Business Development Director - Qualitative

We go beyond the obvious, using intelligence, passion and creativity to inspire new thinking and shape the world we live in.

We’re looking for a Business Development Director to accelerate growth for our Qualitative Research Practice in the UK. This role combines winning new logos, unlocking cross‑sell opportunities within Kantar’s impressive and diverse existing client base, and proactively hunting and converting new revenue that demonstrates the strength of our Qualitative solutions.

You will be part of a high‑performing commercial community, working closely with Practice Leads and Client Leaders to originate, shape and convert opportunities for the Qualitative Practice. This is a commercially focused role with clear accountability for pipeline creation, opportunity progression and revenue delivery. While not involved in delivery or account stewardship, you will collaborate closely with delivery teams to ensure engagements are set up for success!

What You’ll Do

• Develop and execute sales plans to outperform revenue targets for our qualitative research services in the UK.
• Forge and maintain strong client and colleague relationships, understanding their unique needs and ensuring the delivery of bespoke solutions.
• Mentor and guide team members, fostering a collaborative and success‑driven culture.
• Work with cross‑functional teams to drive local and global campaigns and successfully ensure cross‑team sales success and client satisfaction.
• Keep your finger on the pulse of industry trends, competitor activities, and market developments to uncover new business opportunities.
• Help refine the go‑to‑market strategy for Qualitative in the UK, identifying emerging spaces where Qual can add distinctive value.

About You

• Experience selling Qualitative insight solutions (e.g. ethnography, IDIs, focus groups, online communities, co‑creation, cultural insight, Qualitative AI solutions).
• Demonstrable track record of winning new clients and new logos, growing revenue through cross‑sell and expansion, and managing complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycles.

Skills & Behaviours

• Strategic commercial thinker. Proactive, structured and comfortable driving conversations that lead to revenue.
• Strong consultative selling skills, able to diagnose client needs, frame problems and shape solutions that clearly demonstrate value and impact.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills, both written and verbal.
• Highly collaborative, able to work effectively with Practice Leads, Client Leaders and delivery teams.
• Organised, disciplined and target‑focused, with strong CRM discipline and comfort working to revenue, pipeline, meetings and activity goals.
• Curious and passionate about how Qualitative insight helps clients understand people and make better decisions.

Success Measures

• New business revenue generated for the Qualitative Practice in the UK.
• Number of face-to-face and online meetings and outreach activities.
• New logos won, reactivated clients and expanding existing client accounts.
• Value, quality and velocity of pipeline creation and progression.
• Cross‑sell wins within existing Kantar accounts.
• Win rate and overall commercial performance.
• Quality of collaboration with client leaders, practice leads, marketing and delivery teams.

At Kantar we have an integrated way of rewarding our people based around a simple, clear and consistent set of principles. Our approach helps to ensure we are market competitive and also to support a pay for performance culture, where your reward and career progression opportunities are linked to what you deliver.

We want to create an equality of opportunity in a fair and supportive working environment where people feel included, accepted and are allowed to flourish in a space where their mental health and well being is taken into consideration. We want to create a more diverse community to expand our talent pool, be locally representative, drive diversity of thinking and better commercial outcomes.

Kantar is the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company. We understand more about how people think, feel, shop, share, vote and view than anyone else. Combining our expertise in human understanding with advanced technologies, Kantar’s 30,000 people help the world’s leading organisations succeed and grow.