Our client, an established mid-sized European freight forwarding company, is seeking an entrepreneurial and forward-thinking Country Head to set up and lead its Philippines business.

Misson

To launch, lead, and grow a new Philippines agency, ensuring operational excellence, full compliance, customer satisfaction and profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

A. Country Leadership & Strategy

Establish the new Philippines agency from the ground up: legal setup coordination, office setup, staffing, and operational readiness.
Develop and execute the country's business plan aligned with APAC strategy and global corporate objectives.
Build strong brand presence in the Philippines—positioning the agency as a premium, customer-centric freight forwarding partner.
Represent the organization with authorities, partners, strategic clients, and industry bodies.

B. Operations Management

Oversee all freight forwarding activities (Air, Ocean, Customs Brokerage, and Value-Added Services) ensuring high service quality and compliance.
Implement global SOPs, standards, and systems (e.g., CargoWise, financial procedures, performance management tools).
Ensure compliance with local regulations (e.g., BOC/PEZA), security standards, HSSE, and documentation accuracy.
Build efficient workflows and ensure strong coordination with origin/destination offices.
Set and monitor KPIs for productivity, file quality, billing accuracy, GP control, and service performance.

C. Team Leadership & Organizational Building

Recruit, train, and manage a local team across operations, customer service, sales, and finance/admin.
Foster a high-performance culture driven by accountability, professionalism, and customer excellence.
Develop future leaders and ensure succession planning as the organization scales.
Provide coaching, performance reviews, and continuous development.

D. Commercial Development

Support business development in collaboration with APAC Sales Leaders and Global Account Managers.
Engage key clients, participate in RFQs/RFIs, and support solution design and pricing.
Develop a local sales strategy tailored to the Philippine market (import-driven high-value goods, FMCG, tech/electronics, aerospace).
Drive retention and growth of strategic accounts.

E. Financial & Administrative Responsibility

Deliver country P&L in line with budget: revenue growth, GP margin, cost control, and overhead management.
Ensure accurate invoicing, WIP control, credit management, and reporting.
Manage vendor relationships (carriers, co-loaders, brokers, trucking, warehousing).
Identify profitability risks and implement corrective actions.

F. Governance, Compliance & Risk Management

Ensure adherence to quality, ethics, and governance standards.
Maintain compliance with HSSE policies, data protection, anti-corruption, trade compliance, and sanctions guidelines.
Lead crisis and escalation management at the country level.
Ensure a safe, compliant, and efficient working environment.

Required Profile

Experience

10+ years in international freight forwarding, with at least 5 years in a leadership or branch management role.
Proven track record in setting up, scaling, or transforming an agency/branch.
Experience managing P&L and cross-functional teams.

Technical Skills

Strong operational expertise across Air, Ocean, Customs, Domestic Distribution, and visibility systems.
Familiarity with industry platforms (CargoWise preferred) and KPI-driven performance tools.
Strong understanding of pricing, procurement, carrier negotiations, and margin management.

Soft Skills

Entrepreneurial mindset with a hands-on leadership style.
Strong interpersonal and stakeholder management skills.
High resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving ability.
Excellent communication skills in English.

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