Amazon: A New Centralised European Account Management Structure

February 26, 2023 | |
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From 1st April 2023, Colart will establish a new centralised account management team for Amazon.  These changes ensure a future-proof structure to support our single biggest customer in Europe.

The following information details the journey taken to formulate this new structure.

Background

  • Amazon is our single biggest customer in Europe with annual Colart sales-in of £6M
  • Amazon has operations in the majority of countries within Europe
  • In line with our previously communicated plan to create a single mainland Europe business unit, the aim is to leverage synergies across South and North Europe in the account management of Amazon
  • There is currently no clear structure for the management of the Amazon account across mainland Europe with the responsibility part of numerous people’s roles

Future Plan

  • To maximize Colart brand presence, sales, margin, efficiency and long-term sustainable profitability with Amazon in Europe, a new centralized Amazon account management team will be created with effect from 1st April 2023
  • This aligned account management team will have responsibility for Amazon across both Southern Europe (SE) and Northern Europe (NE) including:-
    • Financial ownership for all mainland Europe Amazon income including budgeting and planning though the financial reporting of Amazon will remain part of the accounts for both Northern and Southern Europe
    • Setting commercial terms including promotions and pricing
    • Activation of Amazon plans set by local commercial and marketing teams
    • Coordination of all content, pricing and advertising on Amazon including responding to customer reviews

The plan is for the structure to become more integrated when the two (SE and NE) organizations are fully merged into a single Mainland Europe business unit.

Future organisation chart for the aligned SE+NE Amazon team

Role implications

  • Marc Fleckenstein to become Amazon Account Manager Mainland Europe leading the newly created team
  • Reporting directly to Marc will be two new roles:-
  • Amazon Activation Specialist SE (covering France, Spain and Italy, as well as French speaking Belgium) – this role will be undertaken by Paula Fernández Pais who is based in Madrid
  • Amazon Activation Specialist NE (covering Germany, Sweden, Poland, the Netherlands, as well as Dutch speaking Belgium) – this job holder is to be recruited and location will be appropriate to the area
  • Supporting the team and reporting indirectly to Marc will be three roles:-
  • Amazon SOP Executive NE – this responsibility will be undertaken by Jorge Miró Sánchez who is in Sales Order Processing based in Germany directly reporting to Sabine Siegel
  • Amazon SOP Executive SE – upon returning from maternity leave in April, Delphine Vaucois will appoint someone in her existing team based in Le Mans to undertake this responsibility
  • Mainland Europe Amazon Finance Coordinator – this role will continue to be undertaken by Isabelle Herisson who is based in Le Mans directly reporting to Patricia LeMauff

For people, we are really pleased to see the progression and development that will result together with the knowledge that capability is coming from within Colart through lateral moves: that is exactly what we want.

For the business, the structure builds on a more collaborative model for managing Amazon by mirroring the structures that already exist in the UK and North America. We know this will ensure alignment and the sharing of best practices. This sharing and clarity of accountability for Amazon also facilitates the success that Kevin Lee, Global Director of e-commerce can have as the global functional expert for Amazon through providing aligned guidance, development and support.

Finally, we wish Marc, his team and everyone involved success. We look forward to seeing the growth that can be developed in Europe for Amazon through aligned thinking. 

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