Business Development / Sales / Marketing
Open To Work
Chuks Okwuokei
Leverage Edu
Lagos
Work Preference
Desired Job Title
Regional Business Development ManagerCountry/Regional Business Development ManagerCountry ManagerBusiness Development ManagerCommercial Manager
Work Type
Full TimePart TimeContract WorkGig WorkConsultingVolunteerSeasonal Work
Important To Me
Career advancementWork-life balanceCompany Culture
2
Languages
1
Certification
17
years of professional experience
Strategic Commercial and Business Development Manager with over 15 years in international student recruitment and global higher education. Expertise spans international education, sales, marketing, and SaaS, with a focus on customer relationship management and partnership development. Experienced in managing business operations and optimizing sales funnels to enhance lead generation and conversion.
Work History
Regional Business Development Manager
1 Year 1 Month- Assisted over 8 teams in completing tasks efficiently and accurately. Supported project coordination to meet deadlines and objectives. Helped maintain communication among team members.
- Formulated and executed strategic market leadership strategies to align with organizational objectives.
- Crafted detailed long-term growth roadmap, outlining key milestones and strategies for market expansion in Nigeria.
- Assessed business landