Business Director - Greater London - Ogilvy

Description

Business Director – Consumer PR

Location: London
Contract type: Initial 12-Month Fixed Term Contract
Full Time: Hybrid Working
Reporting into: Managing Partner

About Ogilvy UK

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. The agency specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world‑class award‑winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Sainsbury's, Lloyds Banking Group, Madri, Unilever and Mondelēz International. Ogilvy's influencer marketing practice is the largest globally; we are proud to be the most awarded influencer agency for six years running and the recipient of the Cannes Grand Prix for Social & Creator for two consecutive years.

The Role

As the Business Director on the European and Global FMCG portfolio business within Consumer PR, you will lead client partnership, strategic counsel and integrated delivery across the portfolio, designed to provide the client with fully focused, senior leadership on some of the world's most iconic FMCG brands. The role sits at the intersection of earned‑first thinking, culture‑led marketing, and integrated agency delivery, ensuring that PR, social, influence and advertising work together to create impact at scale across diverse markets.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the senior day‑to‑day client lead for European and Global teams, building trusted, long‑term partnerships
• Provide strategic counsel across brand, reputation, partnerships and cultural activation
• Lead complex, multi‑market stakeholder management across global, regional and local teams
• Ensure the FMCG brand has consistent, senior‑level leadership fully embedded in the brand business

Global & European strategy development

• Lead the creation of global and European communications toolkits, frameworks and playbooks that balance global brand consistency with local market nuance
• Embed earned‑first thinking into all toolkits
• Partner closely with creative and strategy leads to shape culturally relevant, insight‑led ideas

Market management & intelligence

• Oversee market engagement across Europe and priority global territories, acting as a central connector between the brands global teams and local markets
• Ensure clients are consistently informed on market trends, cultural shifts, competitor activity and emerging opportunities
• Champion local market insight, ensuring work is adaptable, relevant and executable across diverse regions

Global events & partnerships

• Lead the communications strategy and delivery for global brand moments and events, ensuring alignment across markets
• Play a central role in developing and activating brand partnerships, embedding them seamlessly into toolkits and campaign narratives
• Work with market and agency leads to bring partnerships to life in locally relevant, culturally resonant ways

Team leadership & integration

• Directly manage a London‑based team, working alongside creative and strategy leadership
• Foster a collaborative, high‑performance team culture grounded in integration and shared ownership

What Makes This Role Different

• 100% dedicated to the FMCG portfolio, allowing for deep brand immersion and long‑term strategic thinking
• Operates at true global scale, balancing global brand stewardship with local market realities
• Deeply partnership‑led, with collaborations embedded into brand strategy
• Strong emphasis on earned‑first, culture‑first marketing, influencing how integrated campaigns are built from the ground up
• Sits within a fully integrated agency model, requiring constant collaboration across discipline

Key Leadership Competencies

• Proven experience in global and/or European leadership roles, ideally within FMCG or large‑scale consumer brands
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills – this role is heavily relationship‑driven and requires confidence navigating complexity
• Strong understanding of how global brands operate across markets, with sensitivity to cultural and market nuance
• Demonstrated experience working in integrated agency environments across PR, advertising, social and influence
• A passion for culture‑led, earned‑first marketing and its role in driving brand relevance and business impact
• Commercially astute, strategically minded and comfortable operating at senior client level
• A genuine interest in – and affinity for – the drinks brands and the wider FMCG landscape
• Communication & Collaboration: Defines and communicates the overarching vision for the Influence practice. Develops communication strategies that align the department with agency leadership and fosters a culture of open dialogue and mentorship for senior leaders.
• Organisation & Resource Management: Architects the department's operational structure to support profitability and growth. Oversees P&L, leads resource forecasting and ensures the practice is structured to handle complex, large‑scale business needs.
• Responsibility & Accountability: Holds ultimate accountability for the entire department's commercial and creative performance. Empowers directors to lead their teams while maintaining transparent, high‑level communication with executive leadership on business progress and challenges.
• Problem Solving & Decision Making: Acts as the final point of authority on the most critical business issues. Makes high‑stakes decisions that protect the agency's commercial interests and mentors directors in strategic problem‑solving.
• Growth & Development: Champions and funds a departmental learning culture. Defines the long‑term talent strategy, creates career pathways for all levels, and builds a best‑in‑class team through senior hiring and mentorship.
• Ogilvy Values & Behaviours: Acts as the ultimate custodian of the agency's values within the department. Embeds these values into the practice's core processes, from recruitment and client management to performance recognition.

Skills For Your Growth To Client Partner

• C‑Suite Partnership & Business Acumen: Transition from a practice leader to a C‑suite strategic advisor. Develop a deep, holistic understanding of the client's entire business model, competitive landscape, and financial drivers to become an indispensable partner to their most senior leaders.
• Integrated Solution Leadership: Evolve from leading a single capability to orchestrating the agency's full suite of services. Master the art of integrating diverse crafts—from brand advertising and PR to consulting and data to solve the client's most complex business problems.
• Enterprise Commercial Strategy: Shift focus from departmental P&L management to owning the entire client commercial relationship. Drive enterprise‑level growth by identifying strategic opportunities across the client's organization and negotiating large‑scale, multi‑year partnerships.
• Relationship as the Core Product: Move from role where the craft is the primary product to one where the strategic client relationship itself is the core deliverable. Your success will be measured by your ability to build unwavering trust and long‑term loyalty at the highest levels.

Personal Qualities

• Extensive and proven experience in a senior leadership role within a top‑tier agency.
• Strategic yet pragmatic
• Culturally curious and globally minded
• Confident, collaborative and calm under pressure
• Energised by complexity, scale and partnership‑driven work
• Demonstrated track record of P&L ownership and delivering significant, year‑on‑year business growth.
• Proven success in leading and winning multi‑million‑pound new business pitches.
• Exceptional leadership skills with experience in shaping departmental culture and developing senior talent.
• Strategic visionary with the ability to anticipate market trends and define a clear, forward‑looking path for the business.
• Outstanding commercial acumen and sophisticated negotiation skills.

How We Help You Thrive

• 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day
• Bupa Healthcare
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests.
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance

Equal Opportunity Employer Statement

Ogilvy is an equal opportunity employer and considers applicants for all positions without discrimination or regard to particular characteristics. We are committed to fostering a culture of respect in which everyone feels they belong and has the same opportunities to progress in their careers.