Chief Innovation Officer

Job description / Role

Who we are

We are a leading partner for luxury across the Middle East. With more than 600 stores, 300 brands and over 65 years of experience in the region, we have become a major player in the beauty, fashion and gift sectors, by offering service excellence to our partners and delighting all our customers. We are moving fast from a traditional distributor and retailer for luxury in the Middle East, to a hybrid retailer bringing luxury experiences to the fingertips of customers everywhere.

To fuel the next stage of our growth we are looking to build a world class team. From physical retail through to supply chain and customer loyalty, we aim to use technology and data to continuously improve every aspect of our operations. We are looking for top talent to join us on this journey of exploring new horizons together.

What you will be doing

Our Chief Innovation Officer will play a critical role in finding relays of growth for the Group, driving change, instilling and cultivating innovation capabilities within the group and a people-centric innovation culture.

You will need to set the right innovation strategy, and a strategy for each of these departments, as well as understand the Chalhoub Group, its current dynamics, pain points and future-looking potential. You will need to garner both financial and operational support from key stakeholders - both internal and external - and enable your teams to take ownership of their brands, and make good of the milestones and budgets set by themselves for their success. You will foster a culture of innovation, within your teams and within the Group, in order to attract successful innovators and entrepreneurs.

What you'll need to succeed

Full management responsibility of diverse departments, including but not limited to: Greenhouse & Ibtikar, The Beauty Makers, The Fashion Makers (To Be Created) and Corporate Innovation (To Be Created).

- Developing a holistic innovation strategy for the Chalhoub Group and a strategy for each of your departments - long and short-term - with key objectives and KPIs for each direct report and brand owner
- Setting milestones and timelines to be respected for the right achievement of long-term goals
- Garnering support from business stakeholders, such as fellow C-level executives, employees, customers and business partners
- Finding smart money and the right funding - internal and external - to support the innovation drive of the Group
- Creating a portfolio of winning brands, concepts and innovations and a roadmap to fill a healthy pipeline & drive growth across the SGII team
- Introducing and overseeing new startups and innovations as they are presented to the market and group
- Assessing competition and maintaining overall market awareness and forward looking intelligence
- Ensuring innovation provides value to customers and cultivates long-term relationships with those customers
- Driving clear strategic innovation plans in collaboration with relevant team members
- Supporting the Strategy & Growth team with its priorities and reorganizing the Innovation team in order to prioritize answering to these priorities
- Creating speedboat models to conduct specific missions and penetrate specific priority segments & markets
- Establishing the right partnerships outside the Group to nurture our growth with the innovation global ecosystem
- Building a winning roadmap to look for new companies, new brands, new segments, and new industries where the Group can invest to establish a first-mover advantage, with little to no territorial limitations
- Prioritizing projects to meet timelines efficiently, to adapt to changes in priorities quickly, and to structure and manage multiple initiatives simultaneously with a focus on a drive to completion and tangible impact
- Establishing the Chalhoub Group as a recognized Innovation leader among industry groups

People Management:

- Building a strong network of connections outside the Group who can support collaboration and provide valuable feedback innovation processes
- Establishing clear processes for generating ideas, and empower teams to learn and perform at their highest potential while embracing diverse thinking
- Evaluating and balancing risk/reward for innovation and organizational objectives
- Putting together financial and non-financial motivational tools, to cater for alignment between Group-wide objectives and personal/start-up objectives
- Supporting staff development and nurturing talents
- Building a high performing culture and bring the teams together to achieve common goals
- Instilling an entrepreneurial culture and a people-centric innovation drive to your teams, your peers and the Group
- Championing change management

Requirements

Required Profile:

- Master of Business Administration from a top-10 Business School
- Backgrounds in finance, project management, business development and strategy are recommended.
- Strong business judgement and decision-making skills
- Demonstrated success in innovation
- Ability to define and nurture a culture of innovation
- Working in a leadership role
- Must possess an inquisitive, entrepreneurial and creative mind.
- Independent and self-directed while able to work and lead a team of creative individuals.
- Strong leadership skills to develop a high performing team
- Superior ability to track and predict trends
- Must be able to financially predict the investment and financial requirements to get to the next decision-making assessment point
- Balancing the emotional intelligence and detachment to fail fast when required
- Must be able to work creatively within a budget
- Strong business knowledge and acumen, understanding a variety of business practices, and familiarity within the retail industry
- Excellent ability to collaborate with executive teams and many different internal and external stakeholders, and garner financial & operational support
- Must have excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to persuasively sell ideas.
- Must be willing to take the right risks, while manage expectations of all stakeholders involved, with a clear roadmap, milestones and investment points

What we can offer you

With us, you will turn your aspirations into reality. We will help shape your journey through enriching experiences, learning and development opportunities and exposure to different assignments within your role or through internal mobility. Our Group offers diverse career paths for those who are extraordinary, every day.

We recognise the value that you bring, and we strive to provide a competitive benefits package which includes health care, child education contribution, remote and flexible working policies as well as exclusive employee discounts.

About the Company

The Chalhoub Group is the leading partner for luxury across the Middle East since 1955. As an expert in retail, distribution and marketing services based in Dubai, the group has become a major player in the fashion, beauty and gift sectors regionally.

By blending its Middle East expertise and intimate knowledge of luxury, Chalhoub Group is building brands in the region, by offering service excellence to all its partners and a unique experience to its customers through its passionate teams.

With a growing workforce of more than 9,000 people, implemented in 14 countries, as well as the operating of over 470 retail outlets, the group's success is attributed to its most valued asset of highly skilled and dedicated teams. Professionalism and passion are what fuel the Chalhoub Group's competitive edge in today's market.

By being committed to implementing sustainable practices into their business, the Chalhoub Group has been awarded in 2013 the CSR Label from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce.