Exec Capital Recruitment
Chief Executive Officer - Barbados / St. Lucia
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Chief Executive Officer - Barbados / St. Lucia
Description
The Opportunity
Our client is a profitable, well-established distribution business operating across Barbados and St. Lucia. The company holds exclusive master distribution rights for premium international leisure and utility vehicle brands, alongside complementary product lines, and serves resort, commercial, and private clients across the Eastern Caribbean.
With revenues of approximately in the low $USD millions and healthy profitability, the business has been founder-led since inception. The shareholders now wish to appoint an experienced Chief Executive Officer to lead the next phase of growth, professionalise the operating platform, and prepare the company for a successful exit within three to five years. The current Managing Director, a founding shareholder, will transition to a non-executive role and remain available to support the incoming CEO.
Responsibilities
The Role
- Full P&L ownership of a two-territory distribution group, reporting to the shareholder board.
- Develop and execute a growth strategy: deepen resort and commercial channels, expand the product portfolio, and evaluate entry into additional Caribbean territories.
- Strengthen supplier relationships with international brand principals and negotiate distribution terms, territory rights, and stock programmes.
- Professionalise operations: financial reporting, inventory and working capital management, after-sales and service standards, and team development across both islands.
- Build the management bench so the business is demonstrably not dependent on any one individual – a core driver of exit value.
- Lead exit readiness: clean financials, documented processes, contracted revenue streams, and a credible equity story for trade or private buyers.
- Manage the transition of the founding Managing Director into a non-executive capacity, preserving key relationships and institutional knowledge.
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Qualifications
The Candidate
- A senior leader with 20–30 years of experience, including P&L leadership of a distribution, dealership, leisure, marine, automotive, or premium consumer products business.
- Track record of growing an SME or business unit and, ideally, direct experience of preparing a business for sale or leading through a transaction.
- International or UK experience with the credibility to manage relationships with global brand principals.
- Hands-on operator comfortable leading a lean team across two island territories; equally capable in the warehouse, the boardroom, and in front of resort clients.
- Willing to relocate to the Caribbean (Barbados base preferred) for a five-to-six-year tenure. Candidates seeking a fractional arrangement with meaningful in-territory presence may also be considered.
- Commercially astute, financially literate, and motivated by equity-style upside rather than fixed compensation alone.
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Job Benefits
The Package
- Base salary: US$160,000–$180,000 per annum, dependent on experience and structure. Company Car, private health
- Performance bonus: 25–40% of base, tied to EBITDA growth and agreed strategic milestones.
- Exit participation: a transaction bonus or phantom equity arrangement linked to enterprise value achieved at exit – designed to deliver a six-figure outcome on a successful sale. Terms to be agreed with shareholders.
- Total earning potential: US$250,000+ per annum on plan, with the principal reward realised at exit.
- Benefits: relocation support, private healthcare, annual return flights, and work permit sponsorship. Local personal tax rates compare favourably with the UK.
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