Director, Franchise - Tamil Nadu

Position Overview

This critical role is responsible for managing and growing Coca-Cola’s franchise bottling operations in Tamil Nadu—one of the most dynamic and high-volume markets in India. The incumbent will own the P&L for the geography (System & Operating Unit) and drive volume growth, market share, and execution excellence in collaboration with independent bottlers, internal BU stakeholders, and external partners.

Tamil Nadu’s unique market dynamics demand a balanced approach of long-term strategic visioning and agile tactical execution, with an ability to influence a diverse ecosystem of bottler owners, next-gen leaders, functional teams, and suppliers.

The role will be pivotal in building bottler capability, strengthening system economics, and ensuring execution excellence across all key levers—brand portfolio, route-to-market, customer management, and market execution.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Leadership

• Own the end-to-end P&L responsibility for Tamil Nadu, driving profitability and sustainable business growth for both the System and the Operating Unit.

• Develop and deploy a 3-year Business Plan (BP) and Annual Business Plan (ABP) in alignment with the Bottler, BU functional leads, and system partners.

• Lead value creation strategies across the brand, price, pack, and channel mix to maximize market share and revenue growth.

• Manage DME/DFR budgets with sharp governance on bottler claims and resource utilization.

Operational Excellence & Execution

• Achieve volume, distribution, and share objectives as per the Business Plan (BP) while ensuring robust performance tracking through KPIs (Volume, Distribution, Share, BHS).

• Drive execution excellence through RED/DEEP RED scorecards and elevate bottler capability in Market Execution, Supply Chain, Marketing, and HR.

• Ensure bottler production capacity meets the 3-year BP volume objectives by proactively addressing infrastructure, pack size needs, and supply chain readiness.

Stakeholder Alignment & Influence

• Lead bottler engagement including Owners and Next-Gen leaders, ensuring strategic alignment and swift decision-making.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders across Marketing, RGM, Supply Chain, Finance, and Customer teams to ensure cohesive market strategies.

• Manage critical external relationships with vendors, suppliers, and agencies to drive market initiatives effectively.

• Leverage market intelligence and consumer insights to adapt strategies in a highly dynamic and competitive landscape.

Capability Building & Business Integration

• Drive bottler capability enhancement programs to build best-in-class functional and execution capabilities.

• Embed the principles of a Networked Organisation by harnessing cross-functional resources across the Operating Unit for strategic initiatives.

• Ensure robust performance governance through business scorecards and data-driven reviews, fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Profile Requirements

Educational Qualification

• MBA from a reputed institute.

Work Experience

• 10-12 years of experience in the FMCG/Beverage industry, with proven expertise in managing regional sales operations, franchise management, or large-scale customer-facing roles.

Key Skills & Competencies

Influencing for Results

• Strategic Negotiation & Stakeholder Alignment: Balance transactional outcomes with long-term relationship value using evidence-backed influence.

• Communicate with Impact: Deliver clear, compelling narratives to align diverse internal and external stakeholders.

• Business Integration Acumen: Understand system-wide dynamics to align cross-functional efforts and measure success meaningfully.

Partner for Growth

• Value Chain Economics: Deep understanding of bottler P&Ls and system value sharing for profitable growth.

• Revenue Growth Management (RGM): Optimise pricing, pack, and channel strategies to deliver sustainable revenue.

• Business Planning Excellence: Align macro strategies with region-specific execution plans, proactively addressing market challenges.

Execution with Competitive Edge

• Market Dynamics & Consumer Insight: Stay ahead of market trends, competition, and consumer preferences to unlock opportunities.

• Execution Excellence: Coordinate flawlessly across bottling partners and internal networks to ensure disciplined execution.

• Channel Management Expertise: Innovate and optimise distribution channels for superior market penetration and profitability.

Success in this role will require:

• A growth mindset with high learning agility.

• Strong collaborative leadership to work across diverse functional teams.

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive structured outcomes in a complex ecosystem.

• Passion for building high-performance teams and scalable business models.

Skills: