The role
We are looking to hire a Director of Business Development to join our Sales team in Hong Kong.
This role is office-based out of our Hong Kong office.
Working at WGSN
Together, we create tomorrow
A career with WGSN is fast-paced, exciting and full of opportunities to grow and develop. We're a team of consumer and design trend forecasters, content creators, designers, data analysts, advisory consultants and much more, united by a common goal: to create tomorrow.
WGSN's trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory. If you are an expert in your field, we want to hear from you.
Role overview
The Director, Business Development APAC, is responsible for leading the Business Development team in the APAC region to drive net customer growth. This includes overseeing new business generation and strategic sales initiatives across key markets: Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Key leadership responsibilities:
- Team Leadership & Management
- Recruit, train, coach, and manage a high-performing Business Development team.
- Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and customer-centricity.
Performance & Activity Management:
- Set clear performance expectations, including activity levels (e.g., minimum 10 customer meetings/week per team member), and ensure the team consistently meets and exceeds sales targets from both self-generated opportunities and qualified marketing leads.
Strategic Growth:
- Develop and execute the regional sales strategy to maximize market penetration and revenue growth.
- This role will be instrumental in scaling the APAC sales organization and driving overall business growth across the region.
Collaboration:
- Work closely with Marketing, Product, Advisory and Account Management teams to ensure alignment on regional strategy and execution.
Key accountabilities
- Leading and mentoring a high-performing Business Development team across the APAC region.
- Acting as an executive sponsor with key prospects and opportunities and driving the awareness of the entire suite of WGSN solutions.
- Overseeing lead generation activities (inbound follow-up, social selling, cold calling), and coordinating closely with Marketing on campaigns targeting key prospects.
- Coaching the team on arranging & attending meetings with prospects, making compelling C-Level presentations including site demonstrations, drafting proposals and contract documents, and consistent industry networking.
- Collaborating closely with regional Account Management and Client Success teams to leverage client usage insights, best practices, and success stories to drive referral business and optimize team performance.
- Accurately forecasting regional business outlook on a monthly and quarterly basis and ensuring team adoption of best practices in sales reporting.
- Serving as a strategic leader in the markets, advising on the long-term plan for growth and business development, expanding beyond core industries.
- Reporting to the VP of Revenue, APAC (based in HK).
This list is not exhaustive and there may be other activities you are required to deliver.
Skills, experience & qualifications required
- Proven track record of strategic leadership and consistently exceeding objectives
- Ability to coach individuals on consultative solution selling, and foster a “hunter” mindset
- Previous experience within the information/research industry, fashion, retail, saas would be a distinct advantage
- Strategic thinking, clear communication and decision making process.
- A degree or equivalent in any discipline is preferable
What we offer
Our benefits and wellbeing package offers flexible benefits you can tailor to your own personal needs, including:
- 20 days’ annual leave Private Medical Insurance
- Health & Fitness Subsidy benefits
- Rental Reimbursement tax benefit if applicable
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Great learning and development opportunities
More about WGSN
WGSN is the global authority on consumer trend forecasting.
We help brands around the world create the right products at the right time for tomorrow’s consumer.
Our values
We Are Everywhere
The future is everything, it happens everywhere. WGSN is the world-leading forecaster because we track and analyse consumer behaviours, product innovation, design and creativity, everywhere.
We Are Future Focused
We utilise our global resources and intelligence to research, source and analyse quantitative and qualitative data to produce our forecasts. Everything we do is focused on working with our customers to create a successful and positive tomorrow.
We Are Rigorous
We source, review and assess quantitative and qualitative data to produce robust, actionable forecasts. To provide credible insights and design solutions for our clients, it is essential that rigour runs through everything we do.
Our culture
An inclusive culture is one of our key priorities. We want our people to truly be themselves and thrive. We love having a diverse team of people who bring new ideas, different strengths and perspectives & reflect the global audience we work with.
Inclusive workforce
We are committed to supporting the environment and sustainability, including ensuring our pension plan defaults to sustainable options and striving to be net zero by 2030.
Recognising great performance is a key part of our culture. Our Awards schemes recognise and reward the brilliant achievements of our people.
We offer a flexible working environment with a wide range of flexible, hybrid and agile working arrangements. Conversations about flexible working have always been—and will continue to be—actively encouraged here, but we do not offer full remote working.
We want to ensure everyone has the opportunity to perform their best when interviewing, so if you require any reasonable adjustments that would make you more comfortable during the process, please let us know so that we can do our best to support you.
A Note for Applicants
We use AI to help our team screen applications and identify candidates whose skills and experience match the role. This technology removes personal information to promote a fair and unbiased process. We believe this tool helps us find the best talent while maintaining transparency and fairness.
A Note for Recruiters Thank you for your interest in working with us at WGSN. Our internal Talent Acquisition team takes care of all our recruitment efforts. When we need some extra help, we partner with agencies on our Preferred Supplier List (PSL) that truly understand our business, culture and ways of working together. Since we focus on these established partnerships, we’re unable to respond to unsolicited contacts or CVs from outside our PSL. But don’t worry! If we decide to explore new partnerships, we’ll be sure to reach out.