At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the agency's strategic vision and drive innovative B2B marketing solutions.
- Company: Join a leading global agency known for its creative excellence and strategic influence.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, diverse team culture, and opportunities for professional growth.
- Other info: Be part of a dynamic team that values innovation and collaboration.
- Why this job: Shape the future of brands and make a real impact in the marketing world.
- Qualifications: 15+ years in strategic leadership with a strong B2B marketing background.
The predicted salary is between 121500 - 148500 £ per year.
Agency
Ledger Bennett
Job Description
We are seeking a transformational Chief Strategy Officer to shape the future of our agency and our clients' brands.
As a key member of the Executive Leadership Team, the CSO will define and drive the agency's strategic vision, elevate our brand and creative strategy capabilities, and build a world-class global strategy function that powers sustainable growth across markets.
This is not a traditional planning leadership role.
We are looking for a strategist who can connect business ambition, brand purpose, customer insight, creativity, data, technology and culture to create competitive advantage for both our clients and our agency.
They will work with other strategy lead across Havas agencies to create joint propositions that give us unique offerings for clients globally.
The successful candidate will be responsible for establishing and scaling strategic hubs across global markets, creating integrated centres of excellence that deliver consistent strategic thinking while enabling local relevance and market expertise.
They will champion the next generation of B2B marketing, ensuring our agency stays ahead of shifts in buyer behaviour, AI-enabled marketing, creativity, channel innovation and brand building.
This role will be instrumental in elevating our reputation as one of the world's most strategically influential B2B agencies.
Key Responsibilities
- Agency Strategy & Vision
- Define and lead the agency's long-term strategic vision in partnership with the CEO and Executive Leadership Team.
- Shape the agency's market positioning, service evolution along with the CEO and other agency leaders to ensure continued relevance and differentiation.
- Identify emerging opportunities, industry trends and market shifts that can unlock competitive advantage.
- Act as a strategic catalyst across the business, driving innovation and future-focused thinking.
- Brand & Creative Strategy Leadership
- Build a world-class strategic planning function renowned for excellence in B2B brand building and creative effectiveness.
- Lead the development of transformative brand, communications and customer experience strategies for key global clients.
- Ensure strategy serves as the foundation for outstanding creativity and measurable business impact.
- Champion the integration of brand, demand generation, customer engagement and reputation-building approaches.
- Establish best-in-class strategic frameworks, methodologies and planning tools across the agency (and international hubs).
- Global Markets & Hub Development
- Design and implement a global strategic operating model that supports agency growth across regions and markets.
- Establish and scale strategy hubs and centres of excellence across priority global markets.
- Create consistent standards, processes and capabilities while allowing for cultural and regional nuance.
- Foster collaboration across geographic teams to create a connected and high-performing global strategy community.
- Identify opportunities for market expansion, acquisitions, partnerships and capability building .
- Client Leadership & Growth
- Serve as a trusted advisor to C-suite client stakeholders and senior decision makers.
- Lead strategic engagements with key global accounts and participate in major business reviews.
- Support new business growth through compelling strategic thinking, positioning and pitch leadership.
- Translate complex business challenges into actionable opportunities for clients and agency teams.
- Strengthen long-term client relationships through strategic value creation.
- Innovation & Future Readiness
- Lead the agency's approach to AI, data-driven planning, customer intelligence and predictive marketing.
- Ensure strategic thinking evolves alongside technological change and emerging customer expectations.
- Create a future-focused culture that embraces experimentation and continuous learning.
- Establish partnerships with industry experts, research organisations and innovation networks.
- Talent & Leadership
- Build, inspire and develop a diverse, high-performing global strategy team.
- Create clear career pathways and a culture of strategic excellence.
- Mentor senior strategists and emerging leaders across the organisation with the added challenge of being located in different markets/time zones.
- Foster strong collaboration between strategy, creative, client services, media, social, digital and analytics teams.
- Raise the overall strategic capability and commercial acumen of the agency.
Experience
- 15+ years of strategic leadership experience within a leading agency, consultancy, marketing services business or marketing dept in a global brand.
- Significant experience leading brand, communications and creative strategy at a regional or global level.
- Demonstrated success building and scaling high-performing strategy teams.
- Experience developing international operations, markets, hubs or centres of excellence.
- Strong track record of driving agency growth, client retention and new business success.
- Deep understanding of B2B marketing and the evolving relationship between brand building and commercial performance.
- Full funnel B2B marketing experience
- Key Outcomes
Within 12-24 months, the Chief Strategy Officer will have
- Established a globally connected strategy organisation with clearly defined market hubs and centres of excellence.
- Elevated the agency's reputation as a strategic leader in global B2B marketing.
