Head of Business Development

About the role

The Sovereign Group is looking for an ambitious, internationally connected and commercially astute Head of Business Development to lead the next phase of growth for its Mauritius organisation and join its senior leadership team. The role goes beyond sales: it involves influencing investment flows into, across and out of Africa, structuring global wealth solutions, building strategic partnerships and helping international entrepreneurs, multinationals, family offices and investment funds succeed through the Mauritius International Financial Centre.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and execute the business development strategy, identify revenue opportunities in corporate, private wealth and family office sectors, and build a pipeline of prospective clients and intermediaries.
• Lead client acquisition across Mauritius, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, and establish partnerships with legal firms, accounting firms, banks, asset managers, investment advisors and introducers.
• Achieve annual business development and revenue targets, monitor sales performance, pipeline conversion and profitability, set pricing strategies and produce regular management reports.
• Promote the organisation at conferences and regulatory forums, increase brand visibility through thought leadership and run targeted marketing campaigns with the marketing team.
• Lead and mentor business development professionals, set sales KPIs, foster a high-performance culture, develop succession plans and drive collaboration with compliance, legal, administration and finance teams.

Required profile

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, finance, economics, law, marketing or a related field; MBA, CFA, STEP, ACCA, CA(SA), CISI or equivalent preferred; STEP qualified or working towards it preferred.
• 10+ years of business development experience in financial services, including at least 5 years in a senior business development or commercial leadership role.
• Proven track record in fiduciary, corporate services, wealth management and private banking, with significant revenue growth and a strong international network.
• Experience with regulated international financial institutions and willingness to travel to meet intermediaries and prospects.

Required skills

• Proficiency in CRM software and other sales and marketing tools.
• Strong leadership, cross-functional collaboration and ability to analyse sales data and trends.