Head of Supply Chain (APAC, MEA)

ROLE: Vice President Supply Chain (APAC, MEA)

About KONE

KONE is a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry, committed to improving the flow of urban life through safe, reliable, and sustainable people flow solutions. Headquartered in Finland, KONE operates in over 60 countries with a workforce of more than 60,000 employees and a revenue of EUR ~11.2 billion. The company benefits from a well-balanced business model comprising new equipment, modernization, and a strong base of recurring maintenance and service revenues, while continuing to invest in digitalization and operational excellence across its global network.

India represents one of KONE’s most strategic growth markets within the Asia-Pacific region, playing a critical role in both revenue contribution and as an operational and supply chain hub. With its headquarters in Chennai and a major manufacturing facility in Sriperumbudur, KONE India has built strong capabilities across new equipment, modernization, and services. The business has an extensive presence with over 4,300 employees and 40+ branches, serving not only India but also neighboring markets including Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The company’s strong footprint and expanding installed base position it well for continued growth in the region.

KONE Core Values

 

• Customer Focus
• Safety & Quality
• Winning Together
• Courage to Renew
• Trust & Integrity
• Sustainability & Innovation

Role Purpose

The VP Supply Chain will lead end-to-end supply chain operations across Asia-Pacific (excluding China), the Middle East, and Africa, overseeing a highly complex regional network spanning from Morocco to New Zealand.

 

This strategic leadership role is responsible for driving operational excellence, transformation, modernization, and business alignment across the region. The position requires a leader who can combine strategic vision with hands-on execution, strengthen on-ground leadership in India, accelerate decision-making, and drive agility within a dynamic business environment. Operating within a global matrix organization, the role partners closely with R&D, Procurement, Manufacturing, Logistics, Product Management, Installations and Services, influencing outcomes across functions without direct authority. The VP Supply Chain is expected to act as a true business partner, proactively driving cross-functional collaboration and business priorities beyond traditional supply chain boundaries.

 

A key focus of the role will be leading transformation initiatives across modernization, lean manufacturing, digitalization, smart manufacturing, IoT-enabled supply chains, industrialization, make-vs-buy strategies, and cost competitiveness improvement across emerging markets.

 

Based in Chennai, the role requires a strong understanding of the Indian market, operational ecosystem, and cultural environment. While China operations are managed locally, the position serves as an escalation and governance point while collaborating closely with Europe and China leadership teams. This role is part of KONE’s long-term leadership succession pipeline and offers significant global exposure and future advancement opportunities.

 

Location: Chennai, India

 

Key Responsibilities

 

1. End-to-End Supply Chain Leadership

• Lead with strategic intent and optimize end-to-end supply chain operations across the Region, ensuring alignment with business goals and customer requirements.
• Drive performance across key metrics including quality, on-time delivery (OTIF), and cost competitiveness.
• Ensure resilient and efficient supply networks across diverse and high-growth markets.
• Balance long-term strategic transformation with short-term operational execution and business continuity.

 

1. Cross-Functional Influence & Business Partnership

• Act as a strategic partner to Region / Area / Global business leadership teams , contributing beyond traditional supply chain scope.
• Collaborate closely / influence Region / Area / Global R&D, Procurement, Logistics and Commercial teams to deliver integrated outcomes.
• Operate effectively in a matrix environment without direct authority, influencing senior stakeholders across regions and functions.

 

1. Regional & Global Interface

• Oversee supply chain operations across APAC (ex-China), Middle East, and Africa.
• Act as an escalation point and ensure alignment with global supply chain leadership in Europe and Asia.
• Drive consistency while adapting strategies to local market realities.
• Contribute actively to global best-practice sharing and operational capability building.

 

 

1. Transformation & Modernization

• Lead supply chain transformation initiatives to improve agility, speed, and operational effectiveness.
• Accelerate / create buy-in for agile ways of work whilst driving modernization in a historically Europe centered environment, embedding best practices, digital tools, and new ways of working.
• Identify and implement opportunities for process optimization, cost efficiency, and capability enhancement.
• Champion initiatives across:
• Lean manufacturing
• Smart manufacturing
• Digitalization
• IoT-enabled supply chains
• Make-vs-buy optimization
• Industrialization initiatives
• Cost optimization programs
• Supply chain modernization

 

1. Operational Excellence & Execution

• Strengthen on-ground leadership presence, particularly in India, to improve execution speed and responsiveness.
• Ensure robust governance, performance management, and continuous improvement practices.
• Balance short-term operational priorities with long-term strategic initiatives.

