Collinson is the global, privately-owned company dedicated to helping the world to travel with ease and confidence. The group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide market-leading airport experiences, loyalty and customer engagement, and insurance solutions for over 400 million consumers.
Collinson is the operator of Priority Pass, the world’s original and leading airport experiences programme. Travellers can access a network of 1,500+ lounges and travel experiences, including dining, retail, sleep and spa, in over 650 airports in 148 countries, helping to elevate the journey into something special. We work with the world’s leading payment networks, over 1,400 banks, 90 airlines and 20 hotel groups worldwide.
We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception – from launching the first independent global VIP lounge access Programme, Priority Pass to being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and creating the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.
Key clients include Mastercard, American Express, Cathay Pacific, British Airways, LATAM, Flying Blue, Accor, EasyJet, HSBC, Chase, HDFC.
Strategic Account Director
About the Role
We are looking for a commercially driven Strategic Account Director to lead a portfolio of key accounts, including one of Europe's leading digital banking and payments platforms.
In this role, you will own the strategy, growth, and day-to-day management of your accounts, building strong relationships with senior stakeholders and driving adoption, retention, and revenue growth. You will work closely with internal teams across Product, Operations, Finance, Data, and Marketing to deliver outstanding client outcomes and support long-term business growth.
What You'll Do
- Own the commercial performance and strategic direction of your accounts.
- Develop and execute account plans aligned to client objectives and business goals.
- Drive revenue growth, product adoption, and market share.
- Build trusted relationships with key client stakeholders and act as their primary point of contact.
- Lead strategic projects, ensuring clear scope, stakeholder alignment, and successful delivery.
- Conduct regular business reviews and provide data-driven recommendations.
- Support clients' product roadmaps and identify opportunities for growth and innovation.
- Collaborate with internal teams to resolve challenges and deliver exceptional service.
- Provide market insights and customer feedback to Product and Technical teams.
- Assess risks, manage escalations, and balance competing priorities to achieve results.
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience managing strategic accounts with revenues exceeding £50m.
- Experience within Financial Services, Payments, Banking, FinTech, or related sectors.
- Strong stakeholder management and relationship‑building skills.
- Commercially astute with experience driving growth within existing accounts.
- Strong analytical, negotiation, and problem‑solving abilities.
- Experience leading complex cross‑functional projects.
- High level of numeracy and proficiency in Excel, PowerPoint, and Salesforce.
- Strategic mindset with the ability to translate plans into action.
- Knowledge of customer loyalty, engagement, or travel‑related products.
- Understanding of technology and trends shaping the payments and travel industries.
About You
You are a collaborative and proactive professional who thrives in a fast‑paced environment. You can confidently influence senior stakeholders, manage complexity, and balance strategic thinking with operational delivery. Most importantly, you are passionate about building long‑term client partnerships and delivering measurable business results.
If you're looking for an opportunity to work with high‑profile clients and make a real commercial impact, we'd love to hear from you.
Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit, which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work.
Never short of ambition, the success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 2,200 global colleagues.
