Head of Direct Sales

Saxo Bank; Greater London; On-site; GBP 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Saxo Bank in London seeks a Head of Direct Sales to lead and inspire the Direct Sales team, driving growth, innovation, and client success for Elite VIP clients. You will originate new business and manage a top book, reporting to the CEO and shaping strategic direction across markets.

The role requires a proven sales leader with strong communication, stakeholder management, and the ability to thrive in an international environment.

Qualifications

• Proven ability to lead and inspire sales teams.
• Strong track record in business development and client growth.
• Excellent stakeholder management and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead and inspire the Relationship Management teams to exceed sales targets.
• Drive VIP client experience and acquire top clients.
• Define and implement growth strategies across Active Trading, Investing and Wholesale segments.
• Ensure compliance with sales policies and due diligence for VIP clients.
• Oversee pipeline, KPIs, reviews, and coaching to maximize performance.
• Promote cross-functional collaboration and market representation.

Skills

Sales leadership

Team management

Strategic thinking

Relationship building

English communication

Education

University degree

Job description

About the job

Join our Direct Commercial team in London as the Head of Direct Sales, where you will lead and inspire one of Saxo’s most successful sales teams, while also playing a key role in driving new business. As the Head of Direct Sales, you will drive growth, innovation, and client success for the most valuable clients in our portfolio. You will bring sales leadership, strategic direction, and business development within the portfolio of Elite clients. This is your opportunity to shape the future of our Elite VIP client business, exceed ambitious targets, and make a real impact across multiple markets. Reporting directly to the CEO, you will lead a core focus area of the business with a mandate to drive innovation and growth. The Saxo Elite offering caters to our most valuable direct-to-customer clients contributing a substantial portion of the business’ revenue. As the Head of Direct Sales, you’ll be responsible for your own book of clients, originating new business, and leading a team of Relationship Managers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Inspire: Guide the Relationship Management teams to exceed annual sales targets, acting as a role model and fostering a high-performance culture across the organisation.


• Business Development & VIP Client Experience: Ensure the sales team continuously delivers outstanding VIP client experiences. Acquire and manage your own top clients and high-potential opportunities, ensuring exceptional service and conversion of key prospects.


• Strategic Growth: Define and implement growth strategies for our VIP clients, driving business development and expanding the client base across Active Trading, Investing, and Wholesale segments.


• Compliance & Best Practice: Support KYC and due diligence for VIP clients, ensuring compliance with sales policies and alignment with global priorities and the Strategy Execution Plan (SEP).


• Performance Management: Oversee pipeline management, set and track KPIs, conduct regular reviews, and provide coaching and feedback to maximize team performance.


• Cross-Functional Leadership: Promote collaboration across teams, lead skills development initiatives, represent Saxo in the market, and ensure operational excellence in all activities.

Your profile

We are looking for an inspiring leader and coach with a passion for sales, trading, and a proven track record of driving business growth. Furthermore, we’re looking for someone who is motivated by business development and has a natural ability to cultivate long-term client relationships. To succeed in this role, you need strong communication skills and the ability to thrive within an international, fast-paced environment. It is essential that you have exceptional stakeholder management skills and can foster team spirit and develop talent. If you are commercially driven, results-oriented, and comfortable making decisions that balance risk and opportunity, you should apply for this position.

Required skills and experience

• Passionate about business development and a proven ability to build and maintain client relationships


• Extensive experience leading sales teams within financial services


• A book of ready clients you would seek to onboard with Saxo and the ability to successfully build strategies for acquiring new clients


• A deep understanding of trading and investing


• Familiarity with regulatory compliance and risk management in sales


• Experience working in an international environment and managing cross-border teams


• Excellent communication skills in English (including coaching experience)


• Willingness to travel as required


• A university degree

Location

London, with expectations for regional travel

We get curious people invested in the world

When you work at Saxo, you become a Saxonian and part of a purpose-driven organisation, where good ideas are always taken seriously, and where you can make a true impact. We are invested in your development, and you can expect a robust career from day one when you join Saxo – no matter which role you take on. You will join 2,500 other ambitious colleagues across 11 countries and become part of an international organisation. Working in Saxo, you will get to meet colleagues from many different cultures and backgrounds, and you should know that we value diversity and inclusion and see it as a genuine source of strength to drive growth, foster innovation and position us for long-term success. We encourage an open feedback culture and supportive team environments enabling employees to grow and fulfil their career aspirations. When you bring passion, curiosity, drive and team spirit, your learning journey will be dynamic and your career opportunities in Saxo will be immense. At Saxo we don’t just offer a job – we offer an opportunity to invest in your future!

About Saxo Bank Support our purpose We believe access to global capital markets is not only for the privileged few. Our vision is to enable people to fulfill their financial aspirations to make an impact. That’s why we use the power of technology to deliver clients what they need, when they need it in a user-friendly and personalised experience. We aim to deliver the world’s most user-friendly and personalized trading and investment platform experience, which gives our clients exactly what they need to make more informed investment decisions.

Be part of a unique journey

• Continuously strives to improve the Saxo Experience and exceed our clients’ expectations.


• Always invests in the future.


• Builds unrivalled platforms for seasoned and experienced investors and wholesale clients that provide real-time access to global capital markets.


• Consistently wins the highest accolades for our platforms, products and services.

Own your future So, if you’re up for the challenge of breaking down barriers in global financial markets, we’re always looking for ambitious and enthusiastic people who share our passion for clients, technology and innovation and can bring new perspectives to our diverse team. For more on our story, culture and identity, please read the Saxo Bank Foundation, written by our CEO and founder Kim Fournais. More about Saxo Bank