Market Activation Manager – Food & Beverage (F&B)

Market Activation Manager – Food & Beverage (F&B)
Location: Gurugram / Delhi NCR
Company: T&A Consulting
Function: Market Entry | Food & Beverage | Trade Marketing & Market Activation
About the Role
T&A Consulting is looking for an experienced and execution-driven Market Activation Manager – Food & Beverage (F&B) to support international food and beverage companies, industry associations and trade bodies looking to enter, develop and expand their presence in the Indian market.
The role will be responsible for translating market-entry strategies into strong on-ground activation programmes that create awareness, trial, trade engagement and demand for international F&B products in India.
The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience in food & beverage marketing, trade promotions, retail activations, importer/distributor engagement, chef and HoReCa programmes, exhibitions, consumer campaigns and product launches.
This is a highly execution-oriented role requiring someone who can independently plan campaigns, coordinate multiple stakeholders and deliver measurable market activation outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
1) Market Activation & Campaign Execution
Develop and execute market activation plans for international food, beverage and agri-food brands entering or expanding in India.
Translate client market-entry objectives into structured annual and quarterly activation calendars.
Plan and execute integrated B2B and B2C marketing campaigns across trade, retail, HoReCa, culinary institutions and digital channels.
Support new-product launches through sampling, promotions, demonstrations, events and targeted stakeholder engagement.
Identify innovative activation opportunities to increase product awareness, trial and adoption.
2) Importer, Distributor & Trade Engagement
Work closely with importers, distributors, retailers and channel partners to execute market-development initiatives.
Support trade promotions designed to increase product visibility and sell-through.
Coordinate product sampling, retailer promotions, in-store campaigns and trade engagement programmes.
Develop relationships with key stakeholders across the food-service and retail ecosystem.
Support clients in identifying potential commercial partners and market-development opportunities.
3) Retail & Consumer Activation
Plan and manage activations across premium supermarkets, gourmet stores, modern retail and e-commerce platforms.
Develop consumer sampling and promotional programmes to create awareness and encourage product trials.
Coordinate point-of-sale materials, merchandising, promotional displays and retail communication.
Work with retail partners to evaluate activation performance and identify opportunities for scale.
4) HoReCa & Culinary Marketing
Build engagement programmes with hotels, restaurants, cafés, chefs, culinary institutes and food-service professionals.
Organise chef demonstrations, culinary workshops, menu promotions, product tastings and technical seminars.
Develop collaborations with chefs, restaurants and hospitality groups to showcase international F&B products.
Facilitate product education and usage demonstrations for chefs, buyers and food-service professionals.
5) Events, Exhibitions & Trade Shows
Independently plan and execute participation at leading food exhibitions, trade fairs, conferences and industry events.
Manage booth planning, branding, logistics, vendors, product displays and visitor engagement.
Organise B2B trade meetings, networking sessions, buyer-seller interactions and delegation programmes.
Coordinate international delegations and visiting client representatives during India programmes.
6) Influencer & Digital Activation
Work with marketing teams, chefs, food influencers and content creators to amplify campaigns.
Coordinate influencer-led product promotions and digital campaigns.
Support development of campaign content, product stories and promotional material for social-media platforms.
Ensure digital activity complements offline market activation initiatives.
7) Client & Project Management
Act as the day-to-day coordination point for international clients.
Manage multiple projects, vendors and activation partners simultaneously.
Prepare project timelines, campaign budgets and execution plans.
Monitor deliverables and ensure activities are completed within agreed timelines and budgets.
Prepare campaign reports covering participation, reach, engagement, leads, trade response and activation outcomes.
Ideal Candidate Profile
5–8 years of experience in F&B marketing, trade marketing, experiential marketing, brand activation, food promotion or market development.
Prior experience working with food brands, beverage companies, food importers, international food boards, commodity associations or F&B marketing agencies strongly preferred.
Demonstrated experience executing retail promotions, HoReCa activations, chef programmes, trade events and exhibitions.
Strong understanding of India's food retail, hospitality, food-service and distribution ecosystem.
Experience coordinating with importers, distributors, retailers, chefs and hospitality partners.
Ability to independently manage campaigns from concept through execution.
Strong project-management and stakeholder-management skills.
Excellent communication and presentation skills.
Comfortable managing vendors, events, logistics and multiple external stakeholders.
Willingness to travel within India for campaigns, trade events and client programmes.
Preferred Experience
Candidates with exposure to one or more of the following would be particularly relevant:
International food brands | Food Boards | Agri-food promotion | Imported food products | Gourmet foods | Meat & Poultry | Dairy | Nuts & Dry Fruits | Fresh Produce | Packaged Foods | Beverages | HoReCa Marketing | Retail Activation | Trade Marketing
About T&A Consulting
T&A Consulting is a global advisory firm specialising in Market Entry, Investment Attraction, Trade Promotion and International Business Expansion.
Headquartered in Gurugram, India, with an international presence across key global markets, T&A works with overseas companies, government organisations, trade bodies and economic development agencies to help them successfully enter and grow in India and South Asia.
Through our Market Entry practice, we support international companies across the complete market-entry lifecycle — from market research and opportunity assessment to partner identification, business development, in-market representation and market activation.
Our work in the Food & Beverage and Agri-food sectors involves helping international brands and industry organisations understand the Indian market, connect with importers and distributors, engage with retail and HoReCa stakeholders, and build visibility through targeted trade and consumer activation programmes.
Why Join T&A?
This role provides the opportunity to work directly with international brands and organisations entering one of the world's most dynamic consumer markets.
You will have the opportunity to:
Build and execute India-market strategies for global F&B brands.
Work across market entry, trade development and marketing activation rather than traditional brand marketing alone.
Engage directly with importers, distributors, retailers, chefs, hotels and industry stakeholders.
Manage high-visibility campaigns, events and market-development initiatives.
Work in an entrepreneurial consulting environment with significant ownership of client programmes.

Work arrangement
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