Head of New Business EMEA - Chemicals Sector

EMEA Strategic Growth & Sales - Specialty Chemicals - UK BasedAre you a commercially strategic leader with deep knowledge of the specialty chemicals market across EMEA?Have you led business unit growth, new product launches, or M&A in a multinational organisation?Do you have the ability to bridge technical R&D and commercial opportunity with a sharp understanding of market entry, scaling, and innovation?Are you ready to help transform a multinational business into a future-facing, sustainability-led chemicals leader?

If this sounds like your next challenge - keep reading.

What You Need Before Applying

• Proven experience leading business growth, new market entry, or corporate transformation within the chemicals, advanced materials, or process manufacturing sectors

• Track record of driving M&A, including deal structuring, valuation, and strategic fit analysis

• Strong understanding of product commercialisation, scale-up strategy, and go-to-market planning

• Comfortable acting as both a market strategist and operational executor, especially within global matrix organisations

• Experienced in training and mentoring business development professionals to approach new, technically demanding markets

• Familiar with sustainability ventures, including evaluating products/markets through an ESG lens

• Able and willing to travel regularly across the EMEA region

• Ideally degree qualified in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Business or similar. MBA preferred.

What You Get in Return

• Excellent Base+, plus performance-related bonus

• Executive-level benefits package, including pension, private healthcare, and flexible perks

• The opportunity to lead on corporate transformation, new ventures, and strategic acquisitions

• Exposure to executive decision-making and cross-functional innovation platforms

• A pivotal role in shaping the direction of one of the world's most respected chemical organisations

Key Responsibilities

• Lead business unit strategy for emerging platforms, aligning market needs with current and future company capabilities

• Act as M&A advisor across all strategic acquisitions - from strategic fit to valuation and risk planning

• Serve as market advisor for the Plastics and Energy Systems platforms - guiding short-term entry strategies and shaping long-term R&D focus

• Oversee market assessments and go-to-market execution for new product development and scale-up opportunities (greenfield and brownfield)

• Participate in the company's Innovation Platform, assessing which ideas and technologies should progress

• Mentor business development teams in navigating new markets and customer profiles

• Manage external technical and market consultants, ensuring commercial value is realised across projects

• Take a lead role in the Sustainability Venture, defining strategic criteria and evaluating new product/market opportunities against impact metrics

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