Location: London (hybrid), with extensive UK travel to branches and sales teams
Duration: 12 months
Commitment: 5 days per week, with some weekend preparation expected
Reporting to: Chief Executive Officer

The Opportunity

Exec Capital is retained by a confidential UK business — a c.£50m turnover organisation with around 400 employees, serving customers across construction, utilities, manufacturing, facilities management and the public sector — to identify an Interim Sales Director to lead a critical turnaround assignment.

The business has experienced a revenue decline of approximately 20% over the last three years. The mandate is clear: stabilise the sales function, reverse the downward trend, and set the business on a path back to sustainable, profitable growth.

The Role

Reporting directly to the CEO, the Interim Sales Director will take full ownership of the sales organisation during a pivotal 12-month period. Key elements of the assignment include:

• Conducting a rapid, thorough analysis of the current sales structure, pipeline, and performance drivers, and presenting recommendations for the future operating model
• Redesigning and rebuilding the sales structure, including recruitment of a permanent Sales Director as eventual successor and a supporting middle management layer
• Providing direct leadership to a sales force of approximately 60 people through a period of significant change
• Rebuilding pipeline discipline, forecasting accuracy, and account management practices across multiple sectors
• Working closely with the CEO and board to report on progress, risks, and recovery trajectory
• Travelling extensively across the UK to engage branch-level and field-based sales personnel