Commercial Director

Commercial Director
Leadership Role | Events & Media Portfolio

Overview

An established and fast-growing events and media business is seeking a commercially driven leader to take full ownership of group revenue performance.

This is a senior, high-accountability role with direct responsibility for driving sustainable revenue growth across live events, sponsorship, partnerships, and media products. Success will be measured against clearly defined and ambitious commercial targets.

The successful candidate will combine strategic leadership with hands-on execution. You’ll lead from the front in senior client engagement while building and developing a high-performance commercial function.

Core Responsibilities

Revenue & Commercial Strategy

• Own and deliver all group revenue targets across events and media.
• Develop and execute a clear commercial strategy aligned to growth objectives.
• Establish robust margin management processes and revenue optimisation frameworks.
• Implement KPI-led performance tracking with full accountability across the team.
• Personally lead major negotiations and high-value strategic partnerships.
• Identify and unlock new revenue streams, product extensions, and diversification opportunities.

Team Leadership & Development

• Recruit, build, and lead a best-in-class commercial team spanning sponsorship, media sales, partnerships, and account management.
• Create a culture of accountability, excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Set measurable objectives for individuals and teams aligned to overall revenue goals.
• Provide structured coaching and succession planning to develop future leaders.

Client & Market Leadership

• Own senior client relationships and position the organisation as a trusted commercial partner.
• Stay ahead of market trends to shape innovative and competitive commercial offerings.
• Drive client retention, account expansion, and increased average revenue per client.

Financial & Strategic Accountability

• Partner closely with founders and senior leadership to forecast performance and inform strategic planning.
• Ensure strong pipeline discipline and data-driven forecasting accuracy.
• Optimise pricing, packaging, and value propositions to maximise yield and profitability.
• Hold full accountability for the commercial P&L across the portfolio.

Measures of Success
Performance will be assessed against clear commercial metrics, including:

• Delivery or over-delivery of annual revenue targets.
• Minimum  20% year-on-year revenue growth.
• Growth in average deal value and sponsorship yield.
• Retention and expansion of key accounts.
• High-performing, engaged commercial team.
• Strong forecast accuracy and margin performance.

Example KPI Framework
1. Revenue Delivery

• Achieve 100%  of annual revenue target (minimum 95% quarterly to remain on track).
• Deliver  20% year-on-year revenue growth across all streams.
• Maintain at least 2x quarterly revenue target in qualified pipeline coverage.

2. Client & Market Performance

• Minimum 40% of quarterly revenue generated from new business.
• 50%  annual renewal rate across priority accounts.
• 10% annual uplift in average deal value.
• Minimum five high-value partnerships per year (£250k  equivalent).

3. Sales Performance Management

• 90% of team members hitting or exceeding individual revenue targets.
• Minimum 30% proposal-to-contract conversion rate.
• Clear activity standards for senior client engagement and pipeline development.

4. Financial Performance

• Target minimum 35% profit margin across events and media products.
• Forecast accuracy within  /- 5% variance quarterly.
• At least 10% of annual revenue derived from new products or upsell initiatives.

5. People & Leadership

• 90%  retention of high-performing commercial team members.
• Strong employee engagement scores (8/10 or higher).
• Structured professional development across the team annually.

Interested? Apply below or reach out to learn more!

DNA is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive community and welcomes applications from candidates of all backgrounds.
Although we try to respond to all applications, unfortunately, due to the high number we receive, we are unable to respond to all of those who are unsuccessful. 

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DNA Recruit deliver dynamic recruitment, search and talent solutions and provide insight, knowledge, and credible introductions necessary for client-side and agency roles. Areas we specialise in New Business, Account and Project Management, Strategy and Planning, Events, Experiential, Creative and User Experience Design, Technology, Product, Marketing and Data roles in permanent, contract and freelance recruitment, search and selection, talent advisory and consulting across the UK and globally.