VP of Sale

Job Role: VP of Sales EMEA Location: Central Bristol ( Queens Square, Bristol) GDS Group is a global B2B growth partner, delivering world-class insight, content, pipeline development and immersive event experiences across both virtual platforms and in-person environments. With over three decades of expertise, we partner with the world’s leading enterprise brands to connect them with senior decision-makers through high-impact, insight-led experiences. Operating internationally with offices in the UK, US and Europe, we are entering a significant phase of scale and are seeking a senior commercial leader to play a pivotal role in that growth.

This is a strategic, executive-level leadership role for a high-calibre VP/SVP of Sales to lead and scale our UK-based sponsorship sales division. You will take full ownership of a multi-million-pound revenue function, leading a large, high-performance sales organisation (up to 40 heads) responsible for delivering sponsorship revenue across our global portfolio of digital and in-person events. This role goes beyond team management.

You will be responsible for defining sales vision, driving commercial strategy and building a best-in-class sales engine capable of sustained growth. Own and deliver annual revenue targets more than £10M, with full accountability for forecasting accuracy and commercial performance Define and execute a scalable sales strategy aligned with global growth objectives Sales Organisation Leadership (Up to 40 Heads) Lead, inspire and scale a high-performing sponsorship sales organisation of 30–40+ individuals, including Sales Directors and Senior BDMs Build a robust leadership layer, developing Sales Directors to drive performance at scale Embed a high-performance, metrics-driven culture focused on accountability, activity and results Drive continuous optimisation of team structure, territories and sales processes Event Sponsorship Sales Excellence Oversee the full lifecycle of event sponsorship sales across a global portfolio, including in-person summits and flagship digital roundtables Elevate the quality of commercial conversations, ensuring teams engage confidently at C-suite and senior stakeholder level Talent Development & Performance Management Attract, hire and retain top-tier sales talent and leadership Implement structured coaching, training and leadership development programmes Conduct regular performance reviews, pipeline inspections and strategic deal coaching Create clear progression pathways to support internal mobility and succession planning Drive best-in-class use of CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) to ensure pipeline visibility, forecasting accuracy and data-driven decision-making Establish and refine KPIs, sales cadences and reporting frameworks Represent the business externally as a senior commercial leader and brand ambassador Proven track record of leading large-scale sales organisations (20–40+ people) in high-growth, fast-paced environments Deep experience in event sponsorship and solution-based sales Exceptional leadership capability, with a strong track record of building, scaling and transforming teams Highly commercial mindset with the ability to operate strategically and tactically Experience with Salesforce or equivalent CRM platforms Market-leading compensation package with uncapped earning potential (OTE £400K+) A true executive-level platform to shape and scale a major revenue function Access to world-class training, leadership development, and coaching programmes A high-performance, ambitious culture with no ceiling on growth or impact