Relationship-led executive search helped secure a senior partnership sales leader
About
Aston Villa Football Club is one of the most historic and recognised clubs in English football. Competing in the Premier League, the club has a strong heritage and, at the time of the search, was focused on accelerating commercial growth and strengthening its position among the league’s leading clubs.
The Partnership Sales Director role was a key senior commercial appointment, designed to support revenue growth through high-value sponsorship and partnership agreements.
Challenge
Aston Villa required an experienced senior sales leader who could quickly make an impact within its commercial team. The role was central to the club’s commercial growth strategy, with responsibility for securing new partnership revenue and supporting wider ambitions on and off the pitch.
The search had already been extensively covered before EISG was appointed. Another agency had approached a number of relevant candidates, including the eventual successful hire, but the candidate had not engaged with that process and the search had not resulted in the appointment Aston Villa needed.
Solution
Aston Villa had previously worked with Executives in Sport Group and returned for support on this senior commercial search.
The assignment required more than market mapping. It needed a trusted route into a talent pool that had already been approached and was difficult to access. EISG used its long-established relationships across football and commercial sport to reopen conversations with senior talent who were not actively exploring new roles.
The successful candidate had been approached several times during the earlier process but had not engaged. Davey Blofield’s professional relationship with the candidate, built over more than 10 years, created the trust needed for the conversation to happen.
“Our relationship with the successful candidate had been built over more than a decade, which meant the opportunity could be discussed with trust, context and credibility. In a competitive market, that depth of relationship is often what makes the difference.”
Davey Blofield, Operations Director, Executives in Sport Group
That relationship meant the opportunity could be positioned with credibility and a clear understanding of Aston Villa’s ambitions. Rather than relying on a transactional approach, the process gave the candidate the insight needed to properly consider the role.
Although the successful candidate was not actively looking for a move, the scale of Aston Villa’s commercial growth plans and the opportunity to contribute to the club’s next stage made the position compelling.
Outcome
Aston Villa appointed an experienced Partnership Sales Director to strengthen its commercial leadership team.
The appointment provided the club with a senior commercial leader at an important stage of its growth journey. The successful candidate brought direct football partnership sales experience and a strong understanding of how to secure high-value sponsorship and commercial opportunities within a competitive market.
For Aston Villa, the hire helped maintain momentum within the department following a period of change. It also demonstrated the value of specialist executive sports recruitment, where established relationships can unlock conversations that standard recruitment approaches may not reach.
The outcome showed that access to talent is not only about knowing who is in the market. It is also about having the trust and credibility to make senior candidates take the call.
Want to know more
For organisations looking to appoint commercial leaders or strengthen partnership sales capability, Executives in Sport Group provides executive search sports industry expertise and talent solutions for sports industry clients.
To read or hear more, contact the team at hello@eisg.com or visit www.eisg.com