Head of Retail Strategy & Leasing

Head of Retail Strategy & Leasing

Location

Johor Bahru, Malaysia (Open to candidates currently based in Singapore)

 

About the Opportunity

Our client is an established property developer with a strong track record in township, mixed-use, commercial, and lifestyle developments across Malaysia.

As part of its continued growth, the company is seeking an experienced retail leader to help shape the future of its retail and lifestyle destinations.

This is not a traditional leasing role focused solely on occupancy management and lease renewals.

The successful candidate will play a key role in defining retail concepts, curating tenant ecosystems, developing placemaking strategies, attracting destination-driving brands, and creating vibrant lifestyle environments that enhance community engagement and long-term asset value.

Working closely with senior leadership, this individual will have the opportunity to influence projects from concept and planning stages through to execution and ongoing performance.

 

Key Responsibilities

Retail Strategy & Destination Development

• Develop and execute retail strategies across multiple developments.

• Participate in shaping retail concepts, customer experiences, and destination positioning.

• Define the overall vision, retail proposition, and customer journey for future developments.

• Conduct market analysis to identify emerging lifestyle, wellness, F&B, experiential, and retail trends.

• Evaluate customer demographics, market demand, and competitive developments to support strategic decision-making.

• Identify opportunities to create destination-led developments that drive visitation, engagement, and long-term value creation.

Tenant Curation & Leasing

• Curate and develop a differentiated tenant ecosystem aligned with each development's vision and target audience.

• Identify and secure anchor tenants, lifestyle operators, F&B concepts, wellness providers, entertainment offerings, and experiential retail concepts.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with retailers, operators, and business partners.

• Lead commercial negotiations and lease discussions.

• Drive occupancy, rental growth, and overall portfolio performance.

Placemaking & Community Building

• Collaborate with internal teams to create engaging retail environments and destination experiences.

• Support the development of community-focused initiatives, events, and activation programs.

• Develop strategies that encourage repeat visitation and strengthen customer engagement.

• Contribute to creating lifestyle destinations that become integral parts of the surrounding communities.

Market Intelligence & Consumer Insights

• Monitor retail market trends, consumer behaviour, and emerging lifestyle concepts.

• Develop insights into changing customer expectations and retail experiences.

• Identify opportunities to introduce new brands, concepts, and experiences into the developments.

• Evaluate regional and cross-border retail trends to support future growth opportunities.

Stakeholder Management

• Work closely with Asset Management, Marketing, Operations, Finance, and Development teams.

• Partner with internal stakeholders to align retail strategies with broader business objectives.

• Build strong relationships with retailers, consultants, operators, and external partners.

• Present recommendations, business cases, and strategic initiatives to senior management.

Team Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop the retail leasing and strategy function.

• Establish performance standards, best practices, and operating frameworks.

• Foster a collaborative and high-performance culture.

• Build team capabilities to support future portfolio growth.

Systems & Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement across leasing processes, reporting, and operational workflows.

• Support the optimisation of leasing administration systems and retail performance analytics.

• Enhance data-driven decision-making through effective reporting and performance monitoring.

 

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Marketing, Real Estate, Property Management, Urban Development, or a related discipline.

Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience spanning retail strategy, retail leasing, retail asset management, mixed-use developments, destination development, commercial property, or related sectors.

• Proven track record in tenant acquisition, commercial negotiations, and retail strategy development.

• Experience working with lifestyle, F&B, wellness, entertainment, community-focused, or experiential retail concepts.

• Exposure to new developments, destination creation, placemaking initiatives, asset enhancement projects, or retail repositioning projects will be highly advantageous.

• Strong understanding of retail market trends, consumer behaviour, and customer experience design.

Preferred Experience

Candidates with experience in one or more of the following areas will be highly regarded:

• Destination retail developments.

• Lifestyle precincts.

• Mixed-use developments.

• Retail asset enhancement initiatives.

• Community-focused retail concepts.

• Experiential retail environments.

• New retail destination launches.

• Retail placemaking and activation projects.

Key Competencies

• Retail strategy and destination development.

• Retail leasing and commercial negotiations.

• Tenant mix planning and ecosystem curation.

• Placemaking and customer experience design.

• Market analysis and consumer insights.

• Stakeholder management and influence.

• Leadership and team development.

Personal Attributes

• Commercially driven with strong business acumen.

• Strategic thinker with a passion for creating compelling retail experiences.

• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfortable operating in a growth environment.

• Strong relationship builder with the ability to influence senior stakeholders.

• Curious, innovative, and customer-centric.

• Collaborative and highly effective in cross-functional environments.

 

Why Join?

• Opportunity to shape new retail and lifestyle destinations from the ground up.

• Significant exposure to senior leadership and strategic decision-making.

• Influence retail concepts, placemaking strategies, and tenant ecosystems from the earliest stages of development.

• Join an organisation committed to creating vibrant, community-focused destinations.

• Play a key role in shaping the future of multiple retail and mixed-use developments.

 

Job Requirements: Retail strategy, Destination development, Retail leasing, Commercial negotiations, Tenant mix planning, Ecosystem curation, Placemaking, Customer experience design, Market analysis, Consumer insights, Stakeholder management, Influence, Leadership, Team development, Tenant acquisition, Retail asset management, Mixed-use developments, Destination creation, Asset enhancement projects, Retail repositioning projects, Retail market trends, Consumer behaviour, Customer experience design, Retail placemaking, Activation projects, Strategic thinking, Business acumen, Relationship building, Cross-functional collaboration