An FMCG commercial director owns the revenue and margin a business earns from its customers: they set the commercial strategy, lead the sales or customer teams, agree pricing and trade investment, and are accountable to the board for top-line growth and profitability. In smaller and mid-sized food, drink and household brands, the role often spans sales, category, revenue growth management and sometimes marketing. In larger groups it usually sits over a defined channel or business unit.
What a commercial director in FMCG actually does
The job is less about selling and more about deciding where to compete and at what price. A good commercial director allocates a limited budget of trade spend, people and product across customers and channels, then makes sure the plans are delivered. The core responsibilities usually include:
- Commercial strategy: Choosing which customers, channels and categories to prioritise over a three to five year horizon, and agreeing it with the board.
- Customer leadership: Owning the relationships with the largest accounts, often attending top-to-top meetings with retailer directors.
- Pricing and trade investment: Setting list price strategy, approving promotional plans and making sure trade spend earns a return. Many commercial directors now lead or sponsor a revenue growth management function to do this with data.
- Forecasting and the P&L: Signing off volume and value forecasts, working with finance on margin, and answering for variances.
- Team leadership: Building and developing key account, national account, field sales, category and customer marketing teams.
- Cross-functional planning: Aligning sales plans with marketing, supply chain and operations through the business planning or S&OP process.
Why the role carries so much weight in UK grocery
UK grocery is concentrated, so a commercial director's decisions on a handful of customers can define a supplier's year. Worldpanel by Numerator's figures for the 12 weeks to 2 November 2025 put Tesco at 28.2% of the market, Sainsbury's at 15.7%, Asda at 11.6%, Aldi at 10.6%, Morrisons at 8.3% and Lidl at 8.2%. Grocery inflation was 4.7% over the same period. In that environment, cost price negotiations, promotional strategy and the balance between the big four and the discounters are board-level questions.
Regulation sits alongside this. The Groceries Supply Code of Practice requires the largest retailers to deal with suppliers fairly and lawfully, and the Groceries Code Adjudicator's annual survey covers 14 large retailers. In the 2025 survey, 30% of suppliers said they had experienced a code issue, down from 33% in 2024. A commercial director should know the code well and make sure the team keeps proper records of agreements.
Commercial director vs sales director vs head of national accounts
Titles vary from business to business, so compare scope rather than titles when you write a brief or benchmark pay. The table below shows how the roles commonly differ.
| Role | Typical scope | Usually reports to | Key measures |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial director | All customers and channels, pricing, trade investment, often category and RGM | Managing director or CEO; board member in many mid-sized businesses | Net revenue, gross margin, trade spend return, share |
| Sales director | Sales delivery across customers or a channel; less ownership of pricing strategy | Commercial director or managing director | Volume, revenue, distribution, customer targets |
| Head of national accounts | A group of major retail accounts and the team managing them | Sales or commercial director | Account revenue and margin, joint business plan delivery |
| Chief commercial officer | Group-wide commercial function, sometimes including marketing and international | CEO | Group revenue and margin growth |
FMCG commercial director salary: indicative UK pay
Pay depends heavily on the size of the business, the scope of the role and whether it carries a board seat. Public salary data is not split by sector, so treat the figures below as indicative for all UK commercial director roles at the time of our last update (October 2026), not as an FMCG-specific benchmark.
| Source | Average base salary | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indeed UK (updated 3 October 2026) | £86,691 | £55,944 to £134,336 | Based on 478 reported salaries; base salary only |
| Glassdoor UK | £90,000 | £71,000 to £114,000 base | Additional pay averages £24,000 a year; average total pay about £113,651 |
On top of base salary, FMCG commercial director packages commonly include an annual bonus tied to revenue and profit, a car or car allowance, pension and, in private equity backed businesses, sometimes an equity stake. For broader benchmarks across commercial, product and engineering roles, see our FMCG salary guides.
What to look for when you hire an FMCG commercial director
The strongest candidates can show a sustained record of profitable growth, not just revenue growth bought with trade spend. Look for evidence across four areas: commercial strategy that was actually executed; pricing and trade investment decisions with measurable returns; leadership of a team that improved under them; and credibility with retailer directors and with your own board. Channel experience matters too: a leader from the big four multiples, the discounters, convenience and wholesale or foodservice will bring different instincts.
How to hire an FMCG commercial director
A hiring process designed for a board-level commercial appointment:
- Agree the mandate. Define the revenue and margin ambition, the channels in scope and what the first 12 months must deliver, with the managing director and investors aligned.
- Decide the search model. Senior commercial hires are usually best run as a targeted search. Our guide to retained vs contingency search explains the trade-offs.
- Map the market. Identify leaders in comparable categories and channels, including those not actively looking.
- Assess on evidence. Use structured interviews on strategy, pricing, trade investment and leadership, and ask for numbers behind every claim.
- Set a business case exercise. Give shortlisted candidates real but anonymised data and ask for a 100-day plan and a view on your largest customer.
- Reference thoroughly. Speak to former managing directors, peers in finance and supply chain, and where possible retailer contacts.
- Plan the start. Senior candidates often have long notice periods. Keep them engaged and consider interim cover if the gap is costly.
Questions about the FMCG commercial director role
They own the revenue and margin earned from customers. That means setting commercial strategy, leading sales and customer teams, deciding pricing and trade investment, and answering to the board for growth and profitability.
A sales director is usually focused on delivering volume and revenue through customers. A commercial director typically has wider scope, including pricing, trade investment, category and sometimes marketing, and is accountable for margin as well as sales.
At the time of our last update (October 2026), Indeed UK reported an average base of £86,691 with a typical range of £55,944 to £134,336 across all sectors. Bonus, car allowance and pension are usually added, and pay varies with company size and scope.
Usually a long track record in key account or national account management, followed by leadership of a sales or commercial team. Strong candidates also show experience of pricing, trade investment and building a commercial strategy that was delivered.
Usually the managing director or CEO. In many mid-sized FMCG businesses the commercial director sits on the board or the senior leadership team.
If you are planning a senior commercial appointment, see how our FMCG commercial director recruitment service maps the market and assesses candidates.