Business Director (Maternity Cover)

Havas Play Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job description

Description

Job Title

Business Director

Reports To

Managing Partner

Role Summary

Business Directorrolethat sits withintheActivationsTeam,leadingone of Havas Play’s biggest Sponsorship clients – HSBC,and managingpartsoftheir UK sponsorship portfolio.This role will also overseeadditionalclients spanning both sport and entertainment,withrequiringexperienceindelivering live experience campaigns, activations & events.

Key role in driving growth through opportunities withinexisting client base andby leadingnew businessinitiatives.

Purpose of Role

As anexperiencedsenior leader, this roleis focused on deliveringmarket leadingpartnershipcampaigns and projectsatHavas Play, overseeing a variety of clients, includingone of our biggest clients – HSBC.

Requires exceptional clientand teammanagementskills, buildingbrilliant relationships withinternal stakeholdersand external cross-agency groups.

It is crucial for the role to have Sponsorship and activation experience, having managed different scale partnerships and events.

Providingclient counselto senior clients and their teams, you will manage the overall performance of the client(s)andbeaccountable for financial growth.

Manage varying scale budgets, ensuring the team are following Havas Play finance process.

Forming part of the Senior Leadership Team,a BDhelps to build,maintain,inspireand nurture the strongestteam of integrated thinkersand brilliant do-ers, and proactively leadsareas that contribute to the ongoing visionand growthof the agencyoverall.

Workscollaboratively,seamlesslyand respectfully with peers in Account Management, Strategy & Creative Teams.

Havestrong teamleadership skills to ensure the account team performs to its highest standards.

Key Responsibilities

Senior Leadership

Deliver brilliant strategic & creative programmes for all clientbrand portfolios, offering trusted guidance and counsel

Plan, create,deliverand execute best in classpartnershipsacross therelevantclient base

Demonstrate and share in-depth knowledge of thesport & culture industry– network, people, trends,insightsand trade industry bodies

Demonstrate and share in-depth knowledge of key cultural territories relevant toHavas Playclient business e.g.sport, music, gaming, filmetc. Be networked within these territories to deliver relevant collaborations and partners that ensureHavas Playremainsas the ‘go-to’ agency for brands connecting through contemporary culture

Work in partnership with the Strategy & Insights Team and Creative Teamdemonstratingan understanding of the creative process to deliver outstanding creative product

Work in partnership and collaboratively with all senior Account Management team members to enable an efficient and profitable Account Management function, a truly integrated and motivated ‘one team’ team mentality

Be senior counsel to clients and internally around any challenges with an ability to understand and talk knowledgablyand work with our experts to gather opinion and deliver outstanding work

Share a strong network of contacts that help enhance our client work and agency offer

Client Specific

HSBC - lead a team (inclusive ofclient services / account management, strategy, creativeand studio) to manage a portfolio of multiple partnership properties, includingTennis,Motorsports,Golf,Arts & Culture, and Music

Be a strong strategic partner to Strategy team, helping shape overall partnerships strategy for 2026 and beyond

Key lead role with Rights Holders, ensuring relationships are kept tight.Manage rights holders & partners,leveragingbest practice process for effective rights management

Lead on planning & execution of partnership campaigns

Be a pivotal lead role within the inter-agency relationships, managing budget splits and ensuring all teams are delivering work / updates on schedule

Plan and delivercustomer experiences,client engagement events & hospitality moments, including but not limited to fan zones, hospitality lounges, launch / announcement events, ad hoc activations

Demonstrate strong knowledge of the activation & experiential space, with prior experience leading on brand experience campaigns with a live output

Demonstrate experience working in 360 sponsorship campaigns, understanding all the different touch points, and when to bring in specialists i.e. : PR / media / social / talent / M&E

Client Management

To develop, implement and drive a clear set of account management and client service principles and benchmarks that ensure that we provide the best possible work that drives and develops our client’s business.

