Chief Development Officer

About the Company

We are seeking a Chief Development Officer (CDO) to lead and scale all business development activities globally across Soho’s three core verticals. This is not a traditional sales role. The CDO is responsible for building and driving a multi-engine growth platform — overseeing pipeline generation, market expansion, and deal conversion across Soho X (Experience Transformation & Consulting), SaySo (Creative & Digital Marketing) and Soho Works (Licensing, Franchising & Management Agreements). You will design the systems, structure the teams, and lead the strategy that fuels Soho’s international expansion.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute Soho’s global business development strategy across all verticals.
• Identify priority markets (Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia) and expansion pathways and develop clear go-to-market strategies for each business line.
• Align BD efforts with company-wide growth objectives and brand positioning.
• Build and oversee a robust, multi-vertical sales pipeline and establish revenue targets across Soho X, SaySo, and Soho Works.
• Implement forecasting, reporting, and performance tracking systems and drive conversion of high-value deals from lead to closure.
• Oversee and align business development across Consulting (long-cycle advisory projects), Marketing (retainer-based and campaign engagements), and Licensing & Management (long-term, annuity-based deals), ensuring tailored sales approaches while maintaining a unified Soho strategy.
• Build and lead a high-performance BD organization including Regional BD Heads and vertical-specific BD leads; establish KPIs, accountability frameworks, and a performance culture; mentor teams on strategic selling, deal structuring, and client engagement.
• Lead negotiations for major global deals (hotel partnerships, developer-led mixed-use projects, brand licensing and franchise agreements) and build relationships with hotel groups, real estate developers, and investment partners; collaborate closely with the CEO on high-value strategic opportunities.
• Define pricing frameworks and commercial models, structure licensing, management, and consulting agreements to ensure deals are financially sound, scalable, and aligned with Soho’s long-term strategy.
• Implement and optimize CRM systems (e.g., Zoho) for pipeline management, establish standardized BD processes across regions and verticals, and drive data-led decision-making and performance optimization.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in hospitality or lifestyle-driven industries.
• Strong track record in global business development and deal-making, including negotiating major partnerships and structuring commercial agreements.
• Experience managing multi-layered sales organizations and building scalable BD teams.
• Deep understanding of hotel operators, developers, and F&B ecosystems.
• Strategic thinker with the ability to execute at speed and an entrepreneurial mindset with strong leadership presence.

Additional Information

• Success metrics include growth of global pipeline and deal conversion rates, revenue across Soho X, SaySo, and Soho Works, number and quality of international partnerships secured, expansion into priority markets, and the strength and performance of the BD team.
• This role will transform business development from founder-led deal-making into a scalable global engine, positioning Soho as a leading force in hospitality experience transformation worldwide.