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Business Director – Account Leadership
About Ogilvy
Ogilvy, part of WPP, creates impact for brands through iconic, culture-changing, and value-driven ideas, founded in 1948. Although pivoting through Borderless Creativity, Ogilvy seamlessly connects advertising, PR, relationship design, consulting, and health capabilities across 120+ offices in 90+ countries. Ranked #1 in global creative excellence and effectiveness by WARC, Ogilvy delivers transformative solutions for brands and communities. It's a WPP company (NYSE: WPP).
About WPP
WPP is the world’s trusted growth partner for leading brands, combining cutting-edge data, creativity, production, and strategy under one network. Powered by WPP Open, our agile platform enables clients to anticipate change, seize opportunities, and drive transformational business growth.
Role Overview
Title: Business Director Function: Account Management Location: London Contract Type: 12-month FTC (Fixed-Term Contract) Employment Type: Full-Time Reports To: Client Partner
This role is a senior leadership position, focused on strategic, commercial, and creative success for large-scale or complex client accounts. As the lead client partner, you’ll counsel senior stakeholders, negotiate at board level, and drive measurable growth. Bridging disciplines within Ogilvy and WPP, you’ll deliver/execute bold, high-impact work – championing creativity, collaboration, and team excellence.
To excel in this role, you’ll blend strategy, commercial expertise, and inspirational leadership to protect and grow Ogilvy multi-pledge assets with significant revenue responsibility.
Key Responsibilities
- Senior Client Partnership
- Cultivate multi-disciplinary stakeholder relationships, becoming an indispensable thought partner for clients.
- Anticipate needs, offer authoritative counsel on strategic decision-making.
- Lead board-level discussions to deliver high-impact business outcomes.
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Growth & Revenue Leadership
- Identify cross-disciplinary expansion opportunities for clients and Ogilvy.
- Develop and implement revenue-driven account plans leveraging Ogilvy’s global capabilities.
- Partner with procurement, Commercial teams and Finance to forecast, ensure profitability and contract negotiations that retain agency value.
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Strategic & Client Engagement Leadership
- Set strategic direction aligned with client business objectives and market realities.
- Challenge briefs with innovation; elevate thinking beyond conformance.
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Commercial Accountability
- Oversee financial health and profit recovery across accounts via forecasting and commercial strategies.
- Negotiate budgets, scopes, rates, and bespoke propositions to strengthen value.
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Creative Leadership
- Champion excellence: drive bold, business-impactful creative work across all teams.
- Foster push-the-boundaries accountability in every delivery.
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Team & Culture Development
- Mentor, inspire, and holistically develop Account Teams.
- Foster a culture of clarity, authority, and proactive problem-solving.
- Ensure teams feel supported to perform, produce outstanding work, and grow.
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Networking & Disciplinary Collaboration
- Position Ogilvy as the client’s secret weapon; tailor capabilities to deliver impactful results.
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Problem-Solving
- Anticipate risks, proactively address challenges with confidence.
- Ensure momentum through multi-disciplinary alignment: promote initiative, creativity, resilience.
Requirements & Qualities
- Proven Ability: Leading accounts with significant revenue and complexity.
- Senior Relationship Building: Expertise in securing trust across C-suite and procurement/purchasing empires.
- Healthcare & Regulatory Context: Deep understanding of medical, bioscience, and adjacency industries—plus navigating regulatory frameworks.
- Commercial Savvy: Nuanced experience in negotiation, contract management, financial analysis, and bid strategies.
- Innovative Creative Champion: Capable to challenge/commit teams to revolutionary, memorable campaigns.
- Strategic Confidence: Genuine instinct and experience to support client strategy, keep strategies robust, future-looking.
- Leadership: Skilled mentor who builds coalitions and ensures teams outperform.
- Stakeholder Confidence: Strong business negotiation sense, perceptive communication, and persuasive presentation.
- Resilience: Thrives under pressure, and keeps steady functioning in complexity.
- Network & Opportunities Engine: Strong industry network, capable of unlocking collaborations, new ventures and ideation that builds agencylevelling.
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How Ogilvy Rewards You
Ogilvy fosters a pioneering, diverse, and purpose-driven workplace. Benefits include:
- 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day.
- Healthcare benefits through Bupa.
- Flexible Working Model (core hours: 10:00–16:00).
- Matching Pension Scheme (1.5:1).
- Wellbeing Benefits:
- £25/month contribution towards fitness memberships or online courses.
- Unmind mental health support tool.
- LifeWorks employee assistance allowance.
- Annual eye tests and £3000 career development budgets.
- Season Ticket Loan, Cycle-to-Work Scheme.
- Life Assurance.
- Inclusive Culture: Thriving global communities embodied in Ogilvy’s practices.
- life-beyond-work vibrancy: Door-opening opportunities via internal mentor pools.
Our Purpose & Commitments
At Ogilvy, we centre creatives by celebrating risk-taking ideas. We strive for equity, equality, and belonging across our teams to make the world a better place.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. Accommodations are offered to applicants who need assistance with the application process; contact accommodations@ogilvy.com. Ogilvy does not respond to unrelated requests (e.g., status updates).
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