Partner Lead, Japan Business Team

The World Economic Forum is an international organization that brings together leaders from business, government, academia, and civil society to build industry, regional and global agendas, address systemic issues, and improve the state of the world.

The Regional Business Team is responsible for building and managing the strategic engagement and development of existing and new Forum Partners in Asia Pacific, China, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, South Asia and Japan across Industry Communities, the 10 Forum Centres, and our Forum events.

We are currently searching for a Partner Lead for Japan, who will focus on building and reinforcing strategic relationships and interactions with senior executives from Forum Partner companies while developing and supporting the development and conversion of a pipeline of new Forum Partners. He or She will closely work with Partner Service specialists in the Japan team, who manage day-to-day interaction with the operation contacts of Forum Partner companies.

The Partner Lead for Japan will report to the Chief Representative Officer, in Japan and also report to the Head of the Regional Business Team in Geneva.

Responsibilities include:

Retention/Engagement

• Building and maintaining executive-level relationships with key executives (from CEO, C-suite/Ex. Com., to Executive Contacts) with close coordination with the Partner Services Team in Japan.
• Ensuring retention by developing tailored engagement plans for Partners to address their priorities and deepen their engagement in the most relevant Forum activities, in collaboration with the Partner Services Team.
• Visiting Partners on a recurrent basis to discuss institutional priorities, building executives’ agendas in collaboration with the Partner Services Team.
• Monitoring Partner news, health, and quality and depth of engagement across Industries, Centres, and Forum events on a recurrent basis to identify risks for engagement.
• Communicating detected risks and taking preventive measures to address them by mobilizing the relevant teams as needed and in collaboration with the Partner Services Team.
• Ensuring all Partner interactions are accurately documented in Salesforce, notifying the Partner Services Team and all relevant internal stakeholders about any actions to be taken to ensure effective Partner engagement.
• Developing an in-depth understanding of Partners’ strategies and priorities, and of the regions and industry sectors in which they operate.

Development

• Based on Forum’s strategic direction, identify a pipeline of potential Forum Partners in Japan.
• Have insights across Japanese industry dynamics and build a relevant network of business contacts among CEOs and C-suite executives.
• Explore and create meaningful interactions with potential Forum partners in collaboration with Industry and Centre colleagues and understand the fit of Forum’s value proposition with potential Partners.
• Plan and implement a targeted approach for potential partners for their potential engagement with the Forum in such a manner that meets KPIs for the Regional Business Team.

Team Management

• As the Partner Service Team for Japan sits in the Japan office, the lead must play a team management role - share objectives, give guidance, and collaborate with the team to achieve the goals of the Business team and the mission of the Forum.
• Closely work with the Partner Service Team in Geneva to effectively manage the team in Japan in the broader partner service context.

To be successful, a Partner Lead should:

• Cultivate strategic and impactful relationships with senior executives to develop and tailor Partner engagement plans fostering engagement plans aligned with business priorities and industry trends.
• Proactively manage metrics to optimize Partner engagement, ensuring retention and actively building a pipeline of potential Forum Partners for portfolio growth.
• Maximize Salesforce functionality for comprehensive partner documentation and relationship enhancement.
• Keep Scorecard and opportunities up-to-date, contributing to a continuous pipeline of new partnership contracts.
• Champion a ‘One-Forum’ approach, collaborating seamlessly with internal stakeholders and teams for an unparalleled partner engagement experience.

Preferred Requirements and Experience:

• Master’s degree or equivalent.
• 15+ years of relevant professional experience in a relevant industry sector, preferably in banking, investment banking, or consulting.
• Proven track record engaging with CEOs and C-suite executives, translating business needs into solutions.
• Strong capacity to influence decisions, negotiate with partners, and apply critical thinking.Ability to shape and co-create regional agendas, managing ecosystem partners with strategic vision.
• Experience in stakeholder management and direct C-Suite interactions.
• Deep understanding of the Japanese business landscape.
• Capacity to synthesize various viewpoints, consult, and work collaboratively across matrix organizations
• Strong collaboration and management skills to maximize team output
• Native Japanese speaker with great communication skills in English; proficiency in another language is a plus.
• Willingness to travel up to 40% for partner engagements.

Why work at the Forum:

The Forum believes that progress happens by bringing together people from all walks of life who have the drive and the influence to improve the state of the world by building awareness and cooperation, shaping mindsets and agendas, and driving collective action. Join us and become a driver for positive change!