To develop and foster an entrepreneurial spirit within theTeam, ensuring that client’s businesses are fully understood and that opportunities for new business are developed and actioned

To act as senior day-to-day client contact for all accounts or groups of accounts. You should build a strategic business partnership with senior clients such that they value your tenure,inputand opinions in relation to their business.

Monitor and manage resources of the teams against agreed KPIs and budgets. This involves accountability for handling contracts,POsand invoices; ensuring timesheets are up-to-date and transparently explained to clients and theCEO / CFO; resolving issues, e.g., changing scopes of work, holiday cover, freelance requirements etc.

To ensure that best practice is shared amongst your teams and that up-to-date records of work and knowledge of your client’s business ismaintainedand shared appropriatelywith the core team, the extended team and agency disciplines, such as new business.

To develop and deliver a process with the Strategy & Insight Team to ensure that the effectiveness of every campaign, project is measured and evaluated.

Organic Growth

Beresponsible and accountable for your client growth plan, ensuring you hit targets set (stretch & new income)

To proactively contribute to the reporting and forecasting process and to provideaccurateandtimelyinformation to theCEO and CFO (and others asappropriate)

To ensure that all day-to-dayfinancial managementprocesses (e.g., billing, client facing reconciliations etc) are completed according to agency procedures.

Tobe responsible forthe profitable running of theclientbusinesses / accounts, ensuring that resource levels match contracted levelsto deliver growth and profitability

To be contribute to the profitability of theAccount ManagementTeam and in turn the agency.

New BusinessGrowth

Demonstrate an ability to lead,deliverand win a full pitch. Collaborate successfully with Strategy & Creative Teams and building winning relationships with prospective client (s).

Confidently engage with clients and have a view on whereadditionalgrowth could come from. Help to drive new revenue for the agency by spotting new opportunities andinitiatives anddevelop proactively with Strategy & Creative Team(s)

Actively look for opportunities with your client (s) to cross-sell otherHavas Playcapabilitiese.g.,Social,Partnerships,PR, Production- andactivelypromote other Havas agency specialisms

Actively creating new business opportunities and sellingHavas Playthrough contact and network mining. Maintaining and sharing a consistent action plan to reach out, communicate and meet with a prospecting list on a weekly / monthly basis

Write thought pieces and articles to inspire.Consolidateyour area(s) of expertise through industry writing,mentorshipand contributions.

Be fluent inMeaningful Brands in Culture (Havas Playbrand proprietary tool,methodologyand proposition) and look for opportunities to use this with prospective clients

Write winning RFI’s & RFP’s and pitch docs

Connect with peers inHavas Village London acrossthe Havas CreativeNetworkandHavasMediaNetwork agencies to drive cross-agency new business opportunities and lead and be involved in co-pitches

People / Leadership

Exceptional leadership skills – selfless,self aware, inspirational, acting as a role model and mentor,beingseen as a visionary, decisionmakerand problem solver.

To take lead responsibilityoftalent management, succession planning,recruitmentand communicationwithintheir group.

Inspire,nurture,guide, motivate and manage thecore team and extended members of theagency teamto ensure that they perform at their peak and grow their careers.

Ensurethat the correct teams, resourcelevelsand skills are set against each client.

Ensure clear communication upwards and downwards within theteam

Develop theteam, having a clear talent and training plan that allows individuals to develop professionally and the department to deliver itsobjectives.

Monitor and drive the team to utilise the best and latest methods and tools to be competitive.

Ensure that all staff have regular performance appraisalsusing theHavas Playprocess

To be visible and approachable to all team membersof the agency– your peers, yourreportsand the wider agency.

People Management

Direct management ofspecific direct reports, including AD, AM,SAEand indirect management (on project basis) of wider team, including account management and production roles

Financial / TimeManagement

Responsible for the growth and profitability of your account(s)and all related budgets andfinancial management

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Contract Type : Temporary

Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.