Head of Business Development - Sports Travel & Hospitality

Head of Business Development Sports Travel & Hospitality Location Mumbai, India Reports To Founder & Director Type Full-Time Market India + International About the Role Global Sports Travel is a premium sports travel and hospitality company, headquartered in Australia with operations in India. We deliver official ticketing, hospitality and travel packages for major global sporting events across cricket, football, tennis, motorsport, rugby and the Olympic Games. We are seeking an experienced Head of Business Development to lead our sales and partnerships function from Mumbai. This is a senior role with direct reporting to the Founder, full P&L visibility, and the mandate to scale the business across India and international markets. The successful candidate will be responsible for driving revenue through premium B2C and B2B sales channels, managing key supplier partnerships, and delivering a best-in-class client experience. Roles and Responsibilities Sales and Revenue · Develop and execute sales strategies to drive revenue growth across premium ticketing, hospitality and travel packages for major global sporting events. · Own the end-to-end sales cycle including lead qualification, consultative selling, proposal development, pricing, negotiation and closing. · Build and manage a pipeline of HNI, UHNI and corporate clients across India and international markets. · Develop and execute quarterly sales plans with defined revenue targets and conversion KPIs. · Identify and convert high-value group bookings, corporate incentive travel and bespoke VIP hospitality packages. · Generate outbound leads through networking, referrals, industry events and digital channels. Partnerships and Supplier Development · Identify, evaluate and onboard hospitality suppliers, ticketing partners and destination management companies globally. · Manage and strengthen existing supplier and rights-holder relationships to secure preferred terms and allocations. · Develop new B2B distribution channels through corporate partnerships, wealth managers, family offices, private banks and concierge services. · Negotiate commercial terms, commission structures and allocation agreements with suppliers and rights holders. · Represent Global Sports Travel at industry conferences, trade events and supplier meetings internationally. · Build and maintain a network of on-ground delivery partners across key event destinations. Client Experience and Retention · Deliver a premium, end-to-end client experience from initial enquiry through to post-event engagement. · Build long-term client relationships with a focus on repeat business and referral generation. · Manage VIP client requirements, escalations and bespoke itinerary requests directly. · Implement structured post-event feedback processes to continuously improve service delivery. · Maintain detailed client profiles and preferences in the CRM for personalised ongoing engagement. Strategy and Market Intelligence · Monitor market trends, competitor activity and pricing dynamics to identify opportunities for growth. · Provide market intelligence to inform product development, event selection and pricing strategy. · Contribute to the company\'s digital and content strategy for the India market. · Identify emerging sports properties and new market segments for expansion. Operations and Reporting · Manage leads, pipeline and client communications through Zoho CRM with consistent data accuracy. · Deliver weekly pipeline reports and monthly revenue forecasts to the Founder. · Coordinate with the Brisbane head office and Mumbai operations team on fulfilment, logistics and on-ground delivery. · Ensure accurate processing of bookings, invoicing, payment tracking and documentation. · Track event-level P&L performance and margin reporting. Team and Leadership · Work closely with the Mumbai sales operations team to align on targets and execution priorities. · Mentor and develop junior team members in consultative selling, client management and product knowledge. · Contribute to hiring decisions and team planning as the business scales. · Establish and maintain standards for client communication, professionalism and commercial discipline across the team. Qualifications and Experience Required · Minimum 2-5 years of experience in sports hospitality, premium travel, MICE or high-value B2C/B2B sales. · Demonstrated track record of meeting and exceeding revenue targets in a premium or luxury sales environment. · Experience working across major global sporting events such as FIFA World Cup, ICC tournaments, Formula 1, Wimbledon, Olympics or equivalent. · Strong commercial acumen with a focus on margins, conversion rates and client lifetime value. · Established network of HNI, UHNI or corporate clients within the sports travel or hospitality sector. · Self-motivated and results-oriented, with the ability to operate independently and take ownership. · Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Preferred · Experience with CRM platforms, preferably Zoho CRM. · Familiarity with official hospitality programmes and rights-holder relationships. · International travel experience for event delivery or supplier engagement. · Understanding of the Indian HNI/UHNI client segment and corporate incentive travel market. · Sports management qualification from a recognised institution. What We Offer · Direct reporting to the Founder with full visibility into business strategy and operations. · Established official partnerships with global sporting organisations and rights holders. · Ownership of the business development function with the autonomy to build and shape the vertical. · Competitive remuneration package with performance-linked incentives tied to revenue. · International travel for key events, supplier meetings and on-ground event delivery. · Opportunity to be part of a growing company at the intersection of sports, travel and technology. · Dual-market exposure across Australia and India with a lean, high-performance operating model. Key Performance Indicators Revenue & Growth Quality & Retention Monthly and quarterly revenue targets Pipeline value and conversion rate Number of new HNI/corporate clients acquired Client retention and repeat booking rate New supplier partnerships signed Average deal value and margin per booking CRM data accuracy and pipeline hygiene Post-event client satisfaction scores Requirements Qualifications and Experience Required · Minimum 2-5 years of experience in sports hospitality, premium travel, MICE or high-value B2C/B2B sales. · Demonstrated track record of meeting and exceeding revenue targets in a premium or luxury sales environment. · Experience working across major global sporting events such as FIFA World Cup, ICC tournaments, Formula 1, Wimbledon, Olympics or equivalent. · Strong commercial acumen with a focus on margins, conversion rates and client lifetime value. · Established network of HNI, UHNI or corporate clients within the sports travel or hospitality sector. · Self-motivated and results-oriented, with the ability to operate independently and take ownership. · Excellent written and verbal communication skills. Preferred · Experience with CRM platforms, preferably Zoho CRM. · Familiarity with official hospitality programmes and rights-holder relationships. · International travel experience for event delivery or supplier engagement. · Understanding of the Indian HNI/UHNI client segment and corporate incentive travel market. · Sports management qualification from a recognised institution. What We Offer · Direct reporting to the Founder with full visibility into business strategy and operations. · Established official partnerships with global sporting organisations and rights holders. · Ownership of the business development function with the autonomy to build and shape the vertical. · Competitive remuneration package with performance-linked incentives tied to revenue.