Head HORECA Channel

Role Purpose

To build and lead company’s HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, Catering, Cafeterias, Cloud Kitchens, Institutions) business for appliances. The role holder will be responsible for developing the go-to-market strategy, building a national sales organization, creating channel partnerships, winning key accounts, and delivering profitable revenue growth.

 Appliances adoption is growing across restaurants, hotels, institutional kitchens, catering businesses, and cloud kitchens due to energy efficiency, safety, operational consistency, and sustainability benefits. Direct sales, distributors, and key account management are the dominant routes to market in this segment.  

Key Responsibilities

 1. Business Creation & Strategy

 * Develop a 5-year HORECA growth roadmap for the company      

* Create market segmentation strategy:

    * Hotels

    * Restaurant Chains

    * QSR Chains

    * Cloud Kitchens

    * Caterers

    * Hospitals

    * Educational Institutions

    * Corporate Cafeterias

* Define pricing architecture and product portfolio.

* Build annual business plans and sales targets.

 * Establish a pan-India HORECA sales network.

    * Commercial kitchen equipment distributors

    * Regional dealers

    * Project consultants

    * Kitchen contractors

    * Foodservice equipment integrators

* Develop direct sales model for key accounts.

* Create channel incentive programs.

 Direct sales and specialized distributors are critical channels for large HORECA customers because buyers require installation, customization, and after-sales support.  

3. Key Account Management

 Build strategic relationships with:

 * National hotel chains

* Restaurant chains

* QSR operators

* Corporate cafeterias

* Healthcare institutions

* Educational institutions

* Catering companies

 Responsible for: 

* Annual contracts

* National rate agreements

* Multi-location rollouts

* Product standardization programs

 4. Project Sales & Specification

 * Get company’s products specified in new commercial kitchen projects.

* Engage with:

    * Architects

    * Kitchen consultants

    * MEP consultants

    * Hospitality procurement companies

* Develop project pipeline management process.

 5. Product & Solution Development

 Work closely with R&D and Product teams to develop necessary appliance needs.

Provide market feedback for future product development.

6. Demonstration & Culinary Excellence Program

 * Set up commercial kitchen demo centers.

* Build chef engagement programs.

* Conduct live cooking demonstrations.

* Create chef ambassador network.

 7. Service & Customer Experience

 * Build dedicated HORECA service network.

* Define installation standards.

* Ensure rapid service turnaround.

* Develop Annual Maintenance Contract (AMC) business.

 8. Team Building

 Recruit and lead: 

* Regional Sales Managers

* Key Account Managers

* Project Sales Managers

* Application Chefs

* Service Managers

 Build a high-performance B2B sales culture.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

 Year 1 

* ₹25–50 Cr HORECA business

* 50+ active channel partners

* 25+ national key accounts

* 100+ project specifications

 Year 3

 * ₹150–200 Cr business

* Pan-India presence

* Leadership position in appliance category

 Year 5

 * ₹500 Cr+ HORECA business

* Preferred appliance partner for major hotel and restaurant chains

 Candidate Profile

 Education

 * Engineering / MBA preferred

* Degree in Hospitality Management is an added advantage

 Experience

 * 12–20 years in:

    * Commercial Kitchen Equipment

    * Food Service Equipment

    * Hospitality Solutions

    * Institutional Sales

    * HORECA Business Development

 Critical Competencies

 * HORECA channel development

* Key account selling

* Project sales

* Distributor management

* Hospitality procurement processes

* Commercial negotiation

* P&L ownership

* Strategic planning

* Team leadership

* Solution selling