Consumer and retail markets are undergoing significant transformation, but the pace, nature and leadership trends shaping the industry vary across regions. While companies worldwide are navigating inflationary pressures, shifting consumer expectations and rapid technological advancement, the leadership challenges they face are shaped by local market dynamics.
Drawing on insights from EMEA, APAC and the Americas, Kestria's experts Thomas Muhmenthaler, Steve McKinney and Ryan Berrecloth examine the leadership trends shaping the global consumer and retail industry. They explore the executive capabilities, talent challenges and strategic priorities defining successful leadership in 2026 and beyond.
Executive Summary
Consumer & Retail organisations around the world are operating in very different market environments. Despite these regional differences, our conversations with boards and executive teams reveal four common shifts in leadership expectations.
Across all three regions, we see that organisations increasingly value leaders who:
- combine commercial ownership with operational execution
- balance profitability and growth
- lead confidently in increasingly complex environments
- understand both global business dynamics and local market realities
The following perspectives summarise the key leadership observations emerging from EMEA, APAC and the Americas.
How are consumer & retail markets evolving?
EMEA – Pressure on profitability and operational excellence
Across EMEA, businesses are prioritising leaders who translate strategy into financial performance. Commercial success is increasingly defined by disciplined profitability management, pricing, supply chain optimisation and seamless omnichannel execution. Organisations reward executives who take ownership of business performance and deliver sustainable results.
APAC – Digital acceleration and K-commerce
In APAC, leadership expectations are shaped by the pace of digital transformation. Companies seek executives who combine commercial ownership with the agility to navigate rapidly evolving digital ecosystems. Success depends on adapting global strategies to local market realities while responding quickly to changing consumer behaviour.
Americas – Value-conscious consumers and retailer transformation
Across the Americas, businesses increasingly value leaders who combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution. Organisations seek executives who lead across functions, make confident decisions in complex environments and build strong partnerships across commercial, operational and customer-facing teams. Agility, resilience and data-informed decision-making define successful leadership.
How are consumer & retail markets evolving?
EMEA – Pressure on profitability and operational excellence
Across EMEA, businesses are prioritising leaders who translate strategy into financial performance. Commercial success is increasingly defined by disciplined profitability management, pricing, supply chain optimisation and seamless omnichannel execution. Organisations reward executives who take ownership of business performance and deliver sustainable results.
APAC – Digital acceleration and K-commerce
In APAC, leadership expectations are shaped by the pace of digital transformation. Companies seek executives who combine commercial ownership with the agility to navigate rapidly evolving digital ecosystems. Success depends on adapting global strategies to local market realities while responding quickly to changing consumer behaviour.
Americas – Value-conscious consumers and retailer transformation
Across the Americas, businesses increasingly value leaders who combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution. Organisations seek executives who lead across functions, make confident decisions in complex environments and build strong partnerships across commercial, operational and customer-facing teams. Agility, resilience and data-informed decision-making define successful leadership.
What companies look for in executive leaders
Across all regions, organisations are seeking leaders who combine commercial discipline, operational excellence and the ability to deliver measurable business outcomes.
EMEA – Disciplined profitability and omnichannel execution
Across EMEA, businesses prioritise leaders who translate strategy into financial performance. Commercial success depends on disciplined profitability management, pricing, supply chain optimisation and seamless omnichannel execution, with executives expected to take ownership of business performance and deliver sustainable results.
APAC – Commercial ownership and digital agility
In APAC, companies seek executives who combine commercial ownership with the agility to navigate rapidly evolving digital ecosystems. Success depends on balancing platform strategy with operational execution while adapting global business strategies to local market realities.
Americas – Pragmatic, cross-functional leadership
Across the Americas, organisations value leaders who combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution. Executives who lead across functions, build strong partnerships and make confident, data-informed decisions in complex environments are increasingly in demand.
Executive talent landscape
Board priorities
Boards increasingly prioritise executives who deliver commercial results, lead organisational transformation and balance long-term strategy with operational execution.
Scarce talent
Finding executives who combine multiple capabilities remains a global challenge. In EMEA, organisations seek leaders with proven performance in demanding environments. In APAC, bilingual executives with international experience and deep local market knowledge remain in short supply. Across the Americas, demand continues to grow for leaders who combine commercial acumen, operational discipline, digital capability and change leadership.
Competition for talent
Competition for executive talent continues to intensify. Organisations that articulate a compelling leadership vision, empower local decision-making and offer long-term career opportunities are better positioned to attract and retain high-performing leaders.
Five skills defining consumer & retail leaders globally
1. Commercial ownership - Leaders are increasingly expected to take ownership of profitability, pricing, sustainable growth and business performance.
2. Operational excellence - Execution is now as important as strategy, with leaders expected to optimise operations and deliver measurable business outcomes.
3. Digital and omnichannel leadership - Digital capability is a core leadership requirement, combining omnichannel execution, consumer data and digital ecosystems to create competitive advantage.
4. Cross-functional execution - Successful leaders break down organisational silos, align teams and drive collaboration across the business.
5. Leading through complexity - Consumer and retail leaders must combine strategic judgement, adaptability and cultural awareness to make confident decisions in rapidly changing markets.
What this means for international hiring
Successful international hiring requires more than strong leadership talent. It depends on understanding the market dynamics, cultural expectations and organisational realities that shape executive success across international markets.
In EMEA, success comes from clearly defined roles and proven experience in high-performance environments. In APAC, it depends on balancing global objectives with local market knowledge and cultural awareness. In the Americas, organisations succeed by empowering local leadership and giving executives the autonomy to respond to changing market conditions.
Across all regions, organisations that combine global ambition with local relevance are best positioned to attract, retain and develop high-performing leaders.
Kestria Consumer & Retail Practice Group
Kestria's Consumer & Retail Practice Group brings together executive search specialists across more than 40 countries, helping clients across FMCG, luxury, fashion, consumer durables, retail and e-commerce identify leadership talent that drives sustainable business performance. Combining deep local market insight with cross-border collaboration, we help organisations secure executive leaders who thrive in today's rapidly evolving consumer and retail sector.
