Business Development Director

Overview

Our client is Europe’s leading sports memorabilia auction house, the business has a strong foundation of auction expertise, a loyal collector base, and a growing portfolio of partner auction relationships with clubs and sporting organisations.

The Opportunity

The Business Development Director will own the full commercial development agenda: building a partner network, developing new revenue verticals, and leading a small but growing team. This is an entrepreneurial leadership role requiring someone equally comfortable in a boardroom, on a pitch, and out in the field. You will already be a seniors sales person from within sport.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and execute the commercial strategy to drive revenue growth across auction, partner, valuation, and emerging categories
• Build, manage and develop the partner auction network — identifying, pitching and contracting sports clubs, governing bodies, estates, charities, and brands
• Lead, coach and grow a business development team as the function scales
• Develop and maintain senior-level relationships with key stakeholders across sport, entertainment, investment, and the collector community
• Identify new revenue opportunities, corporate clients, institutional investors, brand licensing, the company Index — and develop the commercial model to exploit them
• Work closely with the marketing team to build brand presence that supports commercial objectives
• Represent the business at key industry events, trade fairs, and sporting occasions
• Report directly to the CEO/Founder with regular pipeline and forecasting accountability

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Must have a proven track record in senior commercial/BD roles within sport
• Previous P&L ownership responsibility
• Experience building or managing a partner or affiliate network from the ground up
• People leadership experience — has hired, managed and developed commercial teams
• Entrepreneurial mindset — comfortable in a fast-moving, founder-led environment
• Strong network within UK sport is highly desirable
• Excellent communication and presentation skills — confident at C-suite and board level
• Genuine passion for or knowledge of sport is a significant advantage

What Success Looks Like

• 6 months: Partner network framework in place, first 3-5 new partner auction contracts signed, team structure defined
• 12 months: Measurable revenue growth from new commercial channels, new BD team members hired and operational, pipeline of institutional/brand clients established

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