Managing Director, Global Partnerships

Context

IWG is already the world leader in hybrid working solutions and is growing its core business aggressively alongside expanding its product base. Currently IWG’s partnership activity is sub-scale, lacks a centralised strategy and is ready for senior executive ownership /co-ordination across the Group. This is a newly created role for a highly driven, commercial, results oriented individual to set up and then deliver the potential of the partnership model for IWG.

Job Purpose

Reporting to the [CEO, Digital Products and Professional Services], the Global Partnerships MD will have a clear vision, create the strategy, set the ambition, the standards and operationalize partnership activity. The role will ensure this is scaled globally and be accountable for overall performance and growth of Partnerships across the IWG group – ultimately measured via financial results and client NPS. IWG’s partnership opportunity and engagement currently covers 3 main areas:

• IWG Offer Enhancement – Partners who can provide complimentary and adjacent products to IWG’s workspace and office orientated services and products, which will enhance IWG’s offer and attractiveness to the market (e.g. travel companies, credit cards, mobile telephony, car hire, etc.).
• Partner Customer Reciprocity – Partners who have their own scaled customer platforms who would be interested in the products and services provide by IWG (e.g. loyalty programs, hotels, taxi services, etc.).
• Supply Chain Partners – Existing vendor partners of IWG who have the potential to offer greater value to IWG and its customers through enhanced and scaled relationships (e.g. printers, computers, Design & Build suppliers, etc.).        

Key Responsibilities

• Developing the partnership strategy (including partnership that add additional products and services that compliment IWG’s offering adding value to our clients as well as partnerships that act as non-real estate channels to sell IWG’s offering)
• Developing a scalable partnership offering which is capable of being adopted by adjacent and connected industries and IWG’s clients
• Creating and implementing action plans to deliver the strategy balancing investment with demonstrable return and scaling accordingly
• Generating awareness and visibility of the IWG proposition in the market by developing B2B connections across numerous potential connected and adjacent industries, increasing system revenue by $[200]m+ per annum.
• Identifying, contacting and pitching prospective partners through a range of BD activities including networking, generating leads, meeting customers local canvassing and cold-calling.
• Understand IWG’s business and demonstrate passion and advocacy for its products and services
• Building relationship with 10 key partners and developing long term strategic channel partner opportunity creating value of $10m+ per partner pa. with partners demonstrating advocacy.
• Converting commercial discussions into signed contracts with the support of the IWG legal team and securing board approval for new partnership deals.

Required Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Required experience in successfully scaling productised and/or service businesses through partnerships and channel engagement.
• Sales and/or B2B business development experience in a fast-growing, dynamic business.
• Highly commercial with strong business and financial acumen to give others confidence & to give credibility to the selling process.
• Proven ability to find & convert deals quickly with tenacity and dedication.
• Demonstrable track record of sourcing & delivering, at pace, multiple deals of a meaningful scale (£250k+ investment).
• Self- starter, self-sufficient, deal-focused, results focused and can-do mindset, willing to take risks to succeed.
• Outstanding communications skills and the ability to present a compelling narrative to a wide variety of audiences, both large & small.
• Able to work under pressure and to think independently to create interest in a proposition.

About the company

IWG has been at the forefront of flexible working for more than 30 years. With over 5,400 locations around the globe, spanning brands including Regus, Spaces, Signature and HQ, we have made it possible for businesses of all sizes to make the transition to hybrid working, empowering employees to work wherever and whenever is most convenient.

We help more than 8 million people and their businesses to work more productively, supported by a choice of professional, inspiring and collaborative workspaces, communities and services.

As the world’s leading provider of hybrid work solutions, with four times the number of locations compared to its nearest competitor, IWG is already working with over 80% of the Fortune 500 and counts businesses including Amazon, Netflix, EY and Uber amongst its customers.

Companies of all sizes are shifting to flexible working to lower costs, improve employee retention and lower their carbon emissions. The flexible workspace is expected to grow by 600% by 2023, when 30% of all office space will be hybrid. We are growing our network faster than ever to keep up with demand from customers as we work towards our goal of reaching 30,000 centres.

Carbon Neutral Workplaces
IWG’s purpose of helping everyone have a great day at work, while protecting people and the planet is at the heart of everything we do. We are proud to supply all of our customers worldwide with carbon neutral workplaces, and we have a strong climate action plan in place to help us achieve our objective of Net Zero emissions by 2040.

Leading Employer Award
IWG is proud to be the recipient of a Leading Employer Award in 2022, 2023, 2024 & 2025. Awarded exclusively to the top 1% of employers, the accolade is testament to our diverse global workforce and the role everyone plays in bringing our purpose, culture and values to life, every single day. 

Join us at https://careers.iwgplc.com/home