Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence. We work with the world’s leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide. We deliver market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million end consumers.
While professional experience and qualifications are key for this role, make sure to check you have the preferable soft skills before applying if required.
Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world’s original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of 1,300 lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 650 airports in 148 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special.
Purpose of the job
This role will drive the India market growth strategy within the Financial Services and Non-Financial Services vertical with a primary focus on Collinson’s Travel Experiences/Priority Pass solutions. The purpose of this role is to work in line with global and regional business strategies, to determine the market focus and goals, and to lead and manage a team of high performing business development, account management, and lounge partner management individuals. The Commercial Director, India will be expected to deliver challenging commercial results and help develop future for the group in this key market. The end objective is India market dominance.
This is a senior leadership role in India that will be expected to develop and project Collinson’s identity and reputation in the local market, act as a figurehead for the business through engagement and participation in industry groups, trade/media functions, other marketing and awareness activities, and networking with key influencers.
A critical part of this role will be working in very close collaboration with Collinson’s Regional Account Directors for Visa, MasterCard, and Amex to ensure tight global, regional and local alignment with these key customers.
This role will include working with the regional and global propositions team to develop localized propositions for our global solutions, where it is commercially feasible and agreed with global and regional stakeholders. This may require collaborating with local, regional or global 3rd parties as needed.
Key Responsibilities
1. Ongoing assessment of the market landscape and opportunities in India - building go to market plans that include the key propositions in the focus vertical.
2. Assess where to deploy resources most effectively and identify where there is the highest likelihood for long term sustainable profit.
3. Ensure that local market execution plans are aligned to global and regional credit card networks.
4. Develop and maintain deep senior level relationships within Indian Financial Services institutions.
5. Ensure the continuous expansion of Collinson’s India lounge network through the establishment of deep relationships with lounge operators and maintaining Collinson as the preferred partner.
6. Wherever possible establish exclusive relationships with lounge operators.
7. Oversight of robust negotiation of Collinson India’s lounge costs to ensure a best in market cost base.
8. Driving growth in market share with a key objective of obtaining market leader status.
9. Work with regional and central resources to ensure that products and services are fit for purpose in market, priced appropriately, with all the necessary sales and marketing collateral in place and that there is a clear set of value propositions in place.
10. Deliver an agreed revenue target of new business sales on an ongoing basis, drive a high performing sales and account management team providing inspirational leadership.
11. Personally contribute to results through managing senior/strategic opportunities, developing business through presenting at conferences, networking events, being a media spokesperson for the market and where appropriate leading pitches and RFP responses.
12. Track market and competitor trends to identify business and proposition threats and opportunities relating to Collinson propositions and products within market.
13. Make a strategic contribution to global product/proposition development and evolution, representing local market needs, opportunities and perspective and where agreed work with global teams to develop local propositions.
Knowledge, skills and experience required
1. Experienced, customer facing individual with the ability to work autonomously.
2. Overall 15 years business experience would be expected for a role of this seniority.
3. Well networked in the financial services and travel sectors and with a good understanding of customer engagement.
4. Aptitude and enthusiasm for pitched and consultancy/solution-based business development with demonstrable experience in landing major clients and projects.
5. Able to work effectively in a complex matrix organisation environment with multiple interfaces at a central, regional, and local level.
6. Able to provide thought leadership and direction to functional teams thereby leading the development of the market ensuring products and propositions fit the market and are constantly refined as the market, and competitors, evolve their offerings.
Person Specification
1. Strong relationship/network manager, able to successfully collaborate with peers, executives, staff and external contacts as part of a global matrix organization.
2. Growth/profit focused with proven ability to assess and develop large and complex opportunities.
3. Excellent sales leadership skills; able to inspire, develop and motivate a commercial team.
4. Fluency in English articulate and able to convincingly present complex ideas and concepts in verbal and written form.
5. Having a can-do, problem-solving attitude with a sociable personality.
6. Strong influencing skills, ability to inspire confidence and create trust.
7. A driven individual that will roll-up their sleeves and lead the team from the front inspiring the art of the possible.
#J-18808-Ljbffr