The Business Development Director role has moved on. It used to be relationship coverage and a diary full of adviser meetings. Now the job is to hold a technical room, run a longer sale across an adviser firm's investment committee, compliance and operations, and keep the client embedded long after the win.
The good ones bring commercial judgement as well as relationships. They sell a proposition rather than a product, they bring the right people in from their own side at the right moment, and advisers respect them, because it takes about five minutes to tell whether someone understands how an advice business actually runs.
It's also rarely a straight replacement. The person who did the job well three years ago may not be the person you need now, and working out the difference is usually where I start.
Where I place Business Development Directors
- Investment platforms
- DFMs and the MPS teams within them
- Asset managers
- Life and retirement providers
- Fintech and wealthtech firms
Who I've worked with
In 2026 I've placed ten Business Development Directors nationally, including for Vanguard, Brooks Macdonald and Parmenion.
How I work
Exclusive or retained, one brief at a time. That means a proper look across the whole market rather than the first ten CVs on a database, and a shortlist of people I've actually spoken to. Usually four, not forty.
If you're hiring a Business Development Director, I'd like to hear about it.