Reinvention Lead - Retail, Consumer Goods & Manufacturing

SUMMARY

The senior Retail, Consumer Goods and Manufacturing leader for Avanade Next, based in Japan with APAC reach. Responsible for building transformation demand with retailers, consumer brands and manufacturers where AI can improve growth, margin, supply resilience, operational performance and modernisation outcomes.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Sector Leadership & Market Presence

• Own the sector portfolio across Japan and APAC.

• Develop transformation plays across customer growth, digital commerce, demand planning, supply chain, plant operations, quality and platform renewal.

• Build senior relationships with clients, Microsoft Japan, ecosystem partners and industry groups.

Executive Advisory & Business Growth

• Advise Boards and executive teams on growth, productivity, resilience, margin improvement and technology transformation.

• Shape investment cases that connect AI, data, operations and modernisation to measurable business outcomes.

• Partner with Client Groups, Account Teams, domain leads and Microsoft Japan to convert sector opportunities into signed work, including the confirmed co-sell bets on modernisation and connected operations.

Transformation Leadership

• Bring industry expertise into major programmes spanning customer, supply chain, operations, workforce and modernisation.

• Help clients prioritise opportunities, sequence investments and define delivery roadmaps.

• Work with Value Architects, Trust Architects and FDEs to move from senior intent to working solutions.

Capability & Practice Development

• Build sector capability in Japan and across APAC through hiring, mentoring and leadership.

• Develop reusable industry assets, benchmarks, value cases and modernisation plays.

• Contribute to Avanade Next market positioning in Japan and the wider region.

KEY MEASURES

• Growth of sector pipeline across Japan and APAC.

• Contribution to signed transformation revenue, including Japan lighthouse opportunities.

• Qualified Microsoft Japan co-sell pipeline linked to AI and modernisation.

• Executive relationships established in priority sector accounts.

• Reusable sector assets and benchmarks contributed to APAC capability.

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SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• 10+ years in retail, consumer goods, manufacturing or related consulting environments.

• Business-level Japanese and fluency in Japanese executive decision-making.

• Strong understanding of sector economics, customer engagement, supply chains and operations.

• Experience shaping business cases and large-scale transformation programmes.

• Established senior network in Japan strongly preferred.

• Understanding of the legacy and mainframe estate common in Japanese enterprises and what modernisation genuinely requires.

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