Sponsorship Sales Director, Asia Pacific

About:

SailGP is racing redefined. The world’s most exciting racing on-water, SailGP was established in 2018 and is headquartered in London. The annual, global championship Races for a Better Future accelerating change in everything it does.

The fan-centric, inshore racing takes place among the sport’s top athletes in some of the most iconic waterfront destinations around the world and offers the sport’s largest monetary prize. Rival national teams battle it out in identical supercharged F50 catamarans, engineered for intense racing at electrifying speeds exceeding 60 mph/100 kph.

Role Summary: 

The Sponsorship Director, Asia Pacific is a senior commercial leader responsible for driving partnership revenue and expanding SailGP's commercial footprint across APAC region (with a specific focus on South East Asia). Reporting to the Chief Commercial Officer based in Hong Kong, this role is the primary driver of new business across APAC, owning the full sales cycle from prospecting through to closing on sponsorship, partnership, and licensing opportunities.

Key Responsibilities:

Partnership Sales & Revenue Generation

Lead the development and execution of a comprehensive sponsorship sales strategy across the APAC region to meet and exceed annual revenue targets

Identify, prospect, and close sponsorship and partnership sales across a range of categories including tiered deals across the League and Events

Build and manage a robust pipeline of prospective partners, leveraging CRM tools (Monday.com) to track activity and forecast accurately

Develop compelling, tailored sales proposals and presentations that articulate SailGP's unique value proposition to brands and agencies

Leverage SailGP strategic agency relationships to drive sponsorship sales across Events, League and Team partners

Strategic Partnership Development

Cultivate senior-level relationships with brand marketers, agency partners, and C-suite decision makers across key verticals including financial services, automotive, technology, luxury, and CPG

Identify and structure innovative partnership frameworks beyond traditional sponsorship, including supplier integration, licensing, content partnerships, hospitality, and experiential activations

Collaborate with the global commercial team and external agencies to ensure regional strategy aligns with overall league objectives

Market Development

Conduct ongoing market analysis to identify emerging opportunities, category whitespace, and competitive dynamics across APAC

Represent SailGP at industry events, conferences, and networking forums to build brand awareness and generate leads

Work closely with the events and host city teams to support commercial integration around APAC-based race events

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Partner with the partnership activation and marketing teams to ensure seamless transition from sale to delivery, maintaining high partner satisfaction and renewal rates

Work with Finance team to develop sound margin outlook for partner deals

Collaborate with the global media and content teams to develop commercially compelling storytelling tools for the sales process

Provide regular reporting on pipeline, revenue performance, and market insights to senior leadership

Key Expectations: 

Champion an inclusive environment where diversity is valued

Advocate and promote SailGP Values and contribute to a positive culture - Deliver Quality, Break Boundaries, Make an Impact, Strike a Balance, Stand Together

Operate with a financially responsible mindset and strive for the commercial sustainability of SailGP

Consider how each team action contributes to Better Sport, Better Planet

Develop creative solutions that allow for quality work to be delivered

Drive collaboration and team work within the department and across the organization

Promote working practices that enable a healthy work life balance within the team and celebrate wellbeing 

Support out of the box thinking

Support teams with developmental goals and growth plans

Encourage the delivery of work that will leave an impact on the organization

Engage in high level thinking to drive the team and organization forward

Exercise key problem solving skills and serve as advisor to multiple areas of the business

Strategize constructively with key stakeholders and team managers

Able to see and work towards the bigger picture

Qualifications:

10+ years of experience in sports commercial, partnership sales, or business development, with a proven track record of closing complex, high-value deals

Must be available for extensive travel; time in-person with senior leadership at industry events, regional HQ presentations, and SailGP strategic cities (including but not limited to NYC, San Francisco, Miami, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Toronto, etc.)

Deep knowledge of the APAC sports and sponsorship landscape

Existing relationships with senior brand and agency contacts across APAC

Strong presentation, negotiation, and communication skills

Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to operate independently in a fast-paced, global organization

Passion for sailing or premium/international sports a plus

Bachelor's degree required; MBA or equivalent a plus

Mandarin speaker preferred

Location:

Hong Kong 

SailGP is proud to be a equal opportunity workplace committed to building a team culture that celebrates diversity, equality and inclusion.