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About Us

Across the FT Group, our people are united by a mission to deliver world-class information, news and services to our global audiences. We're a digital-first organisation made up of journalists, technologists, product managers, event planners, strategists, commercial and finance experts, marketing and communications specialists - and much more. Our strength is in our employees, who hail from all different backgrounds and walks of life.

Our commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace

At the FT, we aim for employees across all regions to have a voice so that diverse perspectives are heard and valued. We believe that a supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves at work and have the flexibility they need to meet their personal needs. We'll continue to remove barriers for all, and in particular barriers facing employees from underrepresented groups.

Financial Times Live (FT Live) is the conferences and events division of the Financial Times newspaper and its group publications. Our mission is to bring our global executive audiences the very latest in knowledge and opinion, and connect them to one another.

Chaired by senior FT journalists, the 200-plus core events, strategic forums and digital webinars organised by FT Live every year gather pre-eminent public and private sector decision-makers, visionaries and strategists from the world’s most important economies and industries for agenda-setting debates that cover the key issues of our time.

From unique experiences such as the FTWeekend Festival to our senior-level business summits such as the award winning Global Boardroom, FT Live has become one of the FT Group’s most successful and fastest-growing divisions, and is at the forefront of the FT’s accelerated development as an essential, interactive information source across numerous platforms.

The Role / Position Overview

FT Live is hiring for a Deputy Head of Commercial, who will be responsible for leading a global sales team and increasing annual event revenues in line with departmental strategic objectives.

Working closely with the Global Head of Commercial and co Deputy Head of Commercial, the successful candidate will be responsible for multi-million pound event revenue delivery and team management.

Sectors under management will include Commodities, Energy & Sustainability, Pharma-Bio and Healthcare, Automotive & Mobility, Technology & Telecommunications, Manufacturing, Retail, Mergers & Acquisitions and Sport.

Through individual and team sales management the Deputy Head of Commercial will rapidly increase conference sponsorship and client event revenues. Working collaboratively with FT Live’s content team and event delivery teams and other commercial businesses at a Group level will be an important part of this role.

Management of existing target event revenues and accounts, whilst also launching new events and identifying new business opportunities is the key component of this position.

Main Duties and Responsibilities

• Manage a global team achieving and exceeding annual business revenue targets

• Responsible for all stages of the commercial cycle, including: opportunity identification, commercial consultation, proposal creations, contract negotiations, and agreements

• Accountable for all revenues under management

• Personal and team revenue generation with a focus on existing clients and new accounts

• Analyse sectors and identify global business opportunities

• Create new business relationships and events globally

• Develop strategy plans, proposals and secure renewable business

• Work closely with content, marketing and operations teams and other FT commercial to departments to achieve business and group objectives

Skills/ Experience

• Outstanding level of initiative, self-motivation and a proactive nature

• Proven ability of team management to deliver against multi-million pound revenue targets

• History of working with senior level stakeholders - internally and externally

• Senior sponsorship sales experience - a track record achieving and surpassing targets 

• Commercial and entrepreneurial mindset

• Excellent presentation and communication skills

• Knowledge of international industry sectors and ability to converse credibly with clients and colleagues on a range of national and international business topics

• Strong negotiation skills and ability to conclude high value contracts

• Proficient in CRM system management e.g Salesforce

• Degree level education

• A minimum of 5 years senior management sales experience in an international events/conference business

What’s in it for you? Our Benefits

Our benefits vary depending on location, but we are committed to providing best in class perks across all our offices as well as an inclusive environment to develop your career. Examples of our benefits include; generous annual leave allowances, flexible working (including working from home), medical cover, enhanced maternity & paternity packages, subsidised gym memberships and Giving Back opportunities. Full details of our benefits can be found here. 

Further Information

The FT are committed to providing an inclusive working environment for all. We are an equal opportunities employer who seeks to recruit and appoint the best talent regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, socio-economic background, religion and/or belief. We also promote flexible working and will consider specific requests around flexibility for all roles where it can be accommodated. Please let us know if you require any adjustments as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements, or have any questions, please contact a member of our HR team who will be happy to help. 

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