Regional Director, Food ASEAN
Job Description
Job Description
We are seeking a commercially focused Regional Director, Food – ASEAN who will be responsible for the overall growth, profitability, and strategic direction of NSF's Food business across ASEAN.
This role reporting directly to the APAC Managing Director.
This role owns full regional P&L performance, leads a multi-country commercial organization, develops executive-level customer relationships, and drives sustainable growth aligned with APAC and global Food business priorities. The successful candidate will combine strong commercial acumen, strategic leadership, and customer-centricity to expand NSF's market position and accelerate growth across ASEAN.
This role requires a highly collaborative leader who can effectively operate within a global matrix organization while delivering regional business objectives and strengthening NSF's presence with key multinational, regional, and local food industry customers.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Leadership
This is a unique opportunity to lead and accelerate NSF's Food business across one of the world's most dynamic and fastest-growing regions. The role offers significant regional visibility, direct influence on strategic direction, and the opportunity to shape long-term growth through customer partnerships, market expansion, and business leadership.
About Us
With a legacy spanning more than 80 years, NSF leverages science and innovation to improve human and planet health. We provide science-driven, independent testing, inspection, certification, and advisory services and develop the very standards that drive the food, water, and life sciences industries worldwide. We empower our clients to navigate shifting regulations to improve consumer health, safety, and quality of life.
One of our core values is We Are One NSF. This means that while we're one team, we embrace the cultural, ethnic, language, and demographic diversity that reflects the societies in which we live and work.
Come join a team that makes a difference in the world. More information about NSF can be found at nsf.org.
NSF is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, status as a protected veteran, or disability.
Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives: Please note that NSF is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies/search firms for this role. Resumes submitted to an NSF employee by a third-party agency without a valid written & signed search agreement between NSF and said third-party agency will become the sole property of NSF. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.
About The Team
As pioneers in the food safety industry, NSF is proud to play a vitally important role in helping food service businesses of all sizes, from local cafes to multinational supermarket brands, stay ahead of risks, regulations and consumer expectations, while delivering on their commitment to food safety and public health.
We are seeking a commercially focused Regional Director, Food – ASEAN who will be responsible for the overall growth, profitability, and strategic direction of NSF's Food business across ASEAN.
This role reporting directly to the APAC Managing Director.
This role owns full regional P&L performance, leads a multi-country commercial organization, develops executive-level customer relationships, and drives sustainable growth aligned with APAC and global Food business priorities. The successful candidate will combine strong commercial acumen, strategic leadership, and customer-centricity to expand NSF's market position and accelerate growth across ASEAN.
This role requires a highly collaborative leader who can effectively operate within a global matrix organization while delivering regional business objectives and strengthening NSF's presence with key multinational, regional, and local food industry customers.
Key Responsibilities
Commercial Leadership
- Own the ASEAN Food business unit's revenue, growth, and profitability targets across all ASEAN markets.
- Lead the development and execution of the ASEAN Food growth strategy in alignment with APAC and global Food business priorities.
- Drive sustainable revenue growth through strategic account expansion, new customer acquisition, and enhanced market penetration.
- Lead and develop a high-performing regional commercial organization.
- Develop and execute go-to-market strategies that support both short-term performance and long-term growth objectives.
- Identify emerging market opportunities and support the introduction of new programs, services, and solutions across ASEAN.
- Maintain full accountability for ASEAN Food business financial performance, including revenue, margin, profitability, and growth targets.
- Develop and execute action plans to achieve Annual Operating Plan (AOP) objectives.
- Monitor business performance and implement corrective actions where necessary.
- Prepare and present monthly, quarterly, and annual business reviews to senior leadership.
- Contribute to APAC and global business planning processes and strategic reviews.
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with key multinational, regional, and local food industry customers.
- Lead strategic customer engagement efforts across ASEAN
- Drive customer retention, wallet-share growth, and long-term partnership development.
- Ensure strong visibility and positioning of NSF's capabilities within priority accounts.
- Represent ASEAN Food interests in global strategic account and business reviews.
- Own the ASEAN Food sales pipeline and forecasting process.
- Drive sales discipline, opportunity management, and performance tracking across the region.
- Ensure robust pipeline generation and conversion to achieve growth objectives.
- Partner closely with sales, technical, operational, and customer success teams to accelerate commercial outcomes.
- Lead, coach, and develop direct reports across multiple ASEAN markets.
- Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, performance, and continuous improvement.
- Conduct regular business reviews and performance discussions to ensure achievement of regional objectives.
- Develop succession plans and strengthen leadership capabilities across the organization.
- Lead by example through the demonstration of NSF Values and promote a positive, inclusive, and customer-focused culture.
- Partner with APAC leadership and country leadership teams on strategic priorities, key customer engagements, and business planning.
- Collaborate with global Food business leaders to align regional initiatives with global strategies.
- Represent ASEAN commercial requirements in discussions involving systems, tools, operational capabilities, and growth investments.
- Facilitate effective collaboration among commercial, technical, operational, marketing, and functional teams to support regional growth.
- Bachelor's degree in food science, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
- MBA or other advanced degree preferred.
- Extensive commercial leadership experience within the food industry, food safety, certification, testing, inspection and certification (TIC), quality assurance, consulting, or related B2B service sectors.
- Demonstrated success leading regional businesses with full P&L accountability.
- Proven track record of delivering revenue growth, improving profitability, and driving business expansion across multiple markets.
- Strong experience managing geographically dispersed teams within a matrix organization.
- Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead complex regional initiatives.
- Successful history of identifying market opportunities, developing growth strategies, and launching new services or solutions.
- Strong executive presence with excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to build trusted relationships with C-level customer executives and strategic partners.
- Fluency in English required; additional ASEAN language capabilities are advantageous.
- Willingness and ability to travel extensively across ASEAN markets.
This is a unique opportunity to lead and accelerate NSF's Food business across one of the world's most dynamic and fastest-growing regions. The role offers significant regional visibility, direct influence on strategic direction, and the opportunity to shape long-term growth through customer partnerships, market expansion, and business leadership.
About Us
With a legacy spanning more than 80 years, NSF leverages science and innovation to improve human and planet health. We provide science-driven, independent testing, inspection, certification, and advisory services and develop the very standards that drive the food, water, and life sciences industries worldwide. We empower our clients to navigate shifting regulations to improve consumer health, safety, and quality of life.
One of our core values is We Are One NSF. This means that while we're one team, we embrace the cultural, ethnic, language, and demographic diversity that reflects the societies in which we live and work.
Come join a team that makes a difference in the world. More information about NSF can be found at nsf.org.
NSF is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, among other things, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, status as a protected veteran, or disability.
Notice to Agency and Search Firm Representatives: Please note that NSF is not accepting unsolicited resumes from agencies/search firms for this role. Resumes submitted to an NSF employee by a third-party agency without a valid written & signed search agreement between NSF and said third-party agency will become the sole property of NSF. No fee will be paid if a candidate is hired as a result of an unsolicited agency or search firm referral. Thank you.
About The Team
As pioneers in the food safety industry, NSF is proud to play a vitally important role in helping food service businesses of all sizes, from local cafes to multinational supermarket brands, stay ahead of risks, regulations and consumer expectations, while delivering on their commitment to food safety and public health.
More Info
Key Skills
Commercial leadership
P&L accountability
Quality assurance consulting
Food safety certification
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