Senior Business Development Manager

This role is based in our 5 Howick Place  office.

At LIONS, we set the global standard for creativity and effective marketing, empowering brands and their partners to achieve excellence through our insights, advisory services, and world-class events. Our portfolio includes Contagious, LIONS, and WARC, which collectively showcase best practices in creativity and marketing effectiveness.

Our flagship event, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is a five-day celebration held annually in Cannes, France. It serves as the ultimate meeting place for the global marketing community, spotlighting the most outstanding and impactful work from around the world.

As a Senior Business Development Manager, you will play a pivotal role in driving the growth of LIONS Learning, our suite of digital learning courses designed for marketing professionals. You will focus on targeting and selling these courses to a defined sector and agency patch, expanding our customer base and building long-term partnerships. Reporting directly to the LIONS Learning Head of Commercial, you will be instrumental in shaping the success of our learning solutions.

We’re looking for someone who embodies the following qualities:

• Expertise in Learning Solutions: A clear understanding of what makes a course valuable, engaging, and impactful for marketing professionals.
• Proven Sales Success: A strong track record of achieving sales targets, ideally within an e-learning or digital learning environment.
• Consultative Selling Skills: Experience in solution-led, consultative selling with a focus on understanding client needs and delivering tailored solutions.
• Exceptional Communication: Persuasive, confident, and articulate, with outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to identify, strategize, and capitalize on new business opportunities.
• Collaborative Approach: A team player who thrives in cross-functional environments and can work effectively across time zones.
• Adaptability: Flexibility and dependability to excel in dynamic and fast-paced working environments.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Experience working alongside and presenting to senior management, business leads, stakeholders, and renowned industry experts.

In this role, you will be responsible for:

• Revenue Growth: Achieving your personal revenue target by driving activity levels, building a robust pipeline, and closing deals. You will also support your team in meeting their individual targets.
• Client Retention: Building and maintaining strong client relationships to enhance loyalty, reduce churn, and increase repeat business, with a focus on achieving an 85%+ course completion rate.
• Forecasting: Providing accurate and effective forecasting of prospects and opportunities through to close, both for yourself and your team.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivating strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior management and industry experts, to align goals and drive success.

What Success Looks Like

You will be credible, well-connected, and process-driven, with a personable and fair approach. Your ability to identify and nurture key partnerships across the market will be critical to your success. You will excel at building long-term relationships with trade bodies and other key organizations, ensuring LIONS Learning remains a trusted partner for marketing professionals worldwide.