Marketing & Branding Director

On behalf of our client, we are seeking a highly experienced Marketing & Branding Director to lead and oversee the company's marketing and branding strategy within the Sports, Fitness & Wellness sector . The role will be responsible for shaping, elevating, and protecting the company's brand, leading brand, creative, and marketing functions across its 72 active clubs, driving B2C marketing initiatives focused on member engagement, customer acquisition, and retention, and supporting business growth while overseeing the in-house marketing team and external agencies. Responsibilities: 1. Strategic Leadership • Lead the development of the overall marketing and branding strategy, ensuring alignment with the company's vision, identity, and business goals. • Conduct brand health analysis, consumer insights studies, and competitor benchmarking to guide strategic decision-making. • Develop and manage the marketing and branding budget, optimizing spending for maximum ROI. • Establish and drive high-impact brand partnerships, sponsorships, and collaborations that enhance brand visibility and market relevance. • Translate market data into actionable brand strategies, ensuring consistent and differentiated positioning across all customer segments. 2. Brand & Creative Management • Oversee the full brand ecosystem, including brand identity, guidelines, tone of voice, visual assets, and creative direction. • Ensure all communication touchpoints, including design, content, digital, social media, campaigns, product branding, and retail branding, reflect a consistent and premium brand image. • Lead the creation of integrated creative campaigns that drive brand awareness, engagement, and customer loyalty. • Manage the production of marketing materials (digital and print), ensuring quality, consistency, and adherence to brand standards. • Safeguard the brand through ongoing audits, quality checks, and implementation of best-practice brand governance processes. 3. Marketing Strategy & Execution • Oversee all marketing activities, including digital marketing, SEO/SEM, performance marketing, social media strategy, content production, CRM, and community engagement. • Develop data-driven campaign strategies targeting customer acquisition and retention, with a strong focus on B2C marketing. • Monitor all marketing KPIs, performance analytics, and reporting dashboards, identifying opportunities for optimization. • Introduce innovative marketing tools, trends, and technologies to strengthen customer engagement and market presence. • Lead event marketing, activations, sponsorship planning, and major corporate communications initiatives. • Oversee marketing campaigns and activations across the company's branches, ensuring effective member engagement. 4. Communication & Public Relations • Shape the company's external and internal communication strategy. • Oversee PR campaigns, media relations, press releases, and crisis communication where required. • Strengthen brand reputation through storytelling, thought leadership, and consistent public messaging. • Build relationships with influencers, media partners, and key community stakeholders. 5. People Management • Lead, inspire, and mentor a high-performing team of marketing, creative, and branding professionals. • Recruit and develop top talent in brand management, design, communications, and digital marketing. • Drive a culture of creativity, collaboration, innovation, and accountability. • Manage performance cycles, goal-setting, and professional development for all team members. • Oversee the existing marketing and creative team, consisting of 8 direct reports, and manage external marketing agencies. • Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Media, Digital Marketing, or a related field. • Minimum 10 years of total work experience, including at least 8 years of relevant experience in Brand Management, Digital Marketing, Content, Campaign Management, CRM Analytics, or Marketing Communications. • Relevant experience in Retail, Hospitality, FMCG, or other relevant consumer-facing sectors is required. Sports & Fitness industry experience is highly preferred. • Minimum 5 years of direct people-management or equivalent leadership experience. • Strong experience in marketing and branding strategy, with a focus on strategic business growth. • Strong B2C marketing experience, particularly in customer/member engagement, activations, and marketing campaigns, is a must. • Experience in B2B marketing is an advantage. • Experience in digital marketing and social media strategy, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. • Experience managing marketing activities and campaigns across multiple branches or locations. • Strong knowledge of brand management, creative leadership, and project management. • Excellent communication, storytelling, and presentation skills, with strong English communication skills.