Head of Home & Lifestyle - Italy

The Head of Home & Lifestyle – Italy is responsible for end-to-end development of strategic product initiatives, following the initial concept definition and idea generation received, and through to client validation and transition into operational development phases.

This role translates strategic concepts into successful product ranges, overseeing the early lifecycle from initial design direction through to first client presentations. The role ensures that product innovation delivers sustainable profitability while maintaining coherence with brand positioning and market expectations.

Working at the intersection of Creative, Commercial, and Operations, this role drives cross-functional alignment during the concept and early development phases, ensuring a strong foundation before operational execution.

The role reports into the Global Home & Lifestyle Director and acts as the single point of accountability for Italy. The position ensures that global ways of working, brand standards, and commercial frameworks are effectively implemented, while also championing local market opportunities, customer needs, and growth of local market opportunities, customer needs, and growth of global and local brands.

Market Ownership – Italy

• Define and lead the Home & Lifestyle category strategy for the Italian market.

• Act as the primary point of accountability for performance, growth, and delivery in Italy.

• Ensure local market dynamics, consumer behaviour, and retailer needs are fully understood and embedded into strategy and communicated to the wider category team.

• Drive the success of both global and local brands, ensuring optimal market fit and commercial impact.

Global & Local Alignment

• Act as the bridge between Global Home & Lifestyle strategy and Italian market execution.

• Ensure alignment with global ways of working, governance, and brand positioning.

• Adapt global strategies to maximise relevance and performance within Italy.

• Feed local insights back into global strategy to influence future direction.

Category Strategy & Commercial Ownership

• Define and execute the Home & Lifestyle category plan for Italy, aligned to global priorities.

• Identify growth opportunities through market, competitor, and consumer insight.

• Help develop commercially viable product ranges with the category team and campaigns that balance innovation with profitability.

Product & Program Leadership

• Translate strategic concepts into structured product roadmaps and ranges.

• Ensure strong governance, milestone tracking, and risk management across programs.

• Balance client ambition, operational feasibility, and financial performance.

Client & Stakeholder Leadership

• Act as the senior strategic interface for Italian clients and key stakeholders.

• Collaborate with the Brands team to help maintain relationships with retailers, brand partners.maintain

• Lead presentations to clients.

• Ensure solutions meet both client expectations and business objectives.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Help the Category team align with other departments.

• Ensure seamless collaboration from concept through to execution.

• Facilitate decision-making across complex stakeholder environments.

Innovation & Market Insight

• Leverage market intelligence, competitor analysis, and consumer insight to inform strategy.

• Identify and drive innovation opportunities within the Italian market.

• Ensure product and campaign relevance to local cultural and commercial dynamics.

• University Degree

• +10 years of experience in retail, marketing, FMCG, or related fields

• Strong commercial and financial acumen with full ownership of market performance

• Ability to operate at both strategic and executional levels

• Exceptional stakeholder management across global and local environments

• Experience in product management, product development, and/or project leadership

• Strong understanding of market dynamics and consumer behaviour

• Ability to navigate complexity and drive alignment across functions

• Confident client-facing and presentation skills

• Fluent English and Italian

Nice to have

• Experience in customer loyalty