Business Development Manager - Client Strategy

Role Purpose: The role is an independent, client-facing business development position. The incumbent will be expected to actively go to market, develop new client relationships, engage directly with senior decision-makers and originate opportunities across priority accounts and target sectors in Southern India, while working closely with the Director - Client Strategy and relevant partners on coordinated pursuit and conversion. Business Development: - Independently identify, approach and develop new target accounts, including securing and conducting meetings with CFOs, General Counsel, Tax Heads, Company Secretaries, promoters and other senior business leaders. - Own a defined portfolio of target accounts and be accountable for progressing relationships from initial outreach through qualified opportunity identification and partner-led pursuit. - Conduct account and market research to identify client triggers (regulatory/tax changes, enforcement trends, corporate actions, fundraising/M&A activity) and translate insights into actionable BD inputs. - Build and maintain long-term, trust-based relationships with clients and target accounts, strengthening the Firm's share-of-mind across all practise areas. - Plan and coordinate client meetings and partner engagement. Ensure disciplined follow-through with help of the in-house research support team. - Support/coordinate proposals, pitches and RFP responses. - Maintain a structured opportunity pipeline and report progress; ensure strong CRM hygiene and pursuit governance. - Partner with internal stakeholders to support BD processes (account planning, pursuit playbooks, proposal repositories, win/loss learning) and improve outreach effectiveness. - Work closely with the Director - Client Strategy to align BD activity with practice priorities and the Firm's strategic objectives and support coordinated execution of GTM initiatives. Client Retention: - Support the Firm's client pursuit and relationship-management processes, helping structure outreach and engagement in a consistent, measurable way (account plans, touchpoint cadence, CRM discipline, feedback loops). - Help deepen existing relationships by identifying whitespace, cross-sell opportunities, anticipating needs, and proactively curating relevant updates/insights for key stakeholders. - Support partners and practice teams in positioning new or expanded services to existing clients. Business Development Planning: - Support development and maintenance of practise/sector-level BD plans for the region (priority accounts, target stakeholder map, engagement cadence and pursuit themes) aligned to Firm priorities. - Analyse and provide feedback and information on market trends and competitors' moves. - Track business trends and client developments with a view to supporting cohesive approaches that can increase market share. - Support CRM and pipeline governance across Southern India (Indian business houses and India subsidiaries of MNCs): account plans, activity tracking, opportunity stages and periodic reporting dashboards for the Management Team. - Coordinate targeted client-engagement/profile-building initiatives for key decision-makers (e.g., invite-only CXO roundtables, curated client briefings, focused local engagements), in partnership with the Marketing & Communications team, ensuring each initiative is mapped to priority accounts and measured on BD outcomes (meetings, qualified opportunities, conversions). - Prepare partner-ready market intelligence - client triggers, regulatory/tax developments, deal and corporate action tracking, and competitor activity - translated into actionable outreach and pursuit recommendations. - Support the leadership in running a disciplined pursuit review rhythm (what to prioritise, who to engage, next steps and conversion blockers) and support forecasting/visibility. Essential Competencies: - BD orientation: Demonstrated ability to support client outreach, meeting preparation, proposals, follow-ups and pipeline management. - Sector & industry understanding: Good grasp of broad sector dynamics and business drivers, with the ability to translate industry context into relevant advisory conversations and BD themes. - Client-facing maturity: Comfortable engaging with CFOs, GCs, Tax Heads, Company Secretaries and business leaders, with confidence and discretion. - Ability to identify, qualify and prioritise opportunities and support disciplined pursuits with partners and the Director - Client Strategy. - Strong capability to translate market/regulatory/deal signals into actionable outreach themes. - Excellent written/verbal communication and strong coordination skills. - Influences without authority; self-starter comfortable operating with a lean team and supporting multiple stakeholders. - Strong understanding of regional industrial hubs and business ecosystem. Education: MBA preferred; strong undergraduate credentials may also be considered.