 

Success Metrics

• Quality performance across supply operations
• On-time, in-full delivery (OTIF)
• Cost competitiveness, particularly in India and emerging markets
• Measurable progress in transformation and modernization initiatives

 

Key Challenges

• Strengthening local market leadership presence and accelerating execution speed
• Driving transformation within a traditionally Europe organizational culture
• Managing complexity across diverse geographies and market maturities
• Influencing across global and regional stakeholders without direct authority

Desired Candidate Profile

 

1. Experience & Expertise

 

• Proven senior leadership experience in supply chain within global, matrixed organizations
• Strong background in reputed manufacturing and supply chain environments (essential) as well as installation (preferred) and services(preferred).
• Demonstrated success in leading end-to-end supply chain operations across multiple regions.
• Strong exposure to lean manufacturing, digitalization, smart manufacturing, industrialization, and operational excellence initiatives.
• Track record of driving large-scale transformation and operational improvement initiatives.
• Experience working across emerging and developed markets .

 

1. Leadership & Capabilities

 

• Ability to combine operational excellence (execution) with strategic thinking (transformation) .
• Strong influencer capable of operating effectively without formal authority .
• Proven ability to act as a business partner, not just a functional leader .
• Experience navigating complex global structures and cross-functional collaboration .
• Decisive, agile, and comfortable with real-time decision-making in dynamic environments .

 

1. Personal Attributes

 

• High energy, pragmatic, and execution-focused .
• Resilient and adaptable in complex, fast-evolving environments .
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills .
• Cultural sensitivity with global mindset and local market understanding .
• Commitment to building diverse and inclusive teams .

 

Reporting Structure & Organizational Scope

 

• This role is positioned at Connor Grade 2 (VP level) within KONE’s global leadership hierarchy reporting directly to the EVP - Supply Chain, Finland, with full ownership of the Escalator Supply Chain agenda. The position oversees a comprehensive and senior leadership team comprising the
  • Head of APM- Escalator Supply Chain, Chennai
  • Manufacturing Director, Chennai
  • Head of Material Management, Chennai
  • Head of Engineering, Chennai
  • Head of Safety, Quality & Environment, Chennai
  • Head of Product Management, Chennai and
  • Executive Assistant.
• All direct reports operate at the Director level, reflecting the strategic depth and scale of this role.
• The mandate includes end-to-end accountability for driving transformation across manufacturing, engineering, product management, and supply chain operations.
• The role carries significant decision-making authority and is expected to lead large-scale change initiatives, enhance operational excellence, and strengthen global competitiveness.
• With strong global exposure and close alignment with senior leadership, including visibility at the CEO level, this position plays a critical role in shaping the future of KONE escalator supply chain.
• It is designed as a succession pipeline role, offering substantial leadership growth and long-term strategic impact within the organization.

 

Interview Process (RS maybe we should not include this as part of the JD it should be communicated verbally to the candidate)

The selection process consists of four rounds of interaction, designed to assess both leadership capability and functional expertise. This is followed by a mandatory assessment phase, which includes cognitive evaluations, simulations, and business case exercises to further evaluate problem-solving ability, decision-making, and strategic thinking.

 

 

 

ABOUT ALCOTT GLOBAL

Established in 2019, Alcott Global is a global executive search and leadership consulting firm specializing in end-to-end value chain functions — including supply chain, logistics, manufacturing, and procurement.

Headquartered in Singapore, Alcott Global operates across multiple regions including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, serving both Fortune 500 companies and high-growth startups.

The firm partners with organizations to hire and develop leaders at the Board, C-suite, and Senior Executive levels. In addition to executive search, Alcott Global offers leadership development, industry networking platforms, and thought leadership initiatives such as the Leaders in Supply Chain & Logistics podcast and the Makers & Movers global events.

Through its digital arm Supplify, Alcott Global also connects enterprises with innovative supply chain and logistics technology partners, reinforcing its position as a trusted advisor in global value chain transformation.

 

GLOBAL FOOTPRINT

Australia | China | Costa Rica| France | Germany | India | Japan | Mexico| Netherlands | Philippines | Romania | Singapore | Switzerland | UK | USA