CMO – Growth and Brand — Aftermarket And Services Unit

The mandate

A Japanese aftermarket and services unit holds substantial inventory across original parts, repair kits, consumables and superseded components. Marketing data is organised around past shipments rather than current fleet use, and campaigns promote the same offer to very different asset cohorts. The CMO – Growth and Brand will turn installed-base insight into demand choices that improve useful service and support growth.

Approximately 2,350 employees and material partners sit across service, parts, depots, dealers, digital channels and customer support. The CMO owns market segmentation, proposition, lifecycle campaigns, brand, customer insight, pricing input and demand generation. Supply chain owns stocking policy and sales owns account conversion; the marketing leader provides the demand evidence and customer proposition that make those decisions credible.

The installed base needs validation. Original shipment records do not reveal whether an asset is still operating, transferred, modified or serviced by another party. The CMO will combine service visits, parts consumption, warranty, dealer and customer evidence with explicit confidence levels. Market potential must not be reported as fact where ownership or operating status is unknown.

Lifecycle segmentation will distinguish criticality and behaviour. A customer running continuous infrastructure values planned availability differently from a lightly used workshop. Some fleets need obsolescence planning and last-time buys; others can move to remanufactured or upgraded alternatives. Marketing will create propositions around these needs rather than push surplus stock through discounts.

Demand shaping can improve cash. Bundled maintenance kits, scheduled replacement, consolidated delivery and upgrade pathways can smooth parts use and reduce emergency buffers. However, campaigns must not encourage unnecessary replacement or imply safety consequences without engineering evidence. Customer value and truthful technical communication govern every offer.

Brand trust is earned when end-of-support decisions are handled responsibly. The CMO will ensure clear notice, alternatives, repair options and escalation for critical users. Where the company cannot sustain a part, it should say so early enough for customers to plan. Destroying obsolete inventory without resolving fleet obligation merely moves risk off the balance sheet.

Customer insight must also respect consent and purpose. Service records can reveal operating patterns that customers did not agree to use for marketing. The CMO will define permitted analysis, dealer responsibilities and suppression controls with legal and technology teams. Better segmentation cannot come from repurposing confidential maintenance information or contacting an asset owner through an unauthorised route.

The incumbent plans to retire after a long tenure and will support transition. This planned replacement should retain deep dealer and customer knowledge while modernising insight and campaign discipline. The onsite Osaka role works closely with service engineering, supply chain and regional sales.

What you will own

• Build a confidence-rated view of active fleets, ownership, configuration and lifecycle need.
• Segment customers by asset criticality, service behaviour and future support path.
• Create campaigns that improve planned demand, parts rotation and customer uptime.
• Shape pricing and propositions for original, remanufactured, upgrade and service options.
• Govern brand and technical claims across direct and dealer channels.
• Lead responsible obsolescence and end-of-support communication.
• Connect marketing response to supply, inventory and service-capacity decisions.
• Develop industrial marketers able to use evidence beyond broad awareness measures.

The first 12 months

In the first 75 days, validate representative fleet cohorts, identify inventory whose demand assumption is weakest and review customer communications for critical ageing products. Agree with supply chain which stock requires demand intervention, technical alternative or controlled exit. Capture incumbent knowledge about dealers and fleet history.

By month six, launch cohort-specific lifecycle campaigns, establish dealer data agreements and complete support pathways for priority obsolete families. Demand reviews should distinguish validated fleet, response, conversion, consumption and repeat service. Retire broad promotions that create low-quality orders or channel stocking.

At twelve months, support at least ¥10 billion of sustainable inventory and receivables release, improve planned-parts mix by 15 percentage points and grow service-qualified pipeline by 20%. Campaign-driven forecast error should fall 30%, while critical-part availability remains above 97%. No customer should face an uncommunicated end-of-support event on a protected fleet.

What the sponsor will measure

• Installed-base opportunity qualified rather than inferred from historical shipments.
• Campaigns converting lifecycle needs into predictable useful demand.
• Cash released without pushing obsolete stock into channels.
• Customers receiving responsible support and replacement pathways.
• Marketing evidence improving stocking, pricing and service capacity.
• Dealer trust and brand integrity maintained during portfolio change.

The person

You bring 22–28 years in industrial marketing, aftermarket, service commercial leadership or product management, including Japan. You have used installed-base intelligence to change demand, inventory or lifecycle economics. Consumer brand expertise without long-lived equipment and channel accountability will not be sufficient.

Your prior scope should involve at least ¥150 billion revenue, 1,500 employees and partners or a comparable fleet. Evidence must include an installed-base estimate you corrected, inventory released through demand shaping and an end-of-support communication. Japanese fluency and executive English are required, with strong dealer and technical credibility.

Compensation and terms

The base range is ¥38–50 million plus annual incentive linked to verified demand, working-capital release, lifecycle growth, customer trust and talent. This permanent onsite Osaka appointment reports to the Group Chief Executive or designated sponsor and includes customer travel. Timing will allow an orderly retirement handover.

Confidentiality

The unit, fleet records, inventory exposures, dealers, customers and retirement plan remain private. Identifying data follows qualification, conflicts and signed confidentiality. Candidates must not approach channel partners or customers to determine the enterprise.