Recruit the right Sales Director
Recruiting the right Sales Director is a critical step in driving sustainable revenue growth, building high-performing teams, and expanding market reach. The role requires more than strong sales credentials — it demands a commercially astute leader who can set strategic direction, energise teams, and translate opportunity into results. With experts like Oliver guiding the recruitment process, companies can secure a Sales Director who not only delivers on targets but also shapes a culture of performance and long-term client value.
For businesses seeking a Sales Director, partnering with experienced professionals who understand the dynamics of sales leadership and have access to a deep network of proven commercial talent is essential. This insight-led, targeted approach ensures that the appointed individual has the credibility, vision, and executional strength to accelerate growth and align sales with the broader strategic goals of the organisation.
Introducing your expert for recruiting the right Sales Director.
Oliver Adderley
Managing Director, Adderleys Executive Search
Tel: 0207 874 7204
Email: oja@adderleys.com
Oliver brings over twenty years of experience in executive search, with a specialised focus on recruiting senior level talent across various industries. His extensive network of senior leadership talent throughout the United Kingdom uniquely positions him to identify and attract top-tier candidates for this critical role.
Throughout his career, Oliver has collaborated with a diverse range of businesses, from multinational corporations and renowned brands to small and medium-sized enterprises. His expertise in executive search and recruitment marketing, combined with his deep understanding of the recruitment landscape, has consistently driven successful outcomes in securing high-calibre leadership.
Oliver’s track record in recruiting Sales Directors is marked by his ability to understand the nuanced requirements of each organisation, ensuring a perfect alignment between candidate capabilities and company needs. His strategic thinking and problem-solving skills enable him to navigate the complexities of the recruitment process, devising innovative solutions that meet the unique challenges of each search.
With his broad-spectrum experience and intimate familiarity with the intricacies of executive recruitment, Oliver is perfectly positioned to lead the search for a new Sales Director. His comprehensive knowledge and versatile skill set ensure that he can deliver exceptional results, contributing significantly to the company's ongoing success and leadership continuity.
In any growth-focused business, recruiting the right Sales Director is critical to building sustainable revenue, expanding market presence, and achieving long-term commercial success. The Sales Director is not only accountable for meeting targets—they are the driving force behind the sales strategy, team culture, and client relationships that underpin performance. Appointing the right individual into this role requires more than industry knowledge; it demands insight into leadership behaviours, strategic capability, and cultural fit.
The Importance of a Skilled Sales Director
A high-performing Sales Director brings more than just experience in closing deals—they combine data-driven decision-making with inspirational team leadership to build scalable, predictable revenue. They are responsible for setting the sales vision, designing performance frameworks, and ensuring the team is equipped to respond to competitive pressures and evolving customer needs. In today’s complex sales environments—often marked by long sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, and hybrid buying behaviours—clarity of leadership and a coherent commercial strategy are essential.
Beyond delivering numbers, the Sales Director plays a central role in aligning sales with marketing, product, finance, and operations. They shape value propositions, guide pricing strategy, and ensure customer experience is integrated across the full commercial process. In organisations with ambitious growth plans, the Sales Director is a key member of the leadership team—supporting board-level planning and contributing to the wider business strategy. In sectors such as B2B services, manufacturing, technology, distribution, and professional services, the Sales Director is a linchpin for margin management, client retention, and market expansion.
How Adderleys Can Help
At Adderleys, we understand that sales leadership recruitment is not just about hiring a performer—it’s about securing a strategic partner who will energise the business, lead high-performing teams, and shape a commercially intelligent, data-informed sales culture. Since 1991, we have supported clients across the UK in appointing exceptional Sales Directors through a rigorous, insight-led process that combines commercial acumen with deep sector knowledge. Here’s how we support successful sales leadership appointments:
Strategic Sales Planning: We identify candidates with proven success in designing and executing sales strategies aligned with wider business goals. From developing route-to-market models to building new channels, we focus on strategic thinkers with the agility to lead through change.
Team Leadership and Culture: The Sales Director sets the tone for team performance. We assess leadership style, coaching ability, and motivational fit to ensure your chosen candidate can lead diverse teams across territories, channels, and customer segments.
Revenue Growth and Pipeline Discipline: Predictable, scalable revenue doesn’t happen by accident. We look for Sales Directors with disciplined forecasting, strong pipeline management, and the ability to build performance accountability at every level.
Commercial Intelligence and Collaboration: Sales today is a cross-functional discipline. We seek out leaders who understand product-market fit, pricing strategy, and customer experience—ensuring collaboration with marketing, product, and delivery functions to maximise lifetime value.
Sector Expertise and Market Knowledge: We tailor our approach to your industry—whether you're B2B, B2C, services, SaaS, or manufacturing—ensuring you have access to senior sales leaders who understand your buyer landscape, competitor context, and sales cycles.
Our Unique Approach
At Adderleys, we combine rigorous search methodology with deep local market knowledge and a national network of proven sales leaders. Unlike firms that are heavily London-centric, our reach extends across the UK, allowing us to tap into talent pools often overlooked by city-based headhunters.
We understand that sales leadership looks different in every business—whether you're building a national field sales team, scaling a digital-first channel, entering new verticals, or managing key accounts across the UK and beyond. That’s why we take the time to understand your business model, growth plan, and customer profile before designing a bespoke recruitment strategy.
With more than three decades of experience, we’ve helped SMEs, private equity-backed ventures, and established brands appoint Sales Directors who bring both immediate impact and long-term value. Whether you need a hands-on player-coach, a strategic leader, or a transformation expert, we ensure the right fit at both a commercial and cultural level.
At Adderleys, we believe that sales success starts with sales leadership. And we’re here to help you secure the talent that can take your business to the next level.