Digital AI and Innovation Leader

Job Description We are seeking an experienced Asia Digital, AI & Innovation Lead to spearhead our digital transformation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) initiatives across the dynamic and diverse Asia region. This pivotal role will be responsible for defining, driving, and executing our digital and AI strategy, ensuring strong alignment with global objectives while fostering regional collaboration, maximizing reuse of solutions, and championing regional needs with our global teams. This is a unique opportunity to shape the digital future of our business in Asia, impacting how we engage with customers, optimize operations, and drive innovation. Key Objectives of the Role: - Strategic Alignment: Lead the development and execution of digital and AI strategies across Asia, ensuring seamless alignment with global digital directions and overall business objectives. - Maximizing Reuse & Efficiency: Drive a culture of build once, use many times by identifying opportunities for common solutions, platforms, and AI models across countries within the region, thereby enhancing efficiency and reducing redundant efforts. - Regional Collaboration & Synergy: Foster strong collaboration and knowledge sharing among country-level digital and AI teams, creating a cohesive regional digital ecosystem. - Regional Advocacy & Global Influence: Act as the primary conduit between Asia regional teams and global digital/AI leadership, articulating regional needs, challenges, and opportunities to influence global roadmaps and priorities. - Driving Innovation & Growth: Identify, pilot, and scale innovative digital and AI solutions that unlock new business value, improve customer experience, and enhance operational effectiveness across the region. - Diverse Technology experience: Strong understanding of technology and its applicability in different scenarios. Defining and translating functional need into a right technology solution to help take a decision of build vs buy vs reuse. Key Responsibilities: - Develop and implement a comprehensive digital and AI roadmap for the Asia region, in close collaboration with country leads and global stakeholders. - Identify, evaluate, and prioritize digital and AI initiatives based on strategic impact, business value, and alignment with global guidelines. - Lead the adoption and localization of global digital and AI platforms, tools, and methodologies across Asian markets. - Establish and lead regional communities of practice for digital and AI, promoting best practices, knowledge sharing, and capability building. - Champion the reuse of digital assets, data models, and AI components across different countries within Asia to accelerate delivery and reduce costs. - Collaborate closely with global digital, AI, IT, and business leadership to advocate for regional requirements and ensure they are incorporated into global strategies and product backlogs. - Monitor regional digital and AI performance, tracking key KPIs (e.g., customer engagement, conversion rates, operational efficiency, AI model performance) and providing regular reports to regional and global leadership. - Stay abreast of emerging digital technologies, AI trends, and competitive landscape in Asia to identify new opportunities and threats. - Manage relationships with key external partners, vendors, and technology providers in the digital and AI space. - Build, mentor, and develop a high-performing team of digital and AI professionals across the region (potentially with direct reports or matrixed leadership). - Ensure all digital and AI initiatives comply with regional regulations, data privacy laws, and ethical AI principles. Qualification: - Engineering / Business Administration Masters degree - Overall 10 to 15 years of experience and 2+ years in leading regional or multi-country digital/technology initiatives within Asia. - Experience in B2C, B2B or B2O environments is highly desirable. - Proven track record of successfully implementing large-scale digital platforms, customer-facing applications, and/or AI/ML solutions. - Deep understanding of digital marketing, e-commerce, customer experience (CX), data analytics, and emerging AI technologies (e.g., Generative AI, Machine Learning). - Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate business objectives into actionable digital and AI strategies. - Exceptional leadership, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability to engage and align stakeholders at all levels, both regionally and globally. - Demonstrated ability to drive collaboration and achieve results in a complex, matrixed organizational structure. - Experience with Agile methodologies and DevOps principles. - Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret data and make data-driven decisions. - Cultural sensitivity and experience working effectively in diverse Asian markets. - Fluent in English (written and spoken).