Customer Relationship Director

What's the Role

Reporting to the Director of Customer & Strategic Relationships, you will take ownership of a portfolio of large corporate customers, acting as the senior relationship sponsor and strategic advisor for your accounts.

You will lead a team of Customer Relationship Managers and be responsible for developing and delivering customer‑specific strategies that support retention, fleet growth, operational excellence and long‑term profitability.

Working closely with customers, internal stakeholders and the Executive Committee Sponsorship Programme, you will build trusted C‑suite relationships, proactively identify opportunities for growth and ensure Zenith remains the partner of choice for our customers.

This is a highly visible role combining strategic account leadership, commercial accountability, people leadership and customer advocacy. You will represent the voice of your customers internally while ensuring Zenith continues to deliver exceptional customer experiences and strong commercial outcomes.

• Lead and develop a team of Customer Relationship Managers, creating a high‑performing, inclusive and customer‑focused culture.
• Own and deliver customer retention, fleet growth and profitability across an assigned portfolio of large corporate customers.
• Develop and execute tailored customer relationship strategies that align with individual customer objectives and Zenith's wider growth plans.
• Establish and maintain influential relationships with key stakeholders, including C‑suite and board‑level contacts.
• Act as the senior sponsor and executive escalation point for allocated customer relationships.
• Drive fleet growth opportunities across customer portfolios, identifying ways to expand vehicle numbers, increase product penetration and strengthen customer commitment.
• Lead strategic business reviews, governance meetings and executive‑level customer engagements.
• Use customer insight, market knowledge and industry trends to identify opportunities and mitigate emerging risks.
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, Product, Finance and Executive stakeholders to deliver exceptional customer outcomes.
• Maximise the effectiveness of Zenith's Executive Committee Sponsorship Programme to deepen customer relationships and unlock future growth.
• Ensure effective governance, compliance and risk management across all customer activity.
• Analyse performance data and customer trends to support strategic decision‑making and continuous improvement.
• Deliver against budgeted portfolio targets, retention measures, customer satisfaction metrics and commercial objectives.
• Support the development of future talent within the CRM function, creating clear pathways from Account Management into Customer Relationship leadership roles.

• Significant experience in Customer Relationship Management, Strategic Account Management or a similar customer‑facing leadership role, dealing with large corporate fleet customers.
• Experience operating within a B2B environment with accountability for commercial outcomes.
• Strong knowledge of contract hire, fleet management and salary sacrifice solutions.
• In‑depth knowledge of the UK fleet industry and a clear lens on external market trends that can inform product development roadmap.
• A track record of identifying and delivering fleet growth opportunities within existing customer accounts.
• Experience managing relationships with large corporate organisations and complex stakeholder groups.
• Proven success in developing and delivering customer relationship strategies that improve retention and drive growth.
• Experience shaping customer and functional strategies, translating strategic objectives into clear plans that drive team performance and measurable outcomes.
• Experience leading and developing high‑performing teams.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to balance customer outcomes and business performance.
• Experience handling complex negotiations, escalations and strategic customer discussions.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, including engagement at C‑suite and board level.
• Experience using customer insight, data and market intelligence to shape strategic decisions.
• Strong…