Group Director, Business Leadership (Media) - Maternity Cover FTC

About Us Initiative unlocks business growth for the world’s most ambitious brands. We believe in the power of media to reshape our industry and orchestrate a brand’s entire consumer experience, by balancing both what unites people and what makes them different. When brands unite people in culture, they build Fame, and when brands connect individuals to their unique journeys, they build customer Flow.

Media responsibility is at the forefront of everything we do, whether it’s creating media plans that reflect the diversity of our communities, promote brand safety, and foster sustainability. Our agency celebrates diversity in an inclusive environment where all of our 6,000+ strong talent across 90+ markets feel seen, heard, and valued. Our vision is to create not only a better media company, but also a better media industry, and maybe even a better world.

Role Description The Group Director, Business Leadership is a senior leadership role, managing across an integrated team (Business Leadership, Strategy, Media Planning and Partnerships). As a member of management, you exemplify our behaviors, drive quality work and motivate your fully integrated team by creating a positive and collaborative environment. You work in partnership and collaboration with the discipline leads and across the SBUs, to ensure comprehensive, business-appropriate solutions for clients.

You are the day-to-day leader and driver for the client and the internal team. Your daily insights will keep your CEO – and your full Initiative team - ahead of the game, with your category expertise, status updates and proactive guidance. You are the authority on the client business to the agency and an authority on Initiative and the SBUs to the clients.

You translate the client’s challenges and opportunities, both internally and externally, and lead the development of solutions that achieve the goals. The Group Director manages the profitability of your group of accounts and has strong commercial acumen skills.

Key Responsibilities

Client Leadership Act as the day‑to‑day client lead and trusted advisor Drive high‑quality work and flawless delivery across all outputs Lead the creation of proposals, recommendations, and strategic points of view Oversee reporting, budgeting, approvals and billing with accuracy and timeliness Build strong relationships with Strategy, Design, Partnerships and SBU teams Challenge and inspire clients to innovate while managing expectations professionally Strengthen partnerships with clients’ wider agency networks Contribute to quarterly business reviews Internal Collaboration Translate client needs into clear direction for Strategy, Comms Design and Partnerships Ensure all solutions align with client objectives and KPIs Educate teams and leadership on client business, culture and industry trends Involve senior leadership in key client moments Foster an open, collaborative team environment Support team development through feedback, coaching and performance management Partner with discipline leads to shape goals, evaluations and career paths Commercial Management Deliver against agreed performance KPIs Manage team resourcing and workload allocation Keep leadership updated on utilisation, profitability, fees and scope compliance Identify opportunities for organic growth across accounts Ensure annual financial targets are met across Initiative and Mediabrands SBUs New Business Support new business pitches and opportunities as needed Desired Skills Experience Proven ability to develop and maintain strong professional relationships with clients, colleagues and vendors Extensive experience in Marketing and/or Advertising and Media Experience in leading, managing and developing a multi-dimensional staff Ability to drive projects from conception to completion; project management experience Background in consulting, marketing, advertising or integrated communications Strong leader, presenter and packager of opportunities Strong commercial acumen Employee