Deputy General Manager - Economic Zone - Cochin

Key Responsibilities

A. Business Strategy & P&L Management

• Own and deliver the annual business plan, revenue, EBITDA, cash flow, and return-on-capital targets for the FTWZ business.

• Develop and execute short-, medium-, and long-term business strategies aligned with the organisation's overall logistics and supply chain objectives.

• Drive sustainable revenue growth through new customer acquisition, expansion of existing accounts, and development of new service offerings in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Improve profitability through pricing optimisation, productivity improvement, cost management, and effective resource allocation.

• Maximise warehouse occupancy, revenue per square foot, throughput, and asset productivity.

• Identify opportunities for capacity enhancement, infrastructure development, and strategic partnerships.

• Lead annual budgeting, forecasting, performance reviews, and capital investment proposals.

B. Commercial Growth & Business Development

• Develop and execute a robust commercial strategy to position the FTWZ as a preferred international trade and distribution hub in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Build a strong sales pipeline targeting multinational corporations, global traders, importers, exporters, manufacturers, and logistics service providers in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Drive customer acquisition across sectors including electronics, automotive, engineering, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and industrial products in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Develop differentiated customer solutions leveraging FTWZ benefits such as customs duty deferment, inventory positioning, re-export facilitation, and permitted value-added services.

• Strengthen relationships with global freight forwarders, shipping lines, customs brokers, 3PL providers, and trade intermediaries in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Collaborate with internal business verticals to develop integrated multimodal logistics and end-to-end supply chain solutions in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Establish strong commercial governance covering pricing discipline, contract profitability, customer retention, and receivables management.

C. FTWZ Operations & Service Excellence

• Provide overall leadership for FTWZ warehousing, cargo handling, inventory management, and customer fulfilment operations.

• Ensure operational excellence across inbound handling, storage, inventory control, outbound dispatch, re-export, and permitted value-added activities.

• Drive warehouse productivity, space optimisation, equipment utilisation, and cost efficiency.

• Establish and monitor operational KPIs covering turnaround time, inventory accuracy, throughput, service levels, safety, and customer satisfaction.

• Champion technology adoption, including WMS, ERP integration, automation, digital customer interfaces, and real-time inventory visibility.

• Ensure robust operational controls, standard operating procedures, business continuity planning, and risk management.

• Lead continuous improvement initiatives using Lean, Six Sigma, and other operational excellence methodologies.

• Maintain high standards of workplace safety, security, environmental management, and infrastructure maintenance.

D. Regulatory Compliance & Trade Facilitation

• Ensure full compliance with applicable SEZ legislation, FTWZ regulations, customs requirements, and other statutory obligations.

• Oversee regulatory governance relating to bonded inventory, authorised operations, customs documentation, duty treatment, and movement of goods.

• Ensure accurate inventory reconciliation, statutory reporting, audit readiness, and maintenance of prescribed records.

• Maintain effective working relationships with the Development Commissioner, Specified Officer, Customs authorities, and other relevant regulatory bodies.

• Ensure that FTWZ activities, customer transactions, and value-added services are undertaken within applicable regulatory approvals.

• Identify regulatory developments and translate them into compliant commercial opportunities and operational improvements.

• Strengthen internal controls to minimise compliance exposure, financial leakage, and operational risks.

E. Customer Relationship Management

• Build and maintain senior-level relationships with key customers and strategic accounts along with CCO Logistics.

• Ensure high customer satisfaction through reliable service delivery, responsiveness, transparency, and proactive issue resolution.

• Develop customer-specific supply chain solutions that improve inventory efficiency, distribution flexibility, and overall landed-cost competitiveness in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

• Lead structured key account reviews and customer profitability assessments.

• Drive contract renewals, customer retention, wallet-share expansion, and long-term strategic relationships in conjunction with CCO Logistics.

F. Infrastructure, Capacity & Asset Management

• Optimise utilisation of existing FTWZ infrastructure and warehouse capacity.

• Evaluate investments in warehousing facilities, material-handling equipment, automation, and supporting infrastructure.

• Lead business cases for expansion projects based on market demand, financial viability, and strategic alignment.

• Ensure effective facility management, maintenance planning, and infrastructure reliability.

• Drive disciplined capital expenditure management and asset lifecycle optimisation.

G. Leadership & Organisation Development

• Build, lead, and develop a high-performing, commercially driven, customer-focused FTWZ organisation.

• Establish clear accountability across commercial, operations, finance, customer service, and compliance functions.

• Develop leadership capabilities, succession plans, and critical talent pipelines.

• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, safety, integrity, and continuous improvement.

• Ensure effective coordination with corporate and shared-service functions, including Finance, HR, Legal, IT, Procurement, and HSE.

5. QUALIFICATIONS, EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

Candidate Profile

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Supply Chain Management, Logistics, International Trade, or Business Administration.

• MBA or postgraduate qualification in Business Management, Supply Chain, or International Business preferred.

Professional Experience

• 10–15+ years of relevant experience in logistics, supply chain management, contract logistics, international trade, warehousing, or economic zones.

• Minimum 5–7 years in a senior leadership role with substantial commercial, operational, and financial accountability.

• Demonstrated experience managing large-scale logistics operations or asset-intensive businesses.

• Proven track record of driving revenue growth, profitability, customer acquisition, and business transformation.

• Strong exposure to FTWZ, SEZ, customs-bonded warehousing, international distribution, or EXIM logistics is highly desirable.

• Experience managing complex stakeholder ecosystems, including multinational customers, regulators, and strategic business partners.

Critical Competencies

Business & Commercial Acumen

• Strong P&L orientation and financial discipline.

• Strategic thinking with an entrepreneurial mindset.

• Commercial understanding and key account management.

• Market development and solution-based selling.

Operational & Domain Expertise

• Deep understanding of warehousing and integrated logistics operations.

• Knowledge of FTWZ/SEZ frameworks, customs processes, and international trade.

• Asset optimisation and operational excellence.

• Digital transformation and technology-enabled logistics.

Leadership Capabilities

• Ability to lead cross-functional teams and manage diverse stakeholders.

• Strong execution orientation and results accountability.

• Customer-centric decision-making.

• Change leadership and organisation-building capability.

• High standards of governance, ethics, and compliance.