This role involved working with public and third sector organisations across the UK which were new to O2 - shaping and delivering new solutions, identifying efficiencies and cost savings, and finding better ways of working. Responsibilities included management of end to end sales cycle, which required engagement across stakeholders within multiple lines of business. This included lead generation, qualification, reporting, customer tender and proposal activity, as well as deal structure and approvals (including finance, product, service delivery, project management, supply chain, legal, partners), contract negotiations, and implementation, before handover into in-life service. This frequently involved managing substantial virtual teams across multiple disciplines and partner organisations in order to maintain strategic alignment and ensure success. Focus areas included connectivity and cyber security solutions, as well as innovative capabilities based on 5G, IoT and data analytics (including origin/destination and profile information solutions, among others).

Ian headed the O2 Passenger Services team, as a sales leader for the UK business. Ian’s team worked closely with its customers to support and retain their existing in-life portfolio of ICT, digital, and mobile services, as well as identifying and winning additional business based on new solution requirements. The team was responsible for the O2 customer relationship, as well as internal accountability for its clients, whilst achieving all targets and metrics required by the O2 business (including billed revenue, new contract value and NPS). Ian had ownership of all areas of team targets and performance, behaviours, pipeline development, training, and recruitment.In a fast evolving industry, Ian was also closely involved in developing O2’s vertical propositions, with the aim of ensuring that his team stayed innovative and relevant with the solutions they delivered to their customers.

Responsible for a number of O2’s largest UK customers, Ian worked with public and private sector Passenger Services industry clients to support existing ICT and connectivity solutions and deploy digital services of all kinds from across the group portfolio, as well as maintaining the existing services base. Ian was focused on helping transform customer organisations in a variety of ways - from delivering great passenger experiences through innovation, designing services which enhance user loyalty, identifying and driving new revenue streams, and providing solutions which improve passenger and staff safety.Passionate about collaborating and about O2’s development as a digital services company, Ian’s role enabled him to use his public and private sector experience, and knowledge of contracting, negotiation, and procurement strategies to great effect.

Ian’s previous role involved leading and directing a team of Senior Bid Managers to support the Enterprise sales community in winning public sector tenders for core and ICT business, including via the Public Services Network (PSN) framework. He was responsible for bid qualification decisions, work allocation, team performance, and quality of output for Public Sector business within the Telefónica UK Enterprise business. Key activities included:• Managing workload forecasting and prioritisation for tender and bid responses, across both acquisition and account managed customers• Creating strategies to enhance team members’ knowledge of complex fixed services and the PSN framework• Motivating and directing a team of senior level Bid Managers to deliver excellent bid services across to the public sector• Supporting the team members through regular coaching, opportunity and strategy reviews, team meetings, training and other suitable interactions• Balancing commercial considerations and assessment of risks against the achievement of business objectives at all times• Reviewing all Bid document output for the Public Sector area, and acting as a signatory for business contracts• Supporting business decision making, understanding complex business contracts and bids with potentially high impact to ensure that customer satisfaction is maintained throughout projects.• Build meaningful relationships with customers and suppliers to help enhance future Bid performance and drive up win rates.

This role involved building and leading virtual bid teams to win complex and multi-national customer opportunities, and managing formal customer activities from initial engagement through to contract signature. Responsibilities included ownership of the overall bid response, including allocation of activities, setting strategy, editing and reviewing responses, bid format, collateral design, and publication. This position also involved responsibility for the production and drafting of contract documents, and the negotiation of these with relevant client stakeholders and internal business owners, through to conclusion, final agreement and handover. Key activities included: • Managing virtual teams in order to produce winning responses to customer tenders for complex UK and international business• Developing win strategies and building relationships to ensure the optimum solution was delivered• Ensuring tender responses communicated benefits and capabilities, and properly represented the optimum customer solution• Understanding and mitigating commercial risks in both tendering and contracting processes• Prioritising workload to direct appropriate support to opportunities which delivered the most commercial benefit • Reviewing and enhancing existing processes, and building capabilities to support new operational requirements as they arose