Senior Commercial Manager, Asia-Pacific (FT Live)

Title: Senior Commercial Manager, Asia-Pacific

Location: Singapore or Hong Kong

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.

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.

FT Live overview:

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 FT Weekend 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

The Asia-Pacific region forms a vital part of the editorial coverage of the Financial Times newspaper, our research, data and membership products and their respective websites. Similarly,

Asia-Pacific is an important region of growth and is key to future expansion plans within Financial Times Live; the global conferences, events and awards division of the FT Group.

FT Live is looking for an individual to join our commercial team to help develop sponsorship and cross departmental revenues & grow a profitable conferences and events business within Financial Times Live – (FT Live) in the Asia-Pacific region.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development of Asia-Pacific events and client relationships for FT Live.

• Help cultivate an expanding business within the FT Group.

• Work closely with the events delivery team; editorial/content, marketing, design and operations.

• Generate new revenue streams working closely with FT Live’s content and marketing teams, as well as country offices across Asia-Pacific - with a specific focus on Singapore and Tokyo.

• Work across our entire portfolio of physical and digital event products which includes bespoke events, half and full day conferences, and industry leading awards.

• Be responsible for all stages of the commercial cycle, including: prospect identification, client consultation, proposal creation, contract negotiation and revenue processing.

• Identify, maintain and strategically develop a number of key accounts.

• Exceed monthly activity levels and targets.

• Prospect, pitch, and close new business in excess of annual targets.

• Analyse the region, assigned sectors and prioritise new business.

• Create international client relationships at a senior decision maker level.

• Work on integrated business solutions in collaboration with FT’s advertising, research and content businesses.

• Attend and network at industry events domestically and internationally.

Required Skills / Experience

• Previous experience and business contacts in Asia-Pacific. 

• Excellent presentation and communication skills.

• Good level of initiative, self-motivation and a proactive mindset.

• Experience of creating new revenue streams and increasing the value of existing products.

• Proven commercial track record of surpassing targets. 

• Commercial awareness and ability to adapt approaches based on industry sector and job function.

• Awareness of industry segment business opportunities and ability to converse credibly with clients on a range of national and international business topics.

• Strong negotiation and client management skills. 

• Proficient in CRM system usage e.g Salesforce (preferred).

Desirable:

• Experience creating revenue streams within a commercial events business through sponsorship sales.

• Ability to work within a large, dynamic and fast-moving international business.

• Proven ability to deliver new business against performance-related targets.

• Demonstrated ability to adapt approach based on client’s needs. 

• Experience of dealing with senior-level management internally and externally.

• Understanding of wider industry segment business issues and ability to converse credibly with clients on a range of national and international business topics.

• Experience of working internationally.

• Task & time management proficiency.

Desirable experience:  

• Experienced in media/events sales or business development and/or account management experience at a media owner or events organisation.

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. Full details of our benefits can be found here

Further Information

The FT is 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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