Business Development Director

About Elmwood

We're a globally recognised, award-winning strategic brand design consultancy with studios in London, New York, Singapore and Shanghai. Every day, we partner with some of the world's most ambitious consumer, corporate, and healthcare brands to craft high-impact creative that moves people and markets.

Rooted in purpose and powered by creativity, our mission is simple: get our clients from intent to impact - faster.

As proud members of the MSQ Group and B Corp certified, we unite strategy, design, and experience to shape brands that are not only standout but stand FOR something.

"The world doesn't need more brands, it needs better ones." Daniel Binns - Elmwood Global CEO

About The Department

This is a brand new, purpose-built department at Elmwood - and you'll play a central role in shaping it.

As Elmwood enters a new 3-year growth phase following five years of significant expansion, the New Business & Marketing team will be the engine driving our strategic business development efforts. The department will define and deliver clear, intentional plans for growth - turning bold ambition into smart action.

From developing high-impact new business strategies to refining our market positioning and outreach, this team will set the pace for how Elmwood shows up in the world - with clarity, purpose and momentum.

About The Role

As Business Development Director, your purpose is to fuel growth with intent - scaling Elmwood's new business efforts as well as business growth through a strategic, sector-savvy, and creatively aligned approach.

You'll take the lead in expanding our client base and service offering across our three core pillars: health, consumer, and B2B brand design. With an eye on long-term opportunity and short-term impact, you'll shape and deliver a new business strategy that aligns with Elmwood's future-first positioning, working closely with creative, strategy, and marketing teams to land high-value, high-impact partnerships.

You will be a strategic thinker and persuasive communicator who thrives on building meaningful client relationships. Working alongside our Marketing and Studio teams, you'll amplify our brand promise - Branding with Intent - and bring it to life through intelligent, well-matched new business wins.

As Elmwood moves into its next phase of growth in FY25/26, you'll also play a vital role in amplifying the scale and breadth of our MSQ network - helping us show the full strength of our collective capabilities while keeping Elmwood's agility and strategic creativity at the forefront.

This role isn't just about winning work - it's a pivotal leadership role that will shape the future of the agency.

What You'll Do

Lead Generation & Market Engagement

• Develop and implement a future-focused new business strategy aligned to Elmwood's repositioning.

• Identify, assess and engage new prospects within our core sectors (consumer, corporate, healthcare).

• Attend and represent Elmwood at key industry events, establishing thought leadership and meaningful connections.

Pitching & Conversion

• Lead and orchestrate pitch processes from brief to delivery, ensuring creative and strategic excellence.

• Craft compelling proposals in collaboration with strategy and creative teams that demonstrate value, clarity, and momentum.

• Confidently present Elmwood's story and proposition to C-suite decision-makers.

Relationship Building

• Build long-term partnerships with prospective clients rooted in trust, insight, and mutual ambition.

• Ensure a seamless handover of new business into client teams while maintaining oversight of strategic growth opportunities.

Collaboration & Innovation

• Build relationships with our Global Growth team and local Studio leads to share plans and progress; supporting global cohesion

• Partner with Marketing to develop content, campaigns, and initiatives that attract high-value prospects.

Performance & Reporting

• Monitor pipeline health using our CRM system (HubSpot).

• Analyse key metrics and performance against KPIs to optimise efforts and outcomes.

• Regularly report progress and insights to senior leadership.

What You'll Bring to Elmwood

• Passionate about building brands with purpose, clarity and measurable impact.

• Delivered consistent year-on-year revenue growth through new business acquisition.
• Proven experience in a senior new business development role, ideally within the branding, design or relatetd creative industry
• A track record of generating new business and achieving high growth through conversion of high-quality leads into successful, retained clients.
• Distinct reputation in the industry and extensive contact list
• Grown brand consultancy footprints within existing clients through smart cross-selling and strategic partnership-building.

• Operated confidently in high-level pitch environments within the branding, design, or broader creative industry.

• Entered new markets or categories and delivered commercial value at speed.

• Extensive and demonstrable experience in senior business development roles within brand consultancy, design, or creative services ideally.

• Natural connector, confident communicator and strategic seller.

• Commercially astute with a strong understanding of brand strategy and design.

• Adept at navigating complex organisations and identifying opportunities others might miss.

If your experience looks different from what we've described, but you believe you'd make a great fit - we'd love to hear from you.

What We Offer (London Studio)

We care about our people, and that's why we create a collaborative culture where new thinking is celebrated, ambition is supported, and people are rewarded for their contribution. Whilst a competitive package, professional development and the opportunity to shape our next chapter is all standard here at elmwood, we thought we would highlight a few of our favourite benefits:

• Hybrid working with flexi start/end time (8-10am / 4-6pm)

• A vibrant studio space in the heart of Covent Garden with unlimited tea/coffee, fruit baskets, showers, bicycle storage etc

• 26 days annual leave + wellbeing days + 3 additional days over Christmas & New Year + Enhanced parental leave

• Workcation (work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year)

• Private health insurance

• Wellbeing initiatives like subsidised Gym, Physio Sessions, GP Services, Life Coaching

• Apple MAC and iPhone hardware

Let's Build Better Brands - Getting them from Intentto Impact Faster

If you're ready to help shape the future of brand consultancy by growing purposeful, performance-driven partnerships, we'd love to hear from you.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

Elmwood is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate and value difference, and we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences - including underrepresented groups.

Need adjustments to support your application? Let us know. We're happy to provide alternative formats, remote interviews, or any other support you might need to show your best self.