Senior Business Development Manager

Senior Business Development Manager – LIONS Learning

Location:

5 Howick Place office, London.

Informa Festivals marks an exciting new chapter in B2B events, bringing some of the world's most influential creative, technology and business festivals together. We’re combining prestigious events like Cannes Lions, Black Hat, Money
20/20, GDC, and London Tech Week with cutting‑edge marketing intelligence platforms and advisory services to deliver unmissable experiences and insights.

Our festival‑led approach reimagines traditional B2B events, creating powerful, immersive experiences that drive innovation and industry advancement. Building on decades of expertise and powered by Informa's international reach, we're shaping the next generation of business festivals.

We’re part of Informa, a global business with a network of trusted brands in specialist markets across more than 30 countries, and a member of the FTSE 100 who are #3 in Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2025 UK list.

At LIONS, we set the global standard for creativity and effective marketing, empowering brands and their partners to achieve excellence through our insights, advisory services, and world‑class events. Our portfolio includes Contagious, LIONS, and WARC, which collectively showcase best practices in creativity and marketing effectiveness.

Our flagship event, the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, is a five‑day celebration held annually in Cannes, France. It serves as the ultimate meeting place for the global marketing community, spotlighting the most outstanding and impactful work from around the world.

Senior Business Development Manager
, you will play a pivotal role in driving the growth of LIONS Learning, our suite of digital learning courses designed for marketing professionals. You will focus on targeting and selling these courses to a defined sector and agency patch, expanding our customer base and building long‑term partnerships. Reporting directly to the LIONS Learning Head of Commercial, you will be instrumental in shaping the success of our learning solutions.

• Expertise in Learning Solutions: A clear understanding of what makes a course valuable, engaging, and impactful for marketing professionals.
• Proven Sales Success: A strong track record of achieving sales targets, ideally within an e‑learning or digital learning environment.
• Consultative Selling
  
  Skills:
  
  Experience in solution‑led, consultative selling with a focus on understanding client needs and delivering tailored solutions.
• Exceptional Communication: Persuasive, confident, and articulate, with outstanding verbal and written communication and presentation skills.
• Strategic Thinking: The ability to identify, strategise, and capitalise on new business opportunities.
• Collaborative Approach: A team player who thrives in cross‑functional environments and can work effectively across time zones.
• Adaptability: Flexibility and dependability to excel in dynamic and fast‑paced working environments.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Experience working alongside and presenting to senior management, business leads, stakeholders, and renowned industry experts.

• Revenue Growth: Achieve your personal revenue target by driving activity levels, building a robust pipeline, and closing deals. Support your team in meeting their individual targets.
• Client Retention: Build and maintain strong client relationships to enhance loyalty, reduce churn, and increase repeat business, with a focus on achieving an 85%+ course completion rate.
• Forecasting: Provide accurate and effective forecasting of prospects and opportunities through to close, both for yourself and your team.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Cultivate strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including senior management and industry experts, to align goals and drive success.

What Success Looks Like

You will be credible, well‑connected, and process‑driven, with a personable and fair approach. Your ability to identify and nurture key partnerships across the market will be critical to your success. You will excel at building long‑term relationships with trade bodies and other key…