100000001277.Commercial Director

Job Purpose: To define and lead Al Shaqab’s commercial vision and strategy, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives and Qatar Foundation’s strategic direction. To drive long-term revenue growth, strategic partnerships, and diversification of income streams, positioning Al Shaqab as a global leader in equine and related commercial ventures. Key Result Areas: ➢ Develop, lead, and continuously refine a long-term commercial strategy that aligns with Al Shaqab’s mission to preserve Qatar’s equestrian heritage. ➢ Champion business model transformation across equine sports, education, training, and lifestyle offerings, ensuring commercial resilience and future readiness. ➢ Oversee performance management of commercial initiatives using structured KPIs, ensuring revenue growth and operational excellence. ➢ Foster a high-performance culture that encourages innovation, agility, and value creation across all commercial teams and external partners. ➢ Strategically identify and capture revenue opportunities within and beyond equestrian operations, including sports tourism, hospitality, digital engagement, academia, and experience-based services. ➢ Build and maintain high-impact relationships with corporate sponsors, global equestrian organizations, luxury brands, and government stakeholders to drive co-branded ventures and long-term value partnerships. ➢ Design and implement diversified revenue portfolios to reduce dependence on seasonal events and maximize year-round commercial return. ➢ Negotiate major commercial deals to optimize financial outcomes while protecting Al Shaqab’s reputation and strategic interests. ➢ Establish robust commercial governance frameworks that align with Al Shaqqab’s requirements and international best practices in finance, sourcing, contract management, and partnership governance. ➢ Oversee due diligence, financial modelling, and risk assessments for new commercial ventures and events, ensuring decisions are data-driven and compliant with legal, ethical, and safety standards. ➢ Continuously evaluate and enhance risk mitigation measures for sponsorship, brand reputation, operational activities, and cross-border commercial agreements. ➢ Work closely with Brand & Marketing to elevate Al Shaqab’s profile as a global benchmark for excellence in horsemanship, innovation, and luxury lifestyle experiences. ➢ Direct market intelligence programs to monitor international equestrian trends, entertainment models, and premium leisure consumption patterns to inform proactive commercial strategy.Key Result Areas: ➢ Develop, lead, and continuously refine a long-term commercial strategy that aligns with Al Shaqab’s mission to preserve Qatar’s equestrian heritage. ➢ Champion business model transformation across equine sports, education, training, and lifestyle offerings, ensuring commercial resilience and future readiness. ➢ Oversee performance management of commercial initiatives using structured KPIs, ensuring revenue growth and operational excellence. ➢ Foster a high-performance culture that encourages innovation, agility, and value creation across all commercial teams and external partners. ➢ Strategically identify and capture revenue opportunities within and beyond equestrian operations, including sports tourism, hospitality, digital engagement, academia, and experience-based services. ➢ Build and maintain high-impact relationships with corporate sponsors, global equestrian organizations, luxury brands, and government stakeholders to drive co-branded ventures and long-term value partnerships. ➢ Design and implement diversified revenue portfolios to reduce dependence on seasonal events and maximize year-round commercial return. ➢ Negotiate major commercial deals to optimize financial outcomes while protecting Al Shaqab’s reputation and strategic interests. ➢ Establish robust commercial governance frameworks that align with Al Shaqqab’s requirements and international best practices in finance, sourcing, contract management, and partnership governance. ➢ Oversee due diligence, financial modelling, and risk assessments for new commercial ventures and events, ensuring decisions are data-driven and compliant with legal, ethical, and safety standards. ➢ Continuously evaluate and enhance risk mitigation measures for sponsorship, brand reputation, operational activities, and cross-border commercial agreements. ➢ Work closely with Brand & Marketing to elevate Al Shaqab’s profile as a global benchmark for excellence in horsemanship, innovation, and luxury lifestyle experiences. ➢ Direct market intelligence programs to monitor international equestrian trends, entertainment models, and premium leisure consumption patterns to inform proactive commercial strategy. ➢ Ensure brand consistency, premium positioning, and cultural alignment across all products, events, digital content, and customer experiences. ➢ Lead commercial planning for flagship events such as CHI Al Shaqab, Longines Global Champions Tour, and other major national and international competitions. ➢ Maximize commercial returns from sponsorship hierarchies, VIP and hospitality offerings, merchandising, media rights, and visitor experiences. ➢ Support the creation of new marquee (spectator area) events and experiential platforms that increase brand equity and economic return. ➢ Collaborate with sporting, operations, and marketing teams to ensure commercial goals are fully embedded in event design and delivery. Minimum Knowledge, Skills & Experience: ➢ Master’s degree in Business Administration, Commercial Management, Sports Management, Marketing, or a related field. 8 years of relevant full-time commercial experience, 5 of which at a senior supervisory level. ➢ Proven success in leading high-value commercial strategies within sports, entertainment, hospitality, or luxury brand sectors ➢ Demonstrated achievements in structuring major sponsorships, partnerships, and brand activations ➢ Experience working within a multifaceted organization encompassing events, tourism, community engagement, and premium customer offerings ➢ Exposure to GCC or international markets with strong commercial networks preferred ➢ Strong command of financial modeling, P&L accountability, pricing strategies, revenue forecasting, and negotiation of high-value deals. ➢ Ability to lead cross-functional teams, inspire innovation, drive transformational initiatives, and foster a performance-driven culture. ➢ Deep understanding of commercial governance practices, contracting, sponsorship regulations, and reputation management in high-profile environments. ➢ Expertise in market research, consumer behavior analysis, and developing products and experiences aligned with premium brand positioning. ➢ Excellent stakeholder management skills with the ability to influence senior executives, global partners, government institutions, and luxury brand networks. ➢ Innovative thinker with strong decision-making capability, professional integrity, cultural sensitivity, and a commitment to excellence. ➢ Excellent writing skills with the ability to draft and edit a variety of written reports and communications and to articulate advise clearly and concisely. ➢ Proficiency in MS Office applications and in digital commercial tools, CRM systems, and data analytics platforms.