Business Development Director, Innovation

Location: London (hybrid), with travel to client sites/events as needed
Reports to: Head of Business Development, Insights, UK.
Contract: Permanent, full-time
Comp: Includes an annual individual revenue target

Why this role exists

We’re accelerating growth by stealing share, winning high‑value Innovation briefs from competitors and unlocking whitespace with our flagship solutions. As our Business Development Director for Innovation, you’ll be the tip of the spear: obsessed with client time, relentlessly curious, and deeply fluent in the Innovation journey. Senior stakeholders will trust your combination of commercial sharpness and Innovation expertise, your ability to identify real opportunity, shape it credibly, and partner with specialist teams to turn interest into winning, scalable programmes.

What you’ll do (the impact)

• Live with clients (figuratively!) - Spend the majority of your time with prospects and strategic accounts—discovery, immersion sessions, and value‑led conversations that surface genuine Innovation problems, whether in early opportunity framing, concept development, validation, or portfolio optimisation.
• Own the top of the funnel - Map target accounts, run multi‑threaded outreach and build a qualified pipeline across priority sectors. You’ll spark momentum and challenge incumbent agencies by articulating Kantar’s Innovation advantage with clarity and depth. New logo and cross-sell growth.
• Shape, don’t just sell - Translate ambiguous growth questions into crisp problem statements and credible Innovation pathways—linking business need to the right combination of early‑stage exploration, quant validation, creative development, claims, pack and launch optimisation.
• Partner to win -
  • With Innovation: co‑create proof points, shape methodology thinking, strengthen cases with data assets, and elevate our point of view using sector insight and Innovation best practice
  • With Opportunity Orchestration (Conversion & Programme Design): turn the narrative blueprint into a persuasive proposal, ensuring the story lands with both commercial sharpness and Innovation rigour.
• Bring Innovation advisory to every conversation
  Earn the right to challenge and guide senior sponsors—advising on risk, decision‑making, portfolio implications and internal sell‑in, grounded in a clear understanding of Innovation science and client realities.
• Make it easy to buy
  Create friction‑free buying experiences, from early qualification to commercial shape, pricing logic and smooth handover into delivery—while ensuring solution integrity and fit for purpose.
• Build our market presence
  Activate Innovation‑led thought leadership moments (roundtables, POVs, demos, client immersions) that open doors and signal the depth of our innovation expertise in the market.

What you’ll bring (your strengths)

• Client obsession & energy: You default to being with clients and anchor conversations in business impact.
• Deep Innovation fluency: You can discuss the Innovation journey end‑to‑end—from Identify → Build → Validate → Launch—and articulate how our solutions de‑risk and accelerate decisions. And a clear POV on how AI is transforming the Innovation process, and risks / opportunities for brands
• Curiosity with commercial edge: You ask smarter questions, frame better hypotheses and connect data, consumer insight and business strategy.
• Relationship builder: You create senior access fast and sustain trust through substance, empathy and follow‑through.
• Story‑led thinker: You craft simple, compelling narratives that integrate Innovation logic with commercial clarity.
• Hunter discipline: You are expert in prospecting, multi‑threading, qualification and progressing complex Innovation‑led enterprise deals.
• Enterprise teamwork: Comfortable co‑designing with Innovation specialists and leaning into structured proposal and pitch processes.

Experience that helps

• Around 5+ years in consultative new business roles (ideally across Innovation, Insights, CX, analytics or design strategy)

Experience that is essential

• Track record of winning share (new logos / cross-sell / competitor displacement) and landing large programmes.
• Relationship building with clients at an exceptional level.
• Confidence engaging at C/VP level across Marketing, Insights, Category and Innovation.

How you’ll work (operating model)

With Innovation: Weekly huddles to prioritise targets, refine hypotheses, align proof points and ensure we’re bringing the best of Kantar’s Innovation thinking.
 

With Opportunity Orchestration (Conversion and Programme Design): Structured handoffs from discovery → narrative blueprint → proposal/pitch, staying engaged through pitch to signature.

With Marketing/Thought leaders to shape the Innovation go to market strategy.
 

With wider Business Development team: Share intel, co‑sell cross‑domain opportunities, drive connected selling into key accounts.

What success looks like (first 12‑month outcomes)

• New revenue: Target achieved (phased in year 1) from Innovation programmes; majority net‑new, cross-sell or competitor displacement.
• Pipeline health: ≥3× coverage, balanced by stage and sector.
• Client time: ≥50–60% of working time with clients/prospects.
• Velocity & quality: Shortened cycle times; proposals consistently rated “clear, compelling, Innovation‑credible, decision‑ready.”
• Internal advocacy: Strong feedback from Innovation Domain and Opportunity Orchestration on collaboration, solution quality and deal shaping.

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