- Support the delivery of
20-25% agency revenue growth through strategic leadership of key accounts, proposition development and new business activity.
- Ensure strategy function directly contributes to at least
50% of all new business wins .
- Built market-leading brand and creative strategy capabilities.
- Embedded innovative, AI-enabled and insight-driven planning practices throughout the agency.
- Created a high-performing strategy, and globally scalable strategy team capable of supporting sustained international growth.
- Design and launch a global strategy operating model within the first six months.
- Establish new regional strategy hubs across key markets
- Implement standardised strategic frameworks, planning tools and processes across
- 100% of agency locations and achieve adoption by all strategy teams within year one
- Increase multi-market strategic project delivery by
30% .
- Ensure every major global client has access to integrated hub expertise.
- Develop and implement a strategy quality framework.
- Reduce strategy development cycle times by
20% through improved processes and AI-enabled tools.
#LI-NK1
Contract Type
Permanent
Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination.
We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.
Chief Strategy Officer in London employer: HAVAS
Havas Media Group is an exceptional employer located in Manchester, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters creativity and collaboration. With a strong commitment to employee wellbeing, we provide flexible working arrangements, generous holiday allowances, and unique benefits such as mental health days and an inclusive parental leave policy. Our focus on professional growth ensures that team members can thrive in their careers while making a meaningful impact on some of the UK's most beloved media content.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Chief Strategy Officer in London
✨Dive Into Corporate Strategy Communities
Get yourself involved in online communities or forums focused on corporate strategy. Places like LinkedIn groups or specific Slack channels can hook you up with industry insights, trends, and many potential job leads. Don't hesitate to share your thoughts or ask questions; it’ll boost your visibility!
✨Attend Industry Conferences and Events
Keep an eye out for corporate strategy conferences or networking events in your area (or online!). These gatherings are gold mines for meeting hiring managers and making impactful connections. Plus, having a few good conversations can lead to job referrals at companies like HAVAS!
✨Showcase Your Strategy Skills
Create content that showcases your knowledge of corporate strategy—think reports, blogs, or even video discussions. Sharing these on platforms like LinkedIn or Medium can demonstrate your expertise and make you stand out to employers looking for fresh talent.
✨Apply Directly Through Our Website
Don’t forget to apply for the Chief Strategy Officer position at HAVAS via our website! This shows your genuine interest, and who knows, you might just land that interview in a matter of days. Keep your application focused on how you can add value to their strategy team.
We think you need these skills to ace Chief Strategy Officer in London
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Us Your Strategic Thinking:When crafting your CV and cover letter, highlight your strategic analysis skills. Focus on past experiences where you've effectively assessed market trends or made impactful recommendations. Evidence-based achievements, like improving processes or contributing to significant projects, will help us see your potential for driving corporate strategy at HAVAS.
Tailor Your Narrative:Don’t just send us a generic application! Personalise your cover letter by connecting your experiences and aspirations to HAVAS’s mission and goals. We love seeing candidates who genuinely understand what we do; share how your vision aligns with ours and what you can bring to the table.
Highlight Relevant Academic Credentials:In your CV, make sure to showcase your academic background, especially if you have qualifications in business, economics, or analytics. We appreciate candidates who can back up their skills with relevant degrees or certifications, so don’t be shy about flaunting those achievements!
Utilise Professional Language:While we want you to be yourself, remember that corporate strategy roles demand a level of professionalism in communication. Use clear and concise language in your application materials, ensuring that your ideas come across as well-structured and sophisticated. It’s all about making a great impression right from the written application stage!
How to prepare for a job interview at HAVAS
✨Master the Numbers
Corporate strategy often involves data analysis and financial forecasting. Brush up on your quantitative skills, and be prepared to handle case studies or numerical problems during the interview. We might get questions about how to approach market trends or assess the performance of a hypothetical company — so practice these scenarios!
✨Know Your Frameworks
Familiarity with strategic frameworks like SWOT, PESTLE, or Porter’s Five Forces can set you apart. We should be ready to discuss how we’d apply these tools to real-world business situations — maybe even relating them to HAVAS. This shows we’re not just theory-happy but can articulate our practical application.
✨Engage in Strategic Conversations
In a full-time role like this, it’s crucial to show that we're engaged and informed about current trends in the industry. Keep up with major news and prepare to discuss how recent developments could impact strategic decisions at HAVAS. This will demonstrate our passion and proactive approach to the field.
✨Showcase Relevant Experience
Whether through internships or projects, we should highlight any experience that relates to corporate strategy. Have specific examples ready to talk about how we’ve contributed to strategic growth or improvements. It's about showcasing our unique journey and how it will bring value to HAVAS.
