Account Director (Consultancy), Mindset - EMEA

The role

We are looking to hire an Account Director to join our Consultancy team in London or New York and become an integral part of our Consulting strategy.

This role will work alongside Mindset’s senior leadership team.

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. 

WGSN is going through an exciting time of investment and growth. We have an ambitious five-year strategy to deliver YoY growth, and we are ready to execute. Our market penetration is excellent, our brand is very well known as a leading global trend forecaster. Now is an excellent time to be joining our dynamic business.

Role overview 

Do you have an entrepreneurial spirit, a commercial mindset, and proven experience successfully converting new business opportunities in creative consulting or agency environments? This role will be crucial in driving sales growth and maintaining strong, profitable relationships with our clients.

With proven industry experience, you will be responsible for delivering the strategic sales plan, hitting your billings target and delivering excellent client growth driving average order values and increasing market share.

Your responsibilities will be to develop, manage and execute a commercial business development strategy that capitalises on the range of our solutions and  services, as well as ensuring that Mindsets foresight capabilities are correctly positioned to meet and exceed the client’s needs and expectations.

You will have an annual billings target of $1.5m net new each year.

This role will be based in London or the US with regional and global clients.

The team

You will be part of a dynamic and high-performing team made up of 50+ consultants, strategists and account managers who deliver bespoke solutions for a wide range of clients across the globe. You will be part of the EMEA/NAM Mindset leadership team and work with senior clients from a wide range of industries.

• Working with the VP Sales, VP Consulting and Senior Directors to deliver the 3-5 year growth plan for the Mindset/Consulting division, ensuring sales targets are achieved
• Identify, explore and develop new business opportunities, as well as manage RFIs, RFPs and pitch processes.
• Lead all aspects of the sales process, including but not exclusive to network building, client engagement strategies, services messaging, and offer development and negotiation.
• Partnering with Enterprise leaders and  Account Managers in developing business opportunities for Mindset with WGSN’s existing subscription clients.
• Be at the forefront of nurturing client relationships, demonstrating a growing understanding of their business and broader brand/marketing issues. 
• Ensure proactive client servicing, efficient project management, and financial responsibility to ensure value is delivered for each client and maximise profitability for WGSN.
• Support client growth by bringing in the client's perspective and contributing to project content development.
• Champion high strategic standards, obtain a thorough understanding of brand/project requirements, and contribute to project costings.
• Support client growth by bringing in the client's perspective and contributing to project content development.
• Present Mindset proposition and proposals to key stakeholders, participating in Q&A and client workshops where appropriate.  
• Accurately forecast monthly and quarterly sales with all pipeline tracked and updated on Salesforce
• Travel nationally and internationally to deliver high-value pitches and consulting projects to clients. Works across time zones with a diverse set of clients.

• Proven track record in new business and account management with experience of winning and retaining large, high-value strategic clients.
• Experience working in a creative consulting or agency environment.
• Excellent communicator who can lead client presentations and effectively negotiate outcomes that benefit both the client and WGSN Mindset.
• A proactive, creative problem solver that thrives in a highly collaborative, fast-paced environment.
• Demonstrate advanced sales process, techniques and methodology.
• A passion for trend and forecasting covering the following types of industries - fashion, beauty, retail, technology, design & innovation, food & drink.

What we offer

Our benefits and wellbeing package offers flexible benefits you can tailor to your own personal needs, including:  

- 25 days of holiday per year - with an option to buy/ sell up to 5 days

- Pension, Life Assurance and Income Protection Flexible benefits platform with options including Private Medical, Dental Insurance & Critical Illness 

- Employee assistance programme, season ticket loans and cycle to work scheme 

- Volunteering opportunities and charitable giving options  

- 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 have a truly 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. 

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.