Director of Celebrity & VIPs - Abu Dhabi

Full time employee, Abu Dhabi, UAE

ABOUT US

YKONE is a global marketing group trusted by iconic brands from the fashion, luxury, travel & beauty industries. Since 2008, we have been helping brands to connect with, engage or grow their audience through impactful stories crafted and spread by the world’s most powerful or creative influencers.

Our creative DNA & data-driven approach allows us to conduct international projects for various actors including Nespresso, L’Oréal, Dior, Chanel, TAG Heuer, Estée Lauder as well as several Tourism Offices in the world (Visit Abu Dhabi, Visit Turkey, Visit the USA…).

Headquartered in Paris, YKONE has offices in Milan, Dubai, Berlin, Munich, Abu Dhabi, Geneva, Miami, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Doha and Las Vegas.

The Director pf Celebrity & VIPs will report to the Managing Director International, joining Ykone Abu Dhabi.

YOUR MISSION

Your role as Director of Celebrity & VIP will be to ensure trust and excellence in delivery to our clients and be the trusted advisor. Through this, you’ll work on Celebrity & VIP engagements through strategy & creative proposals, oversee the project management team on campaign execution and develop the accounts and client business.

You will be responsible for the following:

• Celebrity & VIP Network: Develop, nurture and maintain strong, long-term relationships with celebrities, VIPs, and their representatives through continuous networking at industry events, and leverage these connections to identify and propose suitable talent aligned with client/project needs and brand values to negotiate and close deals, ensuring all contractual obligations are executed from signature to completion.

• Client partnership: manage & develop the client account to establish and maintain excellent relationships: ensure trust and satisfactions, anticipate requests, find solutions, act proactively in order to be the trusted advisor.

• Management: manage project team and oversee campaign execution with all stakeholders, ensuring timely delivery within scope and to agreed KPIs, respect of budget, while also acting as the primary liaison between clients and internal cross-functional teams to uphold deadlines throughout all project phases from strategy to reporting.

• Team lead: preparation of evaluations & objectives, take care of the team, team building & spirit, development of team (team of 4)

• Strategy: be the lead during pitches / RFPs, gather brief, schedule brainstorming, align on strategy, orchestrate the pitch timeline and delivery of work. Support in the development and implementation of the agency’s strategic vision.

• Business & finance: help develop the client business on the long term, understanding the agency’s services, expertises & developments, build budget proposals, oversee project budget & follow up, prepare auditing documents and invoicing.

WORK EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION

• You have a minimum of 8 years of professional experience in celebrity relations, events/entertainment, talent management.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Marketing/Communications or PR
• You have several experiences working in an international environment with many cultures
• You have a perfect understanding of the Celebrity & VIP world, and social media
• You have a very strong understanding of travel & hospitality industries (as well as luxury, fashion, lifestyle brands)
• You have proven commercial skills and are a confident decision maker
• You have experience managing a team and are a collaborative team player

YOUR SKILLS

• Deep understanding of the entertainment, media, and marketing industries, including current trends and celebrity dynamics.
• Creative & forward thinking mind and have effective problem-solving skills to manage crises and resolve conflicts that may arise during partnerships.
• You understand the lifecycle of a project and have strong negotiation skills
• You are fluent in English (ideally native) with several past experiences working 100% in English and speak at least 1 other language.
• Extremely professional, confidential and have a positive attitude with strong interpersonal skills
• Highly organized, rigorous, detail oriented, strong communication skills
• Ability to work well under pressure and meet tight deadlines
• You have flexible hours and are able to manage time zone differences with US and Europe
• Use of tools Google Suite, Salesforce, TravelPerk, CAMPAYGN

THE OPPORTUNITY

• Position based in Abu Dhabi UAE
• 4 days a week office requirement
• Salary & package to be discussed based upon experience

TO APPLY

If you meet the qualifications and are interested in this exciting opportunity, please submit your resume/CV and portfolio (if available) to leah@ykone.com.

We look forward to hearing from you!