functions
- Highly collaborative, solutions-driven mindset with strong project leadership skills
- Proven ability to operate independently in dynamic, multi-market environments
- Analytical, structured thinker with hands-on attitude
- Fluent in English; additional languages are a plus
Requisite Education and Experience / Minimum Qualifications:
- University degree in Business, Strategy, Economics, or related field
- 4–7 years of experience in Business Development, Commercial Strategy, or Consulting
- Regional/multi-country exposure within Emerging Markets strongly preferred
- Experience in consumer goods, retail, or lifestyle brands is a plus
- Strong command of financial modelling and business case development
At adidas, we strongly believe that embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) into our culture and talent processes gives our employees a sense of belonging and our brand a real competitive advantage.
– Culture Starts With People, It Starts With You –
By recruiting talent and developing our people to reflect the rich diversity of our consumers and communities, we foster a culture of inclusion that engages our employees and authentically connects our brand with our consumers.