Sales Manager
About the job
- A bachelor's degree in a relevant field.
- Approximately three years of experience in a commercial role in the Pharma & Healthcare industry.
- Digital proficiency, including CRM Dynamics 365, the customer portal, and integrated Microsoft tools.
- Excellent communication skills.
- Proven analytical skills.
- Fluency in English.
- Negotiation skills.
- Good presentation skills.
- Ability to work under pressure.
- Ability to liaise with people at all levels.
- Knowledge and networks within the country-area industry.
- Understanding of products and their applications.
- Ability to work as a team player.
- Financial and commercial awareness.
- Maintain and develop sales of a portfolio of products and services in the relevant industry area to achieve agreed business targets and meet customer needs.
- Manage a product portfolio within a market segment to meet principal targets, product gross margin, and working capital targets, contributing to and implementing the business strategy.
- Manage, develop, and understand the needs of a growing customer base by regularly visiting accounts and building, maintaining, and managing relationships with key contacts at all levels.
- Negotiate prices and volumes with customers to maximize returns to the business.
- Seek out, analyze, and develop new accounts, promoting sales of the product portfolio in line with business growth strategies.
- Agree on and achieve annual sales budgets with the Business Manager.
- Ensure effective customer engagement through optimal use of the CRM system, Dynamics 365, integration of IT systems including Outlook and CRM, and advocacy for the Customer Portal and e-Lab where applicable.
- Gather, analyze, interpret, and present market, product, competitor, and industry data to support development of the business's forward strategy.
- Visit and represent the company at trade fairs, exhibitions, and conferences, networking with representatives from a broad range of companies.
- Proactively monitor and review payment terms for the customer portfolio, ensure that terms and methods are followed, minimize business risk, and consider payment terms and cash-flow implications when negotiating new and existing business.
- Implement business strategies to protect the long-term interests of the businesses.
- Set direction for sales price ranges.
- Optimize purchase prices through negotiation with principals.
- Analyze principal strategies in the portfolio to develop marketing plans across market, product, client, and segment dimensions.
- Maintain and develop relationships with principals to retain existing business and gain new business.
- Provide technical support to commercial teams by synthesizing information from principals and cascading it to those teams.
- Prepare arguments for product commercialization to improve sales-force impact in the field and generate more projects.
- For principals not covered by group contracts, negotiate and secure contracts to ensure long-term security of supply.
- Monitor, report, and act on market and competitor activities so product strategies reflect current market activity.
- Monitor principal targets and define corrective actions.
- Report to principals.
- Translate the Group's Sustainability Strategy into concrete job-related action items and contribute actively and timely to implementing the sustainability KPIs.
About the company
Azelis is a global distributor of specialty chemicals and food ingredients, connecting about 2,800 suppliers with over 63,000 customers across Life Sciences and Industrial Chemicals. Its asset-light model focuses on sourcing, logistics, regulatory support, and value-added services, backed by more than 70 application laboratories that offer formulation development, testing, and technical/regulatory assistance. The company stands out through its large supplier network and extensive technical services, supported by an aggressive growth and M&A strategy that expanded its multinational footprint. Its goal is to provide reliable sourcing and practical technical support worldwide to help customers develop new products and grow.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
IPO
Headquarters
Antwerp, Belgium
Founded
2001
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- H1 2026 revenue rose 3.2%; Q2 organic growth returned at 3.9%.
- Azelis won Imerys, SUSONITY, and Ashland expansions across Europe and Thailand in 2026.
- Structural savings reached €11 million in H1 2026 toward a €20 million target.
What critics are saying
- Leverage stayed 3.4x at June 2026; deleveraging depends on sustained EBITDA growth.
- Middle East volatility already hit H1 2026 trading, risking 2026 margin volatility.
- Suppliers can bypass distributors through direct sales and digital channels, eroding Azelis' intermediary moat.
What makes Azelis unique
- Azelis couples distribution with 70-plus labs, turning ingredients into customer-ready formulations.
- Anna Bertona's 2024 leadership pairs deep chemical-industry experience with sustainability execution.
