The Coca-Cola Company is seeking a dynamic and commercially driven Senior Manager, Customer Development – Airways Channel, to lead the strategic growth of Coca-Cola’s business across the fast-evolving aviation and travel ecosystem in India. This role will own the Airports and Airlines channel, driving business growth, customer partnerships, consumer engagement, execution excellence, and long-term strategic expansion across one of the most premium and high-visibility consumption channels in the country.
The role requires a strong blend of strategic thinking, customer leadership, commercial execution, and cross-functional collaboration to accelerate Coca-Cola’s presence and consumption across airports, lounges, food courts, quick service outlets, airlines, and travel retail environments.
The incumbent will lead engagement with key stakeholders, including airport operators, concessionaires, airline partners, bottlers, and internal network teams to deliver sustainable and scalable growth for the business.
Strategic Channel Leadership
P&L Responsibility of the Airways channel for India
Develop and execute the overall growth strategy for the Airways channel across India.
Drive Coca-Cola’s commercial agenda across airports, airlines, lounges, and associated travel consumption touchpoints.
Identify emerging trends and opportunities in India’s rapidly expanding aviation ecosystem and translate them into scalable business opportunities.
Lead Coca-Cola’s participation in new airport launches, terminal expansions, and aviation infrastructure developments to expand channel footprint and visibility.
Customer & Partner Management
Build and strengthen strategic partnerships with leading airport operators and aviation ecosystem stakeholders (GMR, DIAL, Adani, TFS, HMS etc)
Lead commercial engagement and relationship management with major airline partners (Air India, Indigo etc)
Negotiate, renew, and enhance long-term strategic contracts and business agreements to maximize value creation and competitive advantage.
Develop joint business plans with customers to drive category growth, visibility, and consumer engagement.
Business Growth & Commercial Excellence
Drive revenue, volume, transaction incidence, and profitability growth across the channel.
Design and implement flagship activation programs and promotional campaigns to increase Coca-Cola consumption and brand engagement within travel environments.
Lead initiatives to expand the footprint of:
Automatic Vending Machines (AVMs)
Smart coolers and modern dispensing solutions
Digital consumer engagement platforms
Develop differentiated pack-price architecture and channel-specific commercial strategies tailored to the unique needs of the Airways ecosystem.
Improve execution standards across outlets, lounges, food courts, kiosks, and inflight environments.
Consumer Experience & Brand Visibility
Enhance Coca-Cola’s premium brand presence across travel touchpoints through innovative visibility, communication, and experiential marketing programs.
Create consumer-centric initiatives that improve beverage accessibility, convenience, and engagement during the travel journey.
Partner with marketing teams to deliver impactful campaigns aligned with passenger behaviour and evolving travel trends + drive Innovation.
Cross-Functional & Bottler Collaboration
Work closely with Coca-Cola bottling partners and network organisations to ensure seamless execution, supply continuity, and operational excellence.
Collaborate with commercial, supply chain, marketing, finance, legal, and operations teams to drive integrated business delivery.
Ensure high service levels, compliance standards, and strong operational governance across the channel.
Execution & Operational Excellence
Monitor business performance through robust analytics, KPI tracking, and market insights.
Ensure execution excellence across all customer touchpoints through regular business reviews and operational rigor.
Qualification & Requirements
Master’s degree in Business Administration or related field preferred
8+ years of experience with key account management, sales, marketing or related field
Experience in a cross-functional or highly matrixed organisation
Proficiency in market & shopper insights, segmentation and product commercialisation
Iconic Brand: Work on the most recognised brand in the world and be part of developing the brand's next chapter.
Exposure to World Class Leaders: Access to global leaders that will expand your network and exposure.
Channels Strategy, Customer Insights, Leadership, Market Segmentation, Personal Initiative, Prioritization, Sales Channel Development, Strategy Development
Location(s):
India
City/Cities:
Gurugram
Travel Required:
51% - 75%
Relocation Provided:
Yes
Job Posting End Date:
June 12, 2026
Our Purpose and Growth Culture:
We are taking deliberate action to nurture an inclusive culture that is grounded in our company purpose, to refresh the world and make a difference. We act with a growth mindset, take an expansive approach to what’s possible and believe in continuous learning to improve our business and ourselves. We focus on four key behaviors – curious, empowered, inclusive and agile – and value how we work as much as what we achieve. We believe that our culture is one of the reasons our company continues to thrive after 130+ years. Visit Our Purpose and Vision to learn more about these behaviors and how you can bring them to life in your next role at Coca-Cola.
Annual Incentive Reference Value Percentage:15
Annual Incentive reference value is a market-based competitive value for your role. It falls in the middle of the range for your role, indicating performance at target.
