Commercial Director - Asia

About the role

A Hong Kong-based global plastic recycling business is looking for a Commercial Director to build and lead its purchasing and sales team covering the Asia market. The client, founded in 2005, operates in plastic recycling, recycled supply chain management and recycled feedstock, with headquarters in Hong Kong and operations in several other countries. The role moves the region from reactive spot trading toward larger, contracted accounts built through solution-led commercial execution.

Key responsibilities

• Own the Asia commercial plan and translate group strategy into priorities for verticals, customers, suppliers, countries and materials
• Set expectations for team activity, account development, contracted business and pipeline quality, and decide where ground representation is needed
• Build supplier and buyer relationships, create account plans and drive the shift from spot trading to contracted, repeatable business
• Develop solution-led value propositions for priority verticals and accounts, and lead Asia's contribution to becoming First Choice for strategic customers and suppliers
• Coach the team, identify capability gaps and hire only where there is a clear leverage case
• Manage risk and align commercial activity with operations, logistics, finance, compliance and technical capability

Required profile

• 10+ years of commercial, trading, business development, sales leadership or commodity-market experience
• Proven track record of leading or strongly influencing commercial teams across countries, cultures or time zones
• Experience in commodities, recycling, plastics, chemicals, logistics, manufacturing, packaging, freight forwarding or international trade strongly preferred
• Track record of developing strategic accounts, negotiating complex deals and moving from reactive sales to structured pipeline and account planning
• Excellent written and spoken English, with the ability to work across global teams

Required skills

• CRM, commercial reporting and performance management
• Strong financial and commercial acumen, including margin, cash, risk and working capital awareness
• Data and market intelligence literacy