President, North America

Our client is seeking an accomplished President to lead its North American business and build on its strong position within the professional audio, lighting, video and entertainment technology markets.

This is a hands-on, commercially focused leadership role with full responsibility for the performance and growth of the business. The President will lead a talented team across sales, marketing, operations and distribution, while strengthening relationships with manufacturers, dealers, integrators and key customers throughout Canada and the United States.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of professional audio/visual, entertainment technology, specialty distribution or a closely related technical-products industry, combined with proven P&L and general management experience.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Leadership & Growth

• Own the overall performance, profitability and strategic direction
• Develop and execute a clear growth strategy across Canada and the United States
• Identify opportunities to expand market share, distribution partnerships, product categories and customer relationships
• Build strong, long-term relationships with key manufacturers, dealers, integrators and strategic customers
• Translate global corporate objectives into a focused North American business strategy

Sales & Commercial Leadership

• Lead and develop the North American sales organization, establishing clear goals, accountability and performance expectations
• Strengthen dealer, distribution and channel relationships while identifying new routes to market
• Drive profitable revenue growth through customer development, product expansion and strategic partnerships
• Maintain a strong understanding of market trends, competitive dynamics and evolving customer needs

Operations & P&L

• Have overall accountability for P&L, budgeting, forecasting and business performance
• Oversee distribution, inventory, logistics and operational execution
• Ensure the organization has the people, systems and processes required to support continued growth
• Drive operational discipline, efficiency and customer service while maintaining appropriate inventory and working capital
• Partner with Finance and global leadership on financial performance and business planning

Leadership & Culture

• Build a high-performing, accountable and collaborative leadership team
• Develop talent and establish a culture focused on customer service, commercial performance and continuous improvement
• Lead with credibility and visibility, remaining close to customers, employees and the marketplace
• Balance the entrepreneurial nature of the North American business with the resources, standards and expectations of a global organization

Ideal Candidate:

• 10+ years of proven President, General Manager, Managing Director or senior business leadership experience with full or significant P&L responsibility
• Specific experience in professional audio/visual, entertainment technology, specialty distribution, professional lighting, broadcast technology or a closely related technical-products industry
• A strong track record of growing a business through channels, dealers, distributors, integrators and/or strategic accounts
• Experience leading sales, operations and cross-functional teams within a complex organization
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to translate strategy into measurable results
• Experience working with an international parent company or global manufacturer network is highly desirable
• A hands-on, entrepreneurial leadership style combined with the maturity to operate effectively within a global organization
• Strong communication, relationship-building and negotiation skills