Global Head of Sales - Business Development
Global Sales Director
Overview
An international logistics and freight forwarding organisation is seeking an experienced Global Sales Director to lead its worldwide commercial strategy and drive sustainable business growth across key markets. This executive leadership role will focus on expanding market presence, developing strategic customer relationships, and building a high-performing global sales organisation.
The successful candidate will combine strong commercial leadership with a deep understanding of freight forwarding, logistics solutions, and international supply chain operations.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Sales & Business Development
- Develop and execute a global sales strategy aligned with overall business growth objectives.
- Identify and prioritize new market opportunities, industry sectors, geographical regions, and service offerings.
- Drive revenue growth through acquisition of new customers and expansion of existing strategic accounts.
- Lead the full sales lifecycle, from opportunity identification and prospect engagement through to negotiation and contract closure.
- Develop and implement go-to-market strategies across multiple international markets.
Leadership & Team Development
- Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing international sales and business development team.
- Establish clear sales objectives, performance metrics, and reporting structures.
- Monitor team performance and implement strategies to drive continuous improvement and commercial success.
- Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, innovation, and customer focus.
- Support talent development, succession planning, and leadership growth across the commercial function.
Customer & Stakeholder Management
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with key customers, strategic partners, and industry stakeholders.
- Act as a senior commercial representative for the business in customer engagements and executive-level negotiations.
- Collaborate closely with operations, product, finance, and leadership teams to ensure service excellence and customer satisfaction.
- Represent the organisation at trade events, conferences, and industry networking opportunities.
Commercial & Financial Management
- Manage sales budgets, forecasts, and pipeline reporting to support strategic decision making.
- Evaluate commercial opportunities and assess associated business risks.
- Lead complex negotiations involving strategic contracts, pricing agreements, and service solutions.
- Ensure revenue growth targets and profitability objectives are achieved.
Candidate Profile
Education & Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Supply Chain, Logistics, or a related discipline.
- MBA or equivalent postgraduate qualification preferred.
- Professional certifications in sales, negotiation, leadership, or logistics considered advantageous.
Experience & Technical Skills
- Minimum 15 years of commercial leadership experience within freight forwarding, logistics, or supply chain services.
- Proven track record of developing and executing international sales strategies that drive significant revenue growth.
- Strong understanding of multimodal logistics, freight forwarding operations, and global supply chain solutions.
- Demonstrated experience managing and developing high-performing international sales teams.
- Expertise in key account management, business development, and strategic customer acquisition.
- Strong commercial acumen with experience in contract negotiation, pricing strategies, and deal structuring.
- Proficiency with CRM platforms and sales performance analytics tools.
Leadership Competencies
- Strategic thinker with the ability to translate vision into measurable business results.
- Strong leadership presence with proven team-building and coaching capabilities.
- Results-driven mindset with a passion for growth and commercial excellence.
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
- High levels of resilience, adaptability, and integrity in a dynamic international environment.
- Strong relationship-building capabilities with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders at all levels.
Why This Opportunity?
- Executive leadership role with significant influence on global growth strategy.
- Opportunity to shape and develop an international commercial organisation.
- Exposure to diverse international markets and strategic customers.
- High-impact position with visibility across the executive leadership team.
FAQs
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