The Business Development Manager (BDM) role is situated within the central Business Development (BD) team of a London-based firm, focusing on the Financial Services (FS) sector. This pivotal position involves reporting to the Senior BDM of the Financial Services sector and is instrumental in implementing sector strategies and enhancing the firm's marketing and business development endeavors.
The BDM's responsibilities are multifaceted, encompassing the support of the firm's strategic objectives such as driving profitable revenue growth, developing a distinct brand proposition, and fostering client-focused business development activities. A significant part of the role involves collaborating with the Financial Services Sector leadership and Sub-sector Lead Partners to identify growth opportunities, create and execute business development plans, and manage key client relationships to ensure the delivery of exceptional client service and sector growth.
Key responsibilities also include identifying cross-selling opportunities within the firm, leading bid strategies for major FS sector opportunities, managing central BI & MI reporting requirements for the sector, and ensuring alignment with the sector strategy across various functions. The role demands a proactive approach to learning about the sector, sharing insights, and promoting cross-selling opportunities.
Candidates for this role are expected to have a proven track record in business development and client relationship management within a law firm or professional services organization. Essential skills include excellent project management capabilities, flexibility, adaptability, and the ability to build credibility and trust with partners and clients. While a deep understanding of the financial services sector is ideal, a willingness to learn and a curious mindset are crucial for success in this role.
The problems our clients bring us vary. But we solve them with the same, single-minded focus.
We always ask: ‘What’s the smartest route to the biggest impact?’
For example:
We led the legal negotiations for VW and Ford on one of the largest strategic alliances in the world, helping to forge a new era in electric and commercial vehicles across 170 markets. Impact: $billions of new value created.
We helped devise a new way for our manufacturing client to power its new factory. Impact: a plan 90% cheaper than the next best option that saved them £100 million.
We combined legal expertise and A.I. to complete a lease review of a retailer’s 189-site property portfolio. Impact: we slashed the time taken by 70% and costs by 75%.
We interrogated data in block-chain to resolve a cyber-currency dispute. Impact: millions of bitcoin recovered for a tech start-up.
THE FRESH LEGAL ANSWERS YOU NEED… AT THE PACE YOU DEMAND
Each year, over 2,500 leading companies and finance players around the world trust us to deliver. We help them in multiple industries and in over 100 countries. Not just once, but again and again. Many of our 48 FTSE100 clients have been with us for more than 20 years: one for 150.
Tomorrow’s problems won’t be solved with yesterday’s answers. And, we believe that good business demands good legal advice. Which, ultimately, comes down to just four words. Yes. No. Stop. Go. Assuming you’d value that clarity, imagination and impact, we’d be delighted to talk business. Your business.
OUR VALUES
From the work we do to the culture we foster and the partnerships we form, every last part of Addleshaw Goddard is driven by three core values: quality, imagination, and impact. We welcome everyone, support people to achieve their full potential, and always seek smart ways to have a positive impact – for our clients, colleagues, and communities around the world.
WHAT INCLUSION MEANS TO AG
At Addleshaw Goddard, we recognise the importance of nurturing an inclusive culture to help us attract, retain and enable our people to be the best we can be.
We understand that diverse firms are more attractive to potential and existing employees and that culturally diverse teams are more innovative and agile. Cultural diversity is a key measure of our success and we commit to reporting progress to the Board on a biannual basis.
INCLUSION PROGRAMME OBJECTIVES
The overall objectives of AG's inclusion programme are:
AG INCLUSION STRATEGY - A PROGRESSIVE APPROACH
Our Executive Team and Board continue to give their full support to our inclusion strategy so that together we may foster a positive and inclusive working culture for all. Our revitalised strategic approach focuses on creating more opportunities for greater collaboration and encouraging higher levels of engagement and participation from our wider partnership and workforce.
Much of our success in recent years has been in the areas of Gender and Social Mobility, and we intend to continue providing a level of commitment to retain this level of success. We also plan to shift greater focus towards our Disability, Ethnicity and LGBTQ agendas.
There is also a commitment to encourage and enable existing employee networks and forums to lead on events and localised activities that promote an inclusive culture.
We now have four employee networks including:
It is through continued collaboration and consultation with our employee networks that we can ensure our inclusion strategy remains authentic for our people.
We ensure that diversity is represented at the most senior level of our business by our Board sponsor. We have appointed Inclusion Partners across the full set of inclusion portfolios (Gender, Ethnicity, LGBTQ , Social Mobility and Disability) and also appointed Inclusion Advocates within each Division and Business Services Directorate to help with sustained engagement across the business. This approach demonstrates a visible and positive commitment from business leaders across the firm to role model and promote behaviours associated with an inclusive culture.
INCLUSIVE PARTNERSHIPS
We are a founding signatory to The Law Society’s Diversity and Inclusion Charter and co-founders of the Mindful Business Charter.
In support our Inclusion Programme we are active members of external diversity and inclusion networks and organisations including: Interlaw, Upskill Me, Pathways to Property, Stonewall, NOTICED, Queer Lawyers of Tomorrow, The Business Disability Forum, the Black Solicitors Network, City Solicitors Horizons, Stronger Together Leeds and PRIME (an alliance of law firms that has undertaken to broaden access to the profession.)