Business Director, Experiential / Congress

Are you passionate about creating advertising that not only informs but also transforms lives within the healthcare sector?

Summary of the role

As the Business Director (Experiential) at Havas Lynx, you will be responsible for establishing, leading, and growing our experiential offering with a core focus on specialised congress. You will be a proven expert in nurturing long-lasting client partnerships, specifically within the live and brand experience space. You will take strategic ownership of the experiential portfolio, providing high-level consultancy to clients while identifying and driving new business opportunities to grow the agency's footprint in this sector. Working in close partnership with our Creative and Executive Production leads, you will ensure that strategic rigor meets world-class creative execution. As a natural leader, you will inspire a multi-disciplinary team to deliver efficient, effective, and profitable experiential services, ensuring our offering remains at the cutting edge of the healthcare industry.

Please note that this role is based in Manchester, and our current hybrid working arrangement requires office attendance on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

About us

At Havas Lynx, a global advertising agency at the forefront of healthcare communications, we combine unmatched creativity, extensive expertise, and a deep understanding of the pharmaceutical and healthcare field. Our communications resonate deeply with audiences and adhere to the highest standards of healthcare advertising.

Committed to driving meaningful change, a change built on a foundation of rich experience, inspired by innovation, and confirmed through our proven track record, we work in close partnership with healthcare professionals, patients, carers, and leading pharmaceutical brands to navigate the complex challenges of today's healthcare landscape. Our approach blends strategic insights and deep scientific acumen with cutting-edge creativity and digital innovation, crafting campaigns and solutions that significantly improve people's lives.

We're a team of over 400+ people in Manchester and London, with a history spanning over 35 years and an ever-evolving future. You can get a feel for the #LYNXLife through our YouTube #LYNXLife playlist, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

Everything this company achieves, every life it saves, every penny it makes, every policy it changes, every award it wins, is down to everyone who works here.

What you can expect to be doing:

• Establishing and maintaining strong relationships with key client contacts, positioning yourself as a strategic partner for their congress and experiential needs
• Developing a deep understanding of each client's brand strategy to ensure experiential activations, whether physical, digital, or hybrid, deliver mutual gains and measurable ROI
• Leading the strategic response for experiential briefs, ensuring creative concepts are factually accurate, medically compliant, and strategically on point
• Acting as a subject matter expert across the agency, guiding other account teams on how to integrate experiential offerings into broader brand plans
• Proactively identifying and leading new business opportunities within existing client rosters and via external pitches to grow the experiential offering
• Taking complete responsibility for the financial success of the experiential portfolio, driving profitability and reputation against agreed metrics
• Overseeing the development of complex cost proposals for large scale builds and activations, ensuring sound financial health and smart billing practices
• Educating the wider Client Services team on experiential financial procedures and commercial models
• Acting as the final point of quality control for all experiential projects, ensuring they are delivered to the highest standard, on time, and within budget
• Judging creative concepts, in partnership with Creative and Production leads, for relevance to brief and impact within a congress environment
• Monitoring and measuring the impact of live activations to enhance the agency's reputation and future work
• Empowering and leading a team of specialists, delegating effectively while maintaining overall responsibility for the work produced
• Creating a positive culture of continued learning, particularly around trends in event technology, sustainable booth design, and omnichannel engagement
• Conducting regular performance reviews and personal development sessions, nurturing the growth of senior and junior team members
• Fostering collaboration between Client Services, Creative, and Production to allow effective work to flourish

This role could be a great fit for you if:

• You have proven management and leadership skills with the ability to drive a collaborative approach across different disciplines
• You have strategic and critical thinking skills, with the ability to flex between long term, big picture planning and day to day problem solving for live events
• You have exceptional commercial acumen and experience managing large scale project budgets
• You are proactive and self-starting
• You are resilient and responsive to the fast paced nature of live event environments
• You are a collaborative partner who enjoys working across disciplines
• You champion and celebrate the experiential discipline, motivating and inspiring others across the agency
• You are driven to push the boundaries of what is possible in healthcare experiential

What you can expect from us

A supportive and challenging environment in which you will have the opportunity to learn, grow, and make an impact that matters. We put a huge investment into #LYNXLife and our #LXAcademy internal programmes. It's a unique initiative that aims to reward hard work, reduce pressures, and ensure that we can all enjoy our time at Lynx. Our strategy is to build capabilities internally and inspire the best talent, so we can continue to deliver on our mission.

You can also expect a whole host of benefits, including:

• Hybrid working, with three days in the office and flexible working options available for in-office days
• A starting holiday allowance of 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays, with an increasing allowance connected to length of service
• The option to buy, carry, or sell holidays
• An early Friday finish throughout the year
• Seasonal working hours
• An enhanced family leave, pay, and return to work benefit scheme
• Extensive learning and development support
• Sabbatical opportunities
• Season ticket interest free loans for travel
• A cycle to work scheme
• Life insurance at four times salary
• A company pension scheme
• Fully compensated company events
• Volunteer days
• A wellbeing programme including sports clubs, discounted gym memberships, free onsite flu vaccinations, extended lunch breaks on Wellness Wednesdays and much more
• A Medicash healthcare benefit
• 24/7 access to a free, confidential, and independent Employee Assistance Programme

Get in touch to find out how we can make an impact that matters together.