Manchester United strengthens hospitality sales leadership with strategic commercial appointment
Overview
Manchester United is one of the most iconic and commercially successful football clubs in world sport, with a global fanbase, a major stadium operation and a high-profile commercial platform.
The club needed to appoint a Venue Commercial Sales Manager to rebuild its hospitality sales function, strengthen internal performance and maximise both seasonal and match-by-match hospitality sales.
Challenge
Manchester United had initially advertised the role directly but recognised the need to broaden its reach and engage a wider talent pool through a specialist recruitment search.
The club needed a high-calibre leader capable of stepping into a demanding commercial environment mid-season, taking ownership of the hospitality sales strategy, driving team performance and delivering measurable revenue growth.
The successful candidate needed a rare combination of sales leadership, strategic planning, KPI management and team development experience, ideally gained within hospitality, sport and entertainment, sales agencies or high-performing contact centre environments. The appointment was both commercially important and time sensitive.
Solution
EISGs Lena Stroem began by taking a detailed brief with the hiring manager.
The initial search focused on candidates with experience in sport, entertainment and hospitality sales. As the brief developed, the search broadened into contact centre environments outside of sport, where candidates could bring the sales leadership, team management and performance tracking experience needed for the role.
The strategy combined identifying talent through EISG’s existing network of contacts, recommendations from trusted industry sources, targeted headhunting and broader market research. This allowed EISG to identify both active candidates and individuals who were not currently seeking a new opportunity but had the commercial experience and leadership profile required.
Candidates were assessed beyond qualifications and sector experience. The process focused on team management, strategic sales planning, performance metric tracking, sales environment knowledge and cultural fit. This ensured the shortlist reflected both technical capability and the ability to lead in a high-profile club environment.
“The brief evolved as the search developed. Broadening the market beyond sport allowed the process to focus on the strongest sales leaders, not just the most obvious profiles. The appointed candidate stood out from the beginning because they combined strong sales leadership with contact centre experience and clear motivation for the club and project.” – Lena Stroem, Lead Consultant, EISG
Outcome
EISG approached over 100 candidates, screened 25 and shortlisted 8. One candidate reached final interview and was ultimately selected following a thorough assessment process.
The successful candidate brought strong sales and leadership experience from outside sport, having worked in a busy contact centre environment. They were not actively looking and had been in their previous role for many years, but the scale of Manchester United and the opportunity to rebuild a key commercial function made the move compelling.
The brief was completed and the candidate accepted the role within four weeks, before starting shortly afterwards.
The result gave Manchester United a commercially focused leader with the experience to shape hospitality sales strategy, strengthen team performance and support revenue growth across seasonal and match-by-match sales.
Want to know more
For support with commercial leadership, hospitality sales or revenue-focused appointments in sport, contact Lena Stroem.