Chief Commercial Officer - East Africa Cluster

Position Summary

The Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for the East Africa Cluster will define and implement a strategic commercial growth plan aligned with CMA CGM Group’s overall objectives. This senior role focuses on advancing market share growth, customer orientation, commercial excellence, digital engagement, cross-selling, partnerships, and business diversification across Kenya, South Sudan, and Uganda.

Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer for Africa and administratively to the Cluster Managing Director, the CCO is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya with expected frequent travel within the region.

Core Responsibilities

• Formulate and implement a comprehensive multi-year commercial strategy supporting Group and regional growth targets.
• Drive sustainable market share and profitable volume increases across all trade lanes, customer segments, and countries in the cluster.
• Lead the identification of emerging market opportunities, expanding logistics corridors, and developing industry verticals.
• Build strategic alliances to boost growth, improve asset utilization, and enhance network competitiveness.
• Promote expansion into inland logistics, multimodal transportation, and integrated supply chain solutions.
• Lead initiatives to cultivate a customer-centric culture, improve satisfaction, and strengthen retention.
• Engage with key strategic customers and stakeholders at the executive level.
• Utilize analytics and market intelligence to enhance sales performance, accuracy of forecasts, and decision-making.
• Support adoption of commercial tools and streamline processes through automation to enhance operational efficiency.
• Leverage cross-selling across CMA CGM, CEVA Logistics, and related Group services to maximize revenue and customer wallet share.
• Develop comprehensive account plans focusing on multi-product penetration and enduring partnerships.
• Establish and monitor commercial KPIs, lead performance reviews, and address deviations effectively.
• Provide visionary leadership fostering accountability, innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement in the commercial teams.
• Contribute to regional business strategies and transformation initiatives, ensuring talent development and succession planning.
• Promote change management and support strategic Group projects to sustain growth.
• Ensure optimal workforce planning aligning organizational structure, skills, and resources with future business needs.
• Encourage employee engagement and foster an inclusive workplace culture that empowers team members.

Required Skills and Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years in progressively responsible commercial leadership roles within shipping, logistics, supply chain, or related sectors.
• At least 5 years in senior regional leadership managing multiple countries or units.
• Industry knowledge in shipping is advantageous.
• Proven success in driving transformational growth, market expansion, and commercial turnarounds.
• Experience with customer-focused strategy execution and digital commercial transformation.
• Competence in preparing annual budgets and volume forecasts.
• Strong analytical, presentation, decision-making, negotiation, and conflict resolution skills.
• Excellent communication abilities for diverse audiences, including translating complex information effectively.
• Proactive, resourceful, and able to share insights and ideas efficiently.
• Comfortable working in an international environment, including overseas travel.
• High cultural sensitivity and awareness.