Head of Government Relations in London

Location: London, United Kingdom

About the Company

Our client is one of the world's leading retail and digital commerce companies, publicly listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange, with a rapidly expanding footprint across Europe and global markets. Operating across multiple business models—including e-commerce retail, marketplace platforms, private label manufacturing, logistics, and regulated product categories—the company is entering an important phase of European expansion.

As the business scales across six European markets, it is seeking to establish a dedicated Government Relations and Public Policy function to engage credibly with policymakers, regulators, and industry stakeholders and to shape a constructive external environment for long-term growth.

About the Role

This is the first Government Relations & Public Policy hire for the European region. Reporting to the Chief Compliance Officer, the Head of Government Relations will be responsible for building the function from the ground up and defining the company’s public policy strategy across Europe. The role will serve as a senior interface between the business and European institutions, regulators, and government stakeholders. You will work closely with the CEO, CCO, Legal, Compliance, and senior business leaders, with direct exposure to executive decision‑making and strategic growth initiatives. This is a unique opportunity to shape the external policy agenda of a fast‑scaling international business at a pivotal moment in its European expansion.

Key Responsibilities

• Public Policy & Government Affairs Strategy
  • Design and lead the European Government Relations and Public Policy strategy across all six operating markets.
  • Build and maintain long‑term relationships with European, national, regional, and local government bodies, regulators, and industry associations.
  • Position the company as a credible and constructive stakeholder in policy discussions across digital economy, e‑commerce regulation, competition policy, customs, product compliance, sustainability, AI governance, and supply chain regulation.
  • Develop and manage the company’s external policy narrative and regulatory positioning.
• Stakeholder Engagement & External Representation
  • Serve as the primary representative for the company in policy consultations, industry forums, and regulatory engagements.
  • Build strategic relationships with key policymakers, regulators, and institutional stakeholders across Europe.
  • Cultivate partnerships with government bodies at EU, national, and local levels to support business growth and market expansion.
  • Strengthen the company’s reputation and visibility in public policy and regulatory ecosystems.
• Business Enablement & Market Expansion
  • Support regulatory engagement for new business initiatives, including expansion into new markets and regulated categories such as healthcare and private label products.
  • Identify policy opportunities, incentives, grants, and strategic partnerships that support business growth.
  • Ensure alignment between regulatory requirements and commercial strategy in collaboration with internal stakeholders.
• Regulatory Intelligence & Cross-Functional Support
  • Monitor and assess the evolving European regulatory landscape across digital, retail, logistics, sustainability, and emerging technology domains.
  • Translate regulatory developments into actionable insights, advisories, and business recommendations.
  • Work closely with Compliance, Legal, Product, and Operations teams to support regulatory readiness, inspections, and enforcement matters.
  • Contribute to risk identification and mitigation strategies from a public policy perspective.
• Internal Alignment & Communications
  • Act as the key interface between external stakeholders and internal business units.
  • Partner with Public Relations and Corporate Communications teams to ensure consistent external messaging and regulatory positioning.
  • Support crisis response and reputational risk management in coordination with relevant internal teams.
  • Ensure alignment of public policy strategy with broader corporate objectives and compliance frameworks.

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 10–15 years of experience in public policy, government relations, regulatory affairs, or related fields.
• Proven track record of engaging with EU institutions, national governments, and regulatory authorities.
• Strong understanding of the European digital, e‑commerce, and technology regulatory landscape.
• Experience in retail, e‑commerce, technology platforms, logistics, or consumer‑facing industries is highly desirable.
• Experience working with or within multinational or China‑headquartered companies operating in Europe is a strong advantage.
• Experience building or leading government affairs functions, ideally in a greenfield or early‑stage environment.
• Strong strategic thinking and ability to operate at executive and policy level.
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills across public and private sectors.
• Strong understanding of regulatory processes, policy development, and EU institutional frameworks.
• Ability to influence senior internal and external stakeholders with credibility and authority.
• Strong analytical, communication, and negotiation skills.
• Comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, ambiguous, and high‑growth environment.
• Ability to build a function from scratch and operate with a high degree of autonomy and ownership.
• Multilingual capability; Mandarin language skills are a strong advantage.

What We Offer

• Opportunity to establish and lead the Government Relations function for a leading NASDAQ‑listed global retail and technology company.
• Direct exposure to CEO, CCO, and senior leadership teams.
• Unique opportunity to shape the company’s public policy footprint in Europe from the ground up.
• High‑impact role at the intersection of business expansion, regulation, and public policy.
• Competitive executive compensation package and long‑term career development opportunities.