Location
London

Hours
Full Time

Salary
Competitive, commensurate with experience

About the Role
Belmond is on a mission to become the world’s most desirable luxury travel brand. Within our Creative Team, the Senior VIP & Culture Manager plays a vital role in ensuring Belmond not only creates legendary travel experiences but also resonates deeply within contemporary culture. This role is responsible for strategically identifying, engaging, and collaborating with celebrities and Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) to increase brand and product awareness and to create compelling, culturally relevant storytelling across various formats, including film and editorial.

This individual will champion Belmond’s presence in culture more generally, working with our KOL and cultural communications agency to amplify our unique activities and narratives. The role requires incredibly strong relationship management skills, often navigating complex teams and powerful agents/managers, to build and nurture a vibrant community around the Belmond brand.

Key Responsibilities:

Cultural Strategy & KOL Management:
- Develop a deep understanding of current cultural trends, emerging personalities, and relevant storytelling opportunities to position Belmond at the forefront of luxury travel and lifestyle conversations.
- Proactively source, recommend, and engage a diverse portfolio of KOLs, tastemakers, and celebrities for collaborative projects including events, hosting, film production, and storytelling.
- Work closely with KOLs to co-create authentic and engaging content that perpetuates the legendary art of travel, captures the essence of Belmond properties, and resonates with target audiences.
- Continuously build and nurture strong, long-term relationships with KOLs, celebrities, influencers, their agents, and managers to ensure seamless collaboration.
- Collaborate with Belmond’s cultural communications PR agency to strategically amplify Belmond's cultural activities and content.
- Manage global agencies across markets including UK, USA, France, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, Spain, and Brazil alongside Global Communications and Divisional teams.

VIP, KOL & Community Building:
- Plan and implement the global KOL strategy aligned with brand and product strategy.
- Work with Global Communications to plan key KOL activations and hosting opportunities.
- Accelerate community growth by engaging and managing a diverse range of influencers.
- Collaborate with PR, Social Media, and Brand teams to maximise advocacy opportunities.
- Organise and manage global influencer trips to amplify visibility of initiatives and launches.
- Hire and manage Talent/Influencer agencies when required, overseeing contracts and deliverables.

Event Management:
- Ideate and execute global events supporting brand campaigns to generate PR and build brand advocacy.
- Plan and execute launch events for new properties or reopenings.
- Support Global and Divisional teams for B2B and B2C events.
- Manage all event logistics including supplier relations, guest lists, videography, and on-site execution.
- Travel internationally as required for event management and product launches.

Strategic Planning & Collaboration:
- Support drafting and implementation of the global annual communications calendar including KOL activations and cultural initiatives.
- Collaborate closely with Global Social Media, Divisional & Property teams, and Legal to align strategies, plans, and contracts.

Reporting & Budget Management:
- Provide monthly and quarterly reports on KOL activity, influencer engagement, and event performance.
- Make strategic recommendations based on performance data and cultural insights.
- Manage the annual KOL, influencer, and event budget effectively.

Team Management:
- Direct report of VIP & Culture Executive, providing leadership and guidance within the team.

Experience
- Proven experience (8+ years) in a similar role within luxury travel, hospitality, fashion, lifestyle, or a creative agency.
- Strong focus on KOL/influencer management and cultural communications.
- Demonstrable expertise in understanding and leveraging cultural trends.
- Track record of successfully engaging and collaborating with high-profile individuals, agents, and managers.
- Experience overseeing and delivering creative content projects, including film production and editorial storytelling.
- Strong strategic planning abilities with experience executing global communication calendars.
- Excellent event management skills from concept to execution.
- Knowledge of legal best practices concerning contracts and agreements for KOLs and influencers.
- Proficiency in budget management and reporting.
- Ability to travel internationally as required.

About you
- Exceptional relationship management skills.
- A natural communicator able to articulate complex ideas clearly and persuasively.
- Highly organized, proactive, and detail-oriented.
- Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
- Deep appreciation for luxury, travel, and the Belmond brand ethos.

Qualifications
- Relevant qualifications or equivalent experience in luxury brand management, communications, marketing, or related fields are desirable but not explicitly required.