Director, Global Partnerships, Tennis

Location: London, UK

Who We Are

IMG is a leading global sports marketing agency, specializing in media rights management and sales, multi-channel content production and distribution, brand partnerships, strategic consulting, digital services, and event management. It powers growth of revenues, fanbases and IP for more than 250 federations, associations, events, and teams, including the National Football League, English Premier League, International Olympic Committee, National Hockey League, Major League Soccer, ATP and WTA Tours, the AELTC (Wimbledon), Euroleague Basketball, CONMEBOL, World Rugby, DP World Tour, and The R&A, as well as UFC, WWE, and PBR.

IMG is a subsidiary of TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO), a premium sports and entertainment company.

TKO Group Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: TKO) is a premium sports and entertainment company. TKO owns iconic properties including UFC, the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization; WWE, the global leader in sports entertainment; and PBR, the world’s premier bull riding organization. Together, these properties reach 1 billion households across 210 countries and territories and organize more than 500 live events year-round, attracting more than three million fans. TKO also services and partners with major sports rights holders through IMG, an industry-leading global sports marketing agency; and On Location, a global leader in premium experiential hospitality.

The Director, Global Partnerships, Tennis will be responsible for brokering sponsorship deals with brands globally on behalf of our Rights Holder clients in tennis, including mandated clients such as the AELTC (Wimbledon) and non-mandated clients such as US Open, Roland Garros, Australian Open, ATP, WTA

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

• Support the development and execution of the global sales strategy for tennis sponsorship opportunities, with Wimbledon as the primary mandated exclusive client.
• Identify, originate and broker sponsorship opportunities across a portfolio of major tennis rights holders, including the other Grand Slams, ATP Tour, WTA Tour and leading tournaments such as Miami Open, Madrid Open, Indian Wells and Cincinnati Open.
• Build, maintain and develop senior relationships with rights holders globally, acting as a trusted commercial partner and ensuring a clear understanding of their objectives, assets and partnership priorities.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of the global tennis landscape, including the commercial positioning, audiences, inventory and strategic priorities of key tours, tournaments and governing bodies.
• Identify and cultivate prospective brand partners whose objectives, target audiences and geographic priorities align with available tennis sponsorship opportunities.
• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline of international sponsorship prospects across relevant sectors and markets.
• Lead and support the full sales process, from prospect identification and relationship development through to opportunity creation, proposal development, negotiation, contracting and implementation handover.
• Create compelling commercial propositions, sales presentations and partnership packages tailored to individual brand objectives and rights-holder requirements.
• Work closely with internal teams and rights holders to ensure that partnership proposals are commercially robust, deliverable and aligned with agreed rights frameworks.
• Negotiate commercially attractive sponsorship agreements for clients, balancing rights value, partner objectives, term, territory, category and broader deal economics.
• Deliver agreed revenue and business-development targets, providing accurate pipeline reporting, forecasting and market intelligence to senior leadership.
• Work hand-in-hand with our global Brand Partnerships Team across all sports and regions
• Represent the business professionally at major tennis events and industry meetings, using these opportunities to deepen relationships and generate new commercial opportunities.
• Share market insight on brand investment priorities, competitor activity, sponsorship trends and developments across the global tennis ecosystem.
• Knowledge and Experience
• At least 10 years’ experience in sponsorship sales, commercial partnerships or a related sports-marketing role.
• Proven experience delivering sponsorship and commercial partnership deals for rights holders, preferably in tennis or wider sport.
• Knowledge of the global tennis landscape, including the Grand Slams, ATP Tour, WTA Tour, major tournaments, key stakeholders and the structure of tennis sponsorship rights.
• Demonstrable understanding of how to package, value and sell sponsorship rights across multiple markets and territories.
• An established network of senior-level contacts within global brands, particularly across marketing, partnerships, sponsorship, communications and commercial functions.
• A track record of originating new business, converting senior relationships into commercial opportunities and delivering completed partnership agreements.
• Experience managing complex, multi-market and multi-year sponsorship negotiations with international brands and rights holders.
• Experience working across both exclusive and non-exclusive client mandates would be advantageous.
• Strong understanding of brand objectives, consumer audiences, activation requirements and the commercial rationale for sports sponsorship.
• Experience preparing sales strategies, account plans, revenue forecasts, proposals and partnership valuations.

Skills and Abilities

• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-management skills, with the confidence to engage senior executives at global brands and rights-holder organisations.
• Highly effective presentation skills, with the ability to develop and deliver compelling, commercially focused presentations to senior stakeholders.
• Strong sales, negotiation and closing skills, with the tenacity to develop opportunities over extended decision-making cycles.
• Ability to translate a rights holder’s assets and objectives into clear, relevant and persuasive brand propositions.
• Commercially astute, with the ability to assess deal value, pricing, rights, inventory, guarantees, revenue share and wider partnership economics.
• Strategic and analytical approach to prospecting, pipeline development and account management.
• Excellent written skills and the ability to produce high-quality proposals, presentations, reports and correspondence.
• Strong organisation and project-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple clients, prospects, negotiations and deadlines simultaneously.
• Collaborative working style and the ability to operate effectively across internal teams, rights holders, agencies and brand stakeholders.
• High levels of initiative, resilience and accountability, with the ability to work independently and take ownership of commercial outcomes.
• Willingness to travel internationally and represent the business at major sporting events, client meetings and industry occasions.
• High level of professionalism, discretion and integrity when handling senior relationships and confidential commercial negotiations.
• In addition, success at IMG is driven by four core competencies that apply to all employees:
• Business Acumen – Understanding financial drivers, interpreting business data, aligning decisions to strategic outcomes
• Operational Excellence – Driving efficiency, governance, and continuous improvement in delivery & operations
• Innovation Mindset – Cultivating curiosity, experimentation, and forward-looking capability development
• Leadership & Collaboration – Inspiring others, building trust, and enabling collaboration across teams

Working Conditions

• Based at IMG’s offices in London Chiswick Park or potentially at our Offices in New York
• Permanent role
• Expectation of 4 days per week in the office unless traveling
• International travel required for brand / right holder meetings / tournament hosting on ad-hoc basis

TKO EEO Statement

TKO is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws regarding non-discrimination in employment. TKO makes employment decisions based on merit and qualifications, without considering an employee’s or applicant’s race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, marital status, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited under federal, state or local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the Company has facilities.

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