Director of Innovation & Growth - European Market Infrastructure #0610

Are you a strategic thinker who flourishes at the crossroads of technology, commerce, and market evolution? We are working in partnership with a well-established organisation sitting at the centre of Europe's market infrastructure ecosystem to appoint a high-calibre Director of Innovation & Growth. The client is looking for a business-savvy, forward-thinking executive capable of crafting and delivering a bold agenda for growth and innovation.

This position reports into the most senior levels of the business and comes with a genuinely broad strategic scope. You will head up a focused team and take ownership of the organisation's core engine for commercial expansion, innovation, and enterprise-wide transformation.

 

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Talent Development: Take charge of a capable team working across business development, strategic analysis, and key account management; nurture an environment defined by drive, intellectual rigour, and teamwork.
• Delivering Commercial Expansion: Architect and roll out the organisation's blueprint for innovation and new business, pinpointing emerging opportunities across European market infrastructure—whether through untapped revenue lines, adjacent sectors, or strategic tie-ups.
• Advisory to Senior Leadership: Act as a go-to adviser for the CEO; craft and deliver compelling strategic analyses, business cases, and market studies for consumption at board and executive forums.
• Cultivating Strategic Alliances: Seek out, nurture, and maintain impactful alliances, joint ventures, and client relationships that reinforce the organisation's growth trajectory.
• Connecting Commercial & Technical Agendas: Stand as the connective tissue between commercial strategy and technical execution, making the case for cloud, DevOps, and digital transformation as routes to lasting competitive advantage.
• Advancing a Contemporary Leadership Mindset: Reinforce the organisation's broader journey toward a more responsive, adaptive, and joined-up style of leadership.
• Reading the Market & Regulatory Environment: Keep a close eye on shifts in market dynamics, competitor activity, and the European regulatory environment; turn those observations into sharp strategic guidance and recommendations for the executive team.
• Contributing to M&A Initiatives: Contribute meaningfully to the sourcing and assessment of acquisition candidates, partnership prospects, or strategic investments that complement the organisation's longer-term ambitions.

Requirements

• Professional fluency in English.
• A clear history of winning new commercial ground—whether through fresh opportunities, strategic partnerships, or market-entry plays.
• A senior-level background in business development, strategy, or innovation, preferably built within financial services, market infrastructure, capital markets, fintech, or a closely related field.
• Deep familiarity with Europe's market infrastructure environment.
• Outstanding communication and stakeholder management skills; fully at ease engaging at C-suite and board level.
• Proven ability to design and deliver sophisticated, multi-stakeholder commercial strategies within a regulated setting.
• A working appreciation of cloud, DevOps, and digital transformation programmes, along with the commercial judgement to turn those capabilities into business value.
• Experience building up and leading compact, high-performing teams.

Desirable Attributes

• Additional European language capability (French, German, Dutch, Italian, or Spanish regarded favourably).
• An MBA or comparable postgraduate qualification in business, finance, economics, or technology management.
• An active network spanning European financial markets, regulatory bodies, or technology providers.
• Hands-on involvement in M&A activity, whether identifying targets, conducting due diligence, or overseeing post-deal integration.

Benefits

Salary €130,000 – €150,000 gross per annum

Standard Benefits apply

Equal Employment Opportunity and Non-Discrimination Policy
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For client positions, compensation information will be provided in accordance with applicable EU and national laws. When required by law, salary information will be included in job postings or provided during the recruitment process. We are committed to pay transparency and equal pay for equal work, in line with EU Directive 2006/54/EC and national laws on pay equity.

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While this policy provides a general framework applicable across the EU, it's important to note that specific employment laws can vary significantly between EU member states. To ensure full compliance with local regulations, we make the following provisions:

Local Law Compliance: In addition to EU-wide regulations, we comply with all national laws and regulations of the specific EU member state where the employment takes place.
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Language Requirements: In countries where local law requires that employment policies be provided in the local language, we will make available a properly translated version of this policy and its country-specific addendum.
Notification of Applicable Laws: During the recruitment process, candidates will be informed of the specific national laws that apply to their potential employment, in addition to EU-wide regulations.
Regular Updates: We commit to regularly reviewing and updating our country-specific addenda to reflect any changes in national employment laws.
Precedence of National Law: Where national law provides greater protection or additional rights to employees beyond what is outlined in this general EU policy, the national law will take precedence.
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Pay transparency and gender pay gap reporting
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Both Keller Executive Search and our clients comply with all applicable local laws and ordinances regarding employment practices in the areas where we operate within the EU.

Note: This job posting may be for a position with Keller Executive Search or one of our clients. The specific employer will be identified during the application and interview process. Employment laws and requirements may vary depending on the employer and location within the EU.

Directeur de l'Innovation & de la Croissance – Infrastructure de Marché Européen

Présentation du Poste

Êtes-vous un penseur stratégique qui s'épanouit à la croisée de la technologie, du commerce et de l'évolution des marchés ? Nous travaillons en partenariat avec une organisation bien établie, située au centre de l'écosystème de l'infrastructure de marché européen, pour nommer un(e) Directeur(trice) de l'Innovation & de la Croissance de haut niveau. Le client recherche un(e) dirigeant(e) doté(e) d'un sens aigu des affaires et d'une vision prospective, capable d'élaborer et de porter un programme ambitieux de croissance et d'innovation.

Ce poste est rattaché aux plus hauts niveaux de l'entreprise et s'accompagne d'un périmètre stratégique véritablement étendu. Vous piloterez une équipe resserrée et prendrez la responsabilité du principal moteur d'expansion commerciale, d'innovation et de transformation de l'organisation.

Principales Missions

• Encadrement d'Équipe & Développement des Talents : Prendre la tête d'une équipe compétente intervenant sur le développement commercial, l'analyse stratégique et la gestion des comptes clés ; instaurer un environnement marqué par l'engagement, la rigueur intellectuelle et l'esprit d'équipe.
• Accélération de l'Expansion Commerciale : Concevoir et déployer la feuille de route de l'organisation en matière d'innovation et de nouvelles activités, en repérant les opportunités émergentes dans l'infrastructure de marché européen, qu'il s'agisse de nouvelles sources de revenus, de secteurs adjacents ou de rapprochements stratégiques.
• Conseil Auprès de la Direction Générale : Jouer le rôle de conseiller(ère) privilégié(e) du PDG ; produire et présenter des analyses stratégiques percutantes, études de cas et études de marché destinées aux comités exécutifs et au conseil d'administration.
• Développement d'Alliances Stratégiques : Rechercher, cultiver et pérenniser des alliances, coentreprises et relations clients à fort impact, venant renforcer la trajectoire de croissance de l'organisation.
• Articulation entre Agendas Commerciaux & Technologiques : Incarner le tissu conjonctif entre la stratégie commerciale et l'exécution technique, en défendant le cloud, le DevOps et la transformation numérique comme leviers d'un avantage concurrentiel durable.
• Promotion d'une Approche Moderne du Leadership : Renforcer la démarche globale de l'organisation vers un leadership plus réactif, adaptatif et cohérent.
• Lecture de l'Environnement Concurrentiel & Réglementaire : Surveiller de près les évolutions des dynamiques de marché, l'activité des concurrents et l'environnement réglementaire européen ; transformer ces observations en orientations stratégiques claires et en recommandations pour l'équipe dirigeante.
• Contribution aux Opérations de M&A : Contribuer activement à l'identification et à l'évaluation de candidats à l'acquisition, d'opportunités de partenariat ou d'investissements stratégiques qui viennent compléter les ambitions à long terme de l'organisation.

Profil Recherché

• Maîtrise professionnelle de l'anglais.
• Historique clair de conquête de nouveaux territoires commerciaux, que ce soit par de nouvelles opportunités, des partenariats stratégiques ou des stratégies d'entrée sur le marché.
• Parcours de niveau senior en développement commercial, stratégie ou innovation, de préférence acquis dans les services financiers, l'infrastructure de marché, les marchés de capitaux, la fintech ou un domaine étroitement lié.
• Connaissance approfondie de l'environnement de l'infrastructure de marché européen.
• Excellentes compétences en communication et en gestion des parties prenantes ; parfaitement à l'aise auprès du comité exécutif et du conseil d'administration.
• Capacité avérée à concevoir et déployer des stratégies commerciales sophistiquées et multi-parties prenantes dans un cadre réglementé.
• Bonne compréhension du cloud, du DevOps et des programmes de transformation numérique, ainsi que le discernement commercial nécessaire pour convertir ces capacités en valeur pour l'entreprise.
• Expérience dans la constitution et la direction d'équipes compactes et performantes.

Atouts Appréciés

• Maîtrise d'autres langues européennes (le français, l'allemand, le néerlandais, l'italien ou l'espagnol seront appréciés).
• MBA ou qualification postuniversitaire équivalente en commerce, finance, économie ou management des technologies.
• Réseau actif au sein des marchés financiers européens, des organismes réglementaires ou des fournisseurs technologiques.
• Implication concrète dans des opérations de M&A, que ce soit via l'identification de cibles, la due diligence ou le pilotage de l'intégration post-transaction.

Rémunération

Salaire : Rémunération executive compétitive, indicativement comprise entre 130 000 € et 150 000 € bruts par an, selon l'expérience et le profil. Le package final sera discuté avec les candidats présélectionnés.

Avantages standards applicables.