- Azelis' 2,800 principals and 63,000 customers create sticky cross-selling across geographies and applications.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Disability Insurance
Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Paid Holidays
401(k) Retirement Plan
401(k) Company Match
Professional Development Budget
Conference Attendance Budget
Performance Bonus
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
23%1 year growth
23%2 year growth
22%Azelis brings cleaning and personal care innovation together at SEPAWA 2026. 8 October 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce its participation at SEPAWA 2026, taking place from 14 to 16 October at the Estrel Congress Centre in Berlin, Germany. Across stands A121, A122, A131 and A132, Azelis will bring together its Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care expertise, presenting two complementary concepts: The Green Bathroom and Designed to feel. For the first time, SEPAWA will serve as a key annual showcase for Azelis's Home Care & Industrial Cleaning business, reflecting the event's importance as a platform for customer engagement, formulation expertise and innovation in this market. This enhanced Home Care & Industrial Cleaning focus sits alongside a strong Personal Care presence, ensuring visitors can experience the breadth and complementary value of both market segments. * Customers can explore practical formulation concepts across Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care, with solutions addressing sustainability, performance and sensorial expectations. * Principals benefit from application-focused showcases that demonstrate ingredient functionality, performance, sustainability credentials and sensorial possibilities in finished product concepts. * Azelis brings together technical expertise and formulation capabilities from two market segments, helping customers explore new product concepts and ingredient applications. The Green Bathroom is Azelis's dedicated Home Care & Industrial Cleaning concept, demonstrating how green chemistry and biotechnology can support a more circular approach to cleaning. Taking visitors on a guided tour through a sustainable bathroom, the concept shows how bio-based, renewable and circular technologies can deliver effective cleaning, hygiene and freshness while helping to reduce environmental impact. The showcase spans bathroom and toilet care, glass and floor cleaning, air care, disinfection and laundry applications. Designed to feel, its Personal Care concept highlights the growing importance of texture and sensoriality in personal care product development. The showcase demonstrates how advanced formulation approaches can create a wide range of oil-rich, transformative textures while addressing demand for more sustainable and silicone-free solutions. Through a collection of innovative formulations, visitors will discover how ingredient technologies can tailor sensory profiles, support performance and enable differentiated consumer experiences. Evy Hellinckx, CEO Azelis EMEA, comments: "SEPAWA is a key event for Azelis and, for the first time, our principal annual showcase in EMEA for Home Care & Industrial Cleaning. It also provides an important opportunity to bring together two areas of formulation innovation that respond to changing customer and consumer expectations. Through The Green Bathroom, our teams demonstrate practical approaches to cleaning performance and sustainability. Designed to feel shows how texture, sensoriality and functionality can be combined to create distinctive personal care experiences. By bringing these concepts together at SEPAWA, we can help customers explore how these trends translate into practical formulation opportunities for their own product development." Azelis's Personal Care team will also contribute to the scientific conference programme with a presentation titled 'Designing Next-Generation Textures: Oil Structuring Strategies for Sensory Innovation and Silicone Replacement', taking place on 16 October 2026 from 11:15-11:30 in Room 12 + 13 as part of the Forum for Innovation. The session will explore how advanced oil structuring technologies can be used to create innovative textures, support silicone replacement strategies and deliver premium sensory experiences in more sustainable personal care formulations. Visitors can explore both showcases and meet Azelis's Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Personal Care experts at stands A121, A122, A131 and A132 at the Estrel Congress Centre in Berlin from 14 to 16 October 2026.
Azelis brings global formulation expertise to CPHI 2026. 1 October 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce its participation at CPHI 2026, taking place from 6 to 8 October in Milan, Italy. At booth 1B74, Azelis will showcase formulation concepts from its Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare application laboratories worldwide, demonstrating how its global technical network supports customers in addressing pharmaceutical formulation challenges. This year's Formulation Bar brings together ten physical formulation prototypes spanning a broad range of delivery formats, including creams, capsules, soft chews, tablets, gummies and eye drops. Further formulation concepts will be available in a digital booklet, providing visitors with additional examples of Azelis's technical and application expertise. * Customers can explore formulation concepts at its booth, addressing challenges, including sustained and targeted release, taste masking, ophthalmic delivery and the processing of heat-sensitive active ingredients * Principals benefit from Azelis's global network of application laboratories, which helps demonstrate ingredient functionality through relevant formulations and supports their application across local markets * Azelis brings together pharmaceutical formulation expertise from around the world, strengthening knowledge sharing and supporting the continued development of its Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare market segment Visitors will be able to explore a range of formulation concepts, including: * an in situ gelling ophthalmic platform for peptide delivery; * a colon-targeted prednisolone-coated tablet; * taste-masked Diphenhydramine HCl chewable softgels; * extended-release platforms for Metformin and Diclofenac Sodium; * Azelis's Hydrocortisone Silicone elastomer topical drug delivery system; and * a sustained-release capsule-in-capsule formulation combining Metformin and Sitagliptin. Through its global network of application laboratories and local Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare teams, Azelis combines technical expertise, formulation support and market knowledge to help customers move from formulation challenges towards practical product concepts. Visitors can meet the Azelis Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare team at CPHI 2026, booth 1B74, from 6 to 8 October 2026 in Milan, Italy.
Azelis expands partnership with SUSONITY through new UK and Ireland distribution agreement for industrial applications. 24 September 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce an extension of its distribution partnership with SUSONITY, a leading company in effect pigments, functional materials, and cosmetic actives. Effective 1 October 2026, Azelis will distribute SUSONITY's portfolio in the UK and Ireland across the CASE, Advanced Materials & Additives, Home Care & Industrial Cleaning and Performance Chemicals market segments. The agreement gives Azelis customers in the UK and Ireland access to SUSONITY's effect pigments and advanced functional technologies for laser marking, heat reflection, and conductive or protective coatings, amongst others. The portfolio complements Azelis's existing offering, enabling customers to consolidate more of their speciality material requirements with one distribution partner. * Customers benefit from a broader product offering from Azelis, supported by an experienced local team with strong market knowledge and technical expertise. * SUSONITY streamlines its local setup while consolidating its distribution network through one partner serving multiple industries. * Azelis strengthens its offering in key subsegments with additional effect pigments and functional materials, while extending its relationship with an established principal. The agreement builds on Azelis's existing collaboration with SUSONITY for PC and industrial markets across EMEA and APAC. Azelis's strong focus in these markets, together with its established UK and Ireland team and penetration of key subsegments, supported SUSONITY's decision to extend the partnership. Christian Pflesser, Market Segment Director Advanced Materials & Additives and CASE at Azelis EMEA, comments: "SUSONITY brings valuable technologies to our customers in the UK and Ireland, particularly in effect pigments, laser marking and heat-reflective solutions. The portfolio complements our existing offering and enables our teams to support customers across a broader range of applications. Building on our strong collaboration with SUSONITY in other markets, we look forward to growing the partnership in the UK and Ireland." Frédéric Daumard, Commercial Head CEE/MEA/Distributor Management EMEA, at SUSONITY, says: "Azelis has demonstrated its ability to develop our business across our existing markets together. Extending our collaboration to the UK and Ireland gives us access to an established team with broad industrial market coverage, while simplifying how we serve customers across different applications. We look forward to building on the results of our existing partnership." Azelis combines market knowledge with technical expertise and formulation capabilities to support customers throughout the product development journey. Through its local teams and application laboratories, the company helps customers develop innovative solutions while creating growth opportunities for its principals.
Azelis and Imerys expand distribution partnership. September 23, 2026 Azelis recently announced the expansion of its partnership with Imerys, a leader in mineral-based specialties. Effective December 1, 2026, Azelis will extend its distribution agreement with Imerys for its plastics, adhesives and sealants, and paints and coatings products across Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, North Macedonia, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Building on a successful partnership in the UK, Türkiye, and parts of the Middle East and Africa over the past five years, this agreement broadens the collaboration into new territories. It strengthens Azelis's portfolio in the region and provides customers with access to a broader range of formulation solutions, supported by local technical expertise. Looking for a reprint of this article? From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today! JOIN TODAY to unlock your recommendations. Already have an account? Sign In
Azelis wins two inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards. 21 September 2026 Azelis, the reference innovation service provider in the speciality chemicals and food ingredients industry, is pleased to announce that it has won two awards at the inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards, held during Lubricant Expo Europe 2026 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Azelis received the Lubricant Component Innovation of the Year for its Multifunctional Extreme Pressure & Antiwear Additive Package and the Metalworking & Process Fluid Innovation of the Year for its Water-based Corrosion Inhibitor. The awards recognise technologies developed to help lubricant and metalworking fluid manufacturers address performance, formulation and sustainability requirements. * Customers benefit from formulation solutions designed to enhance equipment protection, operational reliability and performance across lubricant and metalworking fluid applications. * Principals benefit from Azelis's technical and application expertise, helping translate product technologies into solutions that address specific market needs. * Azelis strengthens its ability to support customers with formulation expertise and application knowledge across the lubricants and metalworking fluids market. The Multifunctional Extreme Pressure & Antiwear Additive Package combines wear protection, oxidation stability and copper corrosion inhibition in a single solution. This helps lubricant manufacturers develop high-performing oils and greases while simplifying formulation design. The Water-based Corrosion Inhibitor provides temporary corrosion protection while remaining easy to remove with water. Based on a vegetable-derived film-forming polymer, the technology helps customers balance performance with evolving environmental and operational requirements. Dmitriy Tarasov, Regional Market Segment Director Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids at Azelis, comments: 'Receiving two awards at the inaugural Lubricant Expo Innovation Awards reflects the technical expertise of our Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids teams and our focus on solving practical formulation challenges. These technologies show how we combine ingredient knowledge, application expertise and close collaboration with our principals and customers to develop solutions that address changing performance and sustainability requirements.' Across its network of application laboratories, Azelis combines local market knowledge, technical expertise and formulation support to help customers address product development challenges. Its Lubricants & Metalworking Fluids teams work closely with customers and principals to explore product performance and develop formulations that respond to evolving technical, operational and sustainability requirements.