Role Overview
We are seeking a visionary, commercially driven, and strategically minded Business Director to join Engage Digital Partners. The role balances senior client leadership with a strong focus on growth, with around half of the remit dedicated to leading new business pitches and strategic growth opportunities.
Reporting to the Managing Director (MD), you will be the senior strategic lead across multiple high‑value global and regional client accounts, with a particular emphasis on sport, partnerships, and globally distributed audiences. You will be responsible for driving client growth, shaping long‑term strategy, and unlocking new opportunities across international markets.
This role is ideal for a dynamic leader who thrives on building deep client partnerships, guiding strategic direction, and influencing agency‑wide thinking. You will oversee a team of Account Directors, Managers, and Executives, ensuring they are empowered to deliver best‑in‑class work while you focus on high‑level client development, innovation, commercial performance, and global account leadership.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Client Leadership
- Act as the senior strategic partner for key clients, building trusted relationships with senior stakeholders.
- Lead the development of long‑term client strategies that align with business goals and market trends.
- Drive client growth through proactive identification of new opportunities, upselling, and cross‑selling.
- Lead quarterly and annual strategic planning sessions with clients, delivering insight‑led recommendations.
- Champion the agency’s full creative, social, influencer, and partnership offering, with specific confidence in sport, sponsorship, and culturally led campaigns.
- Advise clients on navigating complex global ecosystems, including rights holders, federations, leagues, talent, and commercial partners.
Business Growth & Commercial Oversight
- Own revenue forecasting, growth planning, and commercial performance across a hub of global accounts.
- Lead high‑value new business pitches and strategic responses to briefs, including global, regional and multi‑market opportunities (50% of role).
- Collaborate with the MD and leadership team on agency‑wide growth initiatives, innovation roadmaps, and capability development.
- Ensure profitability, margin protection, and commercial efficiency across all client engagements.
- Support the development of sport‑focused propositions, partnerships, and long‑term client retainers.
Strategic Oversight of Campaigns
- Guide the strategic direction of campaigns, ensuring alignment with client objectives, cultural relevance, and regional market nuances.
- Partner with Strategy, Creative, Paid Media, and Partnerships teams to shape integrated, insight‑driven campaigns across platforms and markets.
- Oversee campaign performance at a macro level, ensuring consistent delivery of business results and learning across territories.
- Provide senior oversight on sport‑led activations, sponsorship campaigns, tournaments and events, and always‑on content ecosystems.
Leadership & Culture
- Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of Account Directors, Managers, and Executives, fostering a high‑performance, collaborative culture.
- Ensure teams are aligned with Engage’s values and equipped to deliver strategic excellence at scale, across multiple clients and markets.
- Support talent development, succession planning, and team structure optimisation, particularly for global and specialist account needs.
- Promote best‑practice ways of working across distributed teams and international partners.
Industry Influence
- Represent the agency at industry, sport, media and partnership events, panels, and thought‑leadership forums.
- Stay ahead of trends in sport, social, digital, creator economy, partnerships, and fan engagement to inform client strategies.
- Build and maintain strong relationships across the sports ecosystem, including rights holders, broadcasters, platforms, talent agencies, and commercial partners.
What We’re Looking For
- 6-8+ years’ experience in senior client leadership roles within a creative, digital, social, or partnership‑led agency.
- Proven track record of growing client accounts, leading strategic transformation, and driving commercial success.
- Strong experience working with global or multi‑market clients, with confidence navigating international complexity.
- Demonstrable understanding of sport, sponsorship, partnerships, and fan‑led communities, and how these intersect with social and digital platforms.
- Experience dealing with sports rights holders, either directly as a client or through a partnerships division.
- Deep understanding of social media, influencer marketing, creator partnerships, and digital innovation.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience in forecasting, budgeting, business planning, and margin management.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and leadership skills, with credibility at senior client and board level.
- A strategic thinker with a passion for innovation, culture, sport, and client success.
- Proficient in business tools including PowerPoint, Excel, and Microsoft Workspace.
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