Looking for a job

Joao Rodrigues

@joaorodrigues

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I lead national commercial teams to deliver profitable UK drinks-industry growth.

United Kingdom

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What I'm looking for

I'm looking to lead commercial and field sales teams, translating customer and brand priorities into disciplined execution, profitable growth and high-performance cultures.

At Proximo Spirits UK, I lead a national team of seven Key Account Managers across the prestige on-trade channel, covering approximately 950 hospitality and premium venues.

I've built structured coverage models, KPI frameworks and field routines that turn commercial and brand priorities into focused customer execution. In H1 2026, my team delivered 9,466 incremental 9L cases, £663k PLE and £1.5m NSV across priority brands and accounts.

I own a c.£5m customer investment budget and lead the CRM agenda across the business, improving pipeline discipline, forecasting and adoption across UK and Irish teams. I also created the 2026 commercial plan, London prestige strategy and three-year UK on-trade KAM strategy.

My background spans regional field leadership at Field Sales Solutions, sales, account management and trade marketing roles at JTI, and building a food and beverage distribution business from the ground up.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Regional Sales Manager

Current

Proximo Spirits UK

Jan 2024 - Present (2 years 8 months)

Lead a national team of 7 Key Account Managers across the UK prestige on-trade channel, setting commercial priorities and execution standards. Built a structured coverage model and owns a c.£5m customer investment budget.

Key Account Management Team Leadership Commercial Strategy CRM Salesforce Budget Management KPI Frameworks Trade Marketing

Field Sales Leader

Field Sales Solutions

Jan 2022 - Dec 2023 (1 year 11 months)

Led regional field teams across multiple FMCG categories, improving execution standards and customer coverage. Acted as senior commercial interface for national and regional clients.

Field Sales Team Leadership FMCG Customer Management Performance Management

Sales, Account Management, Trade Marketing & Regional Leadership Roles

Japan Tobacco International (JTI)

Jul 2007 - Dec 2021 (14 years 5 months)

Progressed through multiple sales, account management, trade marketing and regional leadership roles within a complex FMCG environment. Led regional teams delivering volume, value and distribution growth.

Sales Account Management Trade Marketing Regional Leadership FMCG Stakeholder Management

Founder & Owner

Food & Beverage Distribution Business

Jan 2009 - Dec 2019 (10 years 11 months)

Built and operated a UK food and beverage distribution business supplying Portuguese and Mediterranean products. Held end-to-end accountability for sourcing, supplier partnerships, pricing, cashflow, profitability and customer growth.

Business Management Distribution Sourcing Supplier Management Pricing Cash Flow Management Customer Growth