General Manager

Accent Group Limited is the leading digitally integrated retail and distribution business in the Apparel and Footwear performance and lifestyle market in Australia and New Zealand. With over 850+ stores, 34 brands and over 30+ online platforms. Our brands include; Glue, Platypus, Skechers, Hype DC, Vans, Dr. Martens, Subtype, The Athletes Foot, CAT, Merrell, The Trybe, Timberland, Stylerunner, Hoka, UGG, Saucony, & Nude Lucy

At Accent Brands, everything begins and ends with the consumer. We are a global leader in lifestyle and performance brands, and we are currently seeking an exceptional General Manager to lead the next phase of growth for Merrell—a recognized leader in outdoor performance footwear—and Saucony, one of the fastest-growing sneaker brands in the world. This is a high-impact role where you will leverage your expertise in performance and outdoor segments, brand management, consumer marketing, and wholesale sales to drive significant brand expansion across global markets.

As the General Manager, you will be a key business leader, responsible for developing and executing the brand strategy while leading the Product Merchandising, Brand Marketing, and Wholesale teams. In partnership with the Executive General Manager, Accent Brands, you will ensure that we meet our fiscal aspirations while upholding and enhancing our global brand principles.

Key Responsibilities:1. Strategic Brand Leadership

Drive Brand Strategy: Collaborate with global and regional brand teams to design and execute impactful brand strategies that resonate with local consumers and drive sustainable growth. As the local lead, you will be responsible for ensuring alignment with Accent's broader global brand vision while tailoring strategies to specific market needs.

Elevate Brand Presence: Champion the brand's presence in all regions, ensuring that the positioning of Merrell and Saucony is differentiated, compelling, and well-aligned with consumer expectations in both the performance and outdoor categories.

2. Market Analysis & Consumer-Centric Execution

Comprehensive Market Review: Lead ongoing analysis of the marketplace, continuously assessing sales trends, competitive dynamics, and shifting consumer preferences. Use this insight to refine strategies, optimize offerings, and maintain a competitive edge.

Cross-Functional Integration: Work closely with the sales, commercial, and direct-to-consumer teams to ensure strategies are consistently aligned across all functions, optimizing the consumer experience and enhancing brand loyalty.

P&L Ownership: Take full responsibility for the P&L of the brand portfolio, overseeing budgeting, forecasting, and financial performance to meet or exceed business objectives. Ensure that investment decisions are aligned with long-term brand and financial goals.

Maximize Commercial Outcomes: Develop a robust pricing strategy that balances brand positioning with commercial effectiveness. Lead efforts to accelerate growth while ensuring healthy margins and profitability.

Lead Cross-Functional Teams: Lead the wholesale, commercial, product, marketing, and training teams, fostering a high-performance culture where collaboration, accountability, and innovation are prioritized.

Mentor & Develop Talent: Provide strong leadership and mentorship to team members, identifying and nurturing emerging talent while ensuring that the team has the tools, skills, and resources to excel in a dynamic marketplace.

5. Commercial Partnerships & Expansion

Strengthen Trading Relationships: Drive the development and execution of commercial trading agreements with strategic accounts and key marketplace partners. Work to enhance relationships with major retailers, distributors, and global stakeholders to maximize reach and profitability.

Global Expansion: Identify and drive opportunities for expansion into new markets or channels, developing tailored strategies to introduce Merrell and Saucony into new global regions while maintaining brand integrity.

6. Go-To-Market (GTM) Leadership

Seamless GTM Execution: Oversee the seamless execution of the go-to-market process across all channels, ensuring that product launches, marketing campaigns, and sales strategies are perfectly synchronized for maximum impact.

Collaborate with Direct-to-Consumer Teams: Partner closely with the General Manager of Direct to Consumer to ensure brands are amplified through owned retail channels—concept stores, outlets, and online platforms—delivering a superior consumer experience across all touchpoints.

Core Competencies & Qualifications:

Proven Executive Leadership: A minimum of 10+ years in senior leadership roles with significant experience in sales, marketing, merchandising, and operations within performance, outdoor, sports, or fashion brands.

P&L and Financial Acumen: Deep experience in managing complex P&L structures, including budget creation, financial forecasting, and driving commercial results.

Strategic & Innovative Thinking: A creative, strategic, and analytical leader with the ability to think long-term while delivering short-term results. Proven track record of identifying opportunities and turning them into actionable strategies that drive growth.

Strong Negotiation & Communication Skills: Exceptional at negotiating with key stakeholders and influencing decisions both internally and externally. You will be an excellent communicator, comfortable presenting to small and large audiences, including executive leadership, partners, and global teams.

Global Mindset: A global perspective with experience working across multiple geographies. Understanding of regional market dynamics, cultural nuances, and consumer behaviors in both outdoor and performance segments.

Results-Driven Leadership: A relentless focus on results, with proven success in delivering measurable outcomes across brand growth, market share, and profitability.

Why Join Accent Brands?

At Accent Brands, you will be at the helm of iconic global brands, shaping the future of both Merrell and Saucony as they continue their journey of global growth. You will lead a passionate team, forge high-level partnerships, and drive innovation across multiple channels and markets. This is a unique opportunity to make a lasting impact on two of the most respected brands in the performance and outdoor categories.

If you are an executive leader ready to shape the future of Merrell and Saucony and inspire the next generation of brand excellence, we want to hear from you.

Apply now to become part of our forward-thinking, dynamic team.

At Accent Group Limited we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace that promotes and values diversity and inclusion. We believe in the diversity of our people across age, gender, identity, race, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical and mental ability. We strive on creating an equal employment environment where everyone from any background can be themselves. The Accent Group acknowledges, and pays respect, to the Traditional Owners and ongoing custodians of the land. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Maori people.

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