Director of Sales, UK

The Director of Sales, UK reports to the Divisional Director of Sales, Southern Europe & UK and will oversee all outbound sales from the UK & Ireland, driving revenue growth, client relationships, and leading high-performing sales teams in the outbound field. Overseeing the sales activities for UK this role is responsible for driving performance of the sales teams, achieving and exceeding goals of revenue generation. The Director of Sales, UK will manage the Belmond Commercial Organisation sellers (BCO) including Belmond Client Directors within the assigned geographic territories (UK) and segments (Leisure & Groups) . The role has a focus on leading and directing the Client Directors and Client Managers and their teams as well as implementing first class client management and new client acquisition strategies increasing the number of new active accounts through business development activities.

This role will be accountable for meeting established revenue targets for a specific set of accounts within the geographic territories assigned for direct and personal management and development. The assigned geographic territories, market and industry segments, direct reports, and owned Accounts are subject to change depending on the Company’s needs and variable market conditions. The Director of Sales, UK is responsible for leading the development, management and growth of revenue across leisure, groups and events accounts within the assigned market, while providing strategic direction and oversight to the sales team.

This role combines direct accountability for delivering revenue targets from personally owned accounts with leadership of Client Directors and Client Managers to drive performance across the wider portfolio. It is responsible for implementing strategic account management, developing new active accounts through business development, and growing B2B group business across the full Belmond portfolio, including incentive, corporate meetings, special interest, associations, alumni and education, retreats, sports and other non-celebration group segments. It also monitors performance against goals, evaluates sales strategies with senior stakeholders, and ensures the team remains focused, motivated and positioned to deliver consistent financial growth while strengthening Belmond’s standing as the first choice for luxury group business in the UK.

MAIN DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Growth & Commercial Leadership

• Work with the Divisional Director of Sales Southern Europe & UK to develop and execute the Divisional business & sales development strategy for Belmond in the UK.
• Partner with GMs, Sales Divisional Leaders and other property sales teams worldwide as well as Corporate Office to shape long-term commercial strategies ensuring delivery is on track and recommend changes as appropriate.

Annual Planning

• Build annual business plans and sales targets for each seller per property as well as other KPI’s aligned with Belmond Global Sales priorities.
• Test capabilities to develop and execute annual sales strategies, translate global strategy into local action plans, and align with wider commercial leadership.

Trading, Client Management & New Client Acquisition

• Drive best in class client management and implement new energy for new client acquisition
• Drive a 360 degree approach to trading showing real results not only in travel trade and gross sales, but also corporate, celebrations, PR & Marketing agencies and lifestyle on a monthly and quarterly basis.

Annual P&L Management

• Support the Divisional Directors of Sales in driving profitable demand and optimizing channel mix in outbound business for the properties.
• Review spend against budget for BCOs together with Divisional Director of Sales Southern Europe & UK, addressing over/under-spends as appropriate to achieve profit targets.

Outbound - BCO Team Management

• Lead, guide and motivate the team of Client Directors/Managers within the assigned markets to achieve and exceed sales results.
• Implement strategies and line up strong activities aimed at delivering the budgeted revenue generation for every account, ensuring that sales targets for each Belmond region are met by the sales specialists in the assigned team.
• Prepare the annual sales budget for all Client Directors / Managers within the team.
• Establish and maintain frequent personal contact with all property-based sales personnel to ensure product knowledge is always up to date and there is complete alignment of sales strategies and understanding of need periods.
• Establish a close collaboration with all reservations teams and lead all closing efforts from top leisure leads as well as groups leads.
• Analyse and evaluate accounts productivity (past, current and future) to ensure the Client Directors and Managers Customer targets are met.
• Organize and lead regular sales meetings with direct reports to monitor progress to targets and identify challenges, implementing corrective actions when required.
• Ensure all team members make full use of the available selling, negotiating and closing tools to increase revenue generation from the assigned territory and account platform.
• Prepare all material, account management and other sales reports as requested by the direct manager; provide critical analysis, commentary and recommended action plans to remain and exceed production targets.

Client Management

• Foster a client-centric culture within the team, emphasizing the importance of building strong relationships with our clients.
• Ensure that all qualified advisors are well-versed in our brand narratives and key offerings, guiding the team to connect meaningfully with clients.
• Lead the negotiation and conversion of significant business opportunities, supporting the team in securing high-value and strategically important accounts.
• Drive a culture where the BCOs prioritize ongoing training and give resources to empower advisors, allowing them to shift market share to Belmond and anticipate client needs, delivering tailored solutions effectively.
• Establish and nurture a partnership relationship with all key clients, decision makers, bookers and influencers within every owned Account.
• Establish Strategic partnerships with key accounts and drive the team to host customer events with select key accounts throughout the year.
• Communicate all seasonal promotions for the global Belmond portfolio to support all properties achieving their budgeted revenue, especially in shoulder seasons.
• Manage together with the Divisional Director of Sales Southern Europe and UK the organization of annual roadshows, strategic partners’ sales events, and Belmond presence to relevant trade shows.
• Scale up regular Client educational trips to key Belmond destinations as a result of the ongoing portfolio rejuvenation and evergreen initiatives and escort these trips when necessary.

• Attend relevant industry functions and meetings to ensure the Company’s brand is properly represented.
• Establish and maintain relationships with industry colleagues including tourism boards, airlines, DMCs, etc.
• Provide feedback and information about latest market conditions and newest trends to the Divisional Director of Sales SE and UK.
• Master usage of all available BI tools provided by Tableau, and implement a regular strategic analysis of markets, properties and account performance.

New Client Acquisition and Client Portfolio Elevation

• Guide the BCOs organization to translate Belmond’s Global Sales Strategy of new client acquisition into commercial plans for all sales teams.
• Drive an advisor centric approach to support the Belmond Global Sales Strategy of Client Portfolio elevation.
• Tap into new Celebrations, Lifestyle, PR, Marketing and Corporate segments such as Fintech, AI, Banking, Marketing & PR, Lifestyle, Sports and Ultra Luxury brands to lead luxury client sales development and communication.
• Develop “inside private” client facing sales strategies.
• Build strong customer relationships with premium partners (not only within LVMH) for the generation of new leads.
• Evaluate strength in building high-value client relationships and expanding new active accounts, particularly across leisure, groups, corporate, and luxury segments.

Requirements

• Ability to own and deliver revenue targets across UK & Ireland, including track record of exceeding targets and managing complex sales portfolios.
• Significant senior sales experience in luxury hospitality, travel, or premium brands.
• Strong track record in new client acquisition and business development.
• Experience translating global sales strategy into effective local commercial plans.
• Well-established network across luxury, corporate, lifestyle, and premium partner segments.
• Ability to build strategic partnerships and generate high-value leads.
• Experience developing sales tools and client-focused sales strategies.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Commercially driven with a strong understanding of the UK luxury market.

Benefits

What We Offer

At Belmond, we pride ourselves on fostering a culture built on kindness, active listening, and genuine connections with our colleagues and guests.

We strive to create an environment where our employees can thrive both personally and professionally. With a commitment to your ongoing development, you’ll have the opportunity to learn and grow alongside some of the most talented individuals in the industry. Join us and be part of creating unforgettable moments for our guests, communities and each other.

This is your moment. Apply today!

About Us

Belmond was born from a passion for connecting discerning travellers with the world’s most remarkable properties, locations and journeys. From hotels and trains to river cruises and safari lodges, Belmond’s Slow Luxury invites guests to discover a new pace of travel as they savour time, engage with local culture, and connect with nature and people around them through incomparable experiences and unforgettable stories. With a legacy spanning over 45 years, since the acquisition of Hotel Cipriani in Venice in 1976, Belmond has grown into a global collection of 43 properties spread across 24 countries and territories. Exceptional destinations connected by legendary journeys are the very soul of Belmond, where the path that brings you to a place is as important as the destination itself. A pioneer of slow travel, Belmond has been operating the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express since 1982. Belmond later expanded to include pristine beach resorts, such as Maroma on the Riviera Maya, historic hideaways such as Villa San Michele in the Florentine foothills, urbane icons, such as Copacabana Palace in Rio de Janeiro, and gateways to UNESCO world heritage sites, such as Hotel das Cataratas in Brazil’s Iguassu National Park. As proud custodians of storied properties, Belmond is committed to building on the past to create a new legacy: the heritage of the future. Working with communities and local talents, together with the world’s most respected chefs, designers and artists, Belmond continues its purpose of perpetuating the legendary art of travel. Since 2019, Belmond has been part of the world’s leading luxury group, LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton).