ABOUT KENDO  

Kendo is the small but mighty force behind your favourite beauty products. A play on the words “can do,” Kendo is redefining the beauty industry through next-generation products, visionary campaigns and unforgettable retail presence. Kendo creates original founder brands, partnering with major faces from fashion and entertainment. The house of brands currently includes KVD Vegan Beauty, Fenty Beauty by Rihanna, Fenty Skin, Ole Henriksen, and Lip Lab. We tell their stories to bring to life the dream products you’ve always wanted but have never been able to find. 

POSITION SUMMARY  

The Brand & Marketing Manager is responsible for orchestrating and executing the brand and marketing strategy for the SEA & India region. Reporting to the Senior Marketing Manager, this role leads the development and implementation of brand positioning, messaging, and consumer engagement across all touchpoints, ensuring a cohesive and impactful brand presence.  

The Brand & Marketing Manager drives the planning and execution of comprehensive 360° marketing initiatives, manages the marketing calendar and budget, and collaborates closely with commercial, retail, and education teams to optimize brand performance and market share. Additionally, this role oversees in-store visual merchandising, leads special projects and consumer events, and partners with PR and social media teams to ensure alignment with brand objectives. The ideal candidate is a strategic thinker and hands-on leader with deep experience in brand management and marketing within the beauty industry, a proven track record in the SEA & India markets, and a passion for building strong cross-functional relationships in a dynamic, fast-paced environment. 

RESPONSIBILITIES  

Brand Management  

• [Brand strategy & overall brand expression] Responsible to strategize, define and implement the brands’ mission, objectives and positioning in the market. Oversees the consistency & timely delivery of brand messaging across all touchpoints and all stakeholders. 

• [Brand spokesperson] Serves as the brands’ spokesperson, ensuring to maintain a cohesive narrative (brand messaging, brand positions, brand values) across PR, social media, Advertising, Retail & Education.  

• [Lead brand strategy] Lead all brand meetings and support negotiations to secure optimal support from retail partners.  

• [Consumer engagement] Responsible to design and oversee the consumer engagement journey in collaboration with cross functional stakeholders to achieve brands objectives. 

• [Consumer feedback & Product Enhancement] Collaborate with cross functional team to consolidate and share consumer insights to global teams, offering region-specific product enhancement suggestions and championing regional requirements (from brand assets to engagement activities) 

• [Consumer & Market Insight research] Stay abreast of makeup trends, innovations, and regulatory changes in SEA & India. Analyse market trends, consumer behaviour, and the competitive landscape to identify opportunities and inform marketing plans. Integrate digital and social-first thinking into core brand strategies. 

Marketing  

• [Marketing Calendar] Owns the development and management of Marketing Calendar. Responsible to design milestones to achieve brand strategy & aligned KPI. Responsible to ensure all key stakeholders are consulted, informed and aligned on the identified priority in a timely manner.  

• [360 Marketing Plan] Lead the planning and execution of comprehensive marketing strategies for SEA & India, spanning paid media, partnerships, promotions, CRM, sampling, retail events, and brand-led initiatives, ensuring alignment with overall brand direction. 

• [Budget Management] Own and manage the brand’s marketing budget, ensuring responsible spending and achievement of ROI targets. 

• [Commercial & Retail Partnership] Collaborate with commercial, retail, and education teams to develop tools and materials that drive sell-through and optimize brand presence with retail partners and distributors. 

• [Special projects / task force member] May be appointed to lead or participate in special projects (e.g., always-on campaigns, combat plans), ensuring brand cohesiveness, effective execution, and achievement of KPIs. 

• [Consumer events] Lead and oversees the end-to-end design and execution of consumer events, ensuring consistency with brand guidelines, objectives and delivering a cohesive brand experience.  

• [Pricing & Forecast] Define pricing strategies for new launches and review annual price adjustments. Lead product launch forecasting and collaborate with Planning and Retail teams to maintain optimal stock levels, particularly for key products (eg: Key bets, Top SKUs, Hot off Press etc) 

• [Project & Campaign delivery management] Lead the delivery of marketing projects and campaigns, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timely execution. 

• [Campaign & Reporting Management] Measure and analyze the effectiveness of marketing campaigns and activities. Provide actionable insights and recommendations to the Senior Marketing Manager for continuous improvement. 

PR 

• [PR & Content Strategy] Partner with the PR and Social Media team to ensure all PR and social media strategies are aligned with brand objectives and guidelines. 

Visual Merchandising  

• [In-Store Representation] Oversee the brand’s in-store visual merchandising and gondola displays, ensuring they are updated seasonally to reflect new launches and discontinuations, and are consistent with brand guidelines. 

• [Retail Collaboration] Work closely with the retail and education teams to ensure timely implementation of marketing mechanics and visual updates at the counter. 

General  

• Foster strong relationships with internal teams and external partners to secure aligned support and resources for all marketing initiatives. 

• Actively contribute to a collaborative, entrepreneurial, and creative team culture in line with Kendo SEA values. Mentor and support team members, promoting a positive and high-performance work environment. 

• Identify and implement processes, tools, and procedures to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of brand and marketing operations. 

• Take ownership for achieving key brand KPIs, leveraging insights from the team and reporting progress and recommendations to the Senior Marketing Manager. 

REQUIREMENTS  

• 8 to 10 years’ experience in a Brand or Marketing role. Beauty Industry a plus.  

• Experience in Southeast Asia and India markets. 

• Strategic thinker and brand builder.  

• Team player that inspires others and collaborates cross functionally. 

• The ability to work in a fast-paced environment and juggle multiple priorities.  

• Strong organizational, keen attention to detail, follow-up skills, hands-on in getting things done. 

• Strong business acumen and analytical skills, results oriented. 

• Good interpersonal skills high level of integrity.  

• Can do attitude, flexible with an ability to work with a level of ambiguity.  

• Ability to deploy ideas effectively and present to Senior Management.  

• Proactively collaborate to strengthen the core values and culture of Kendo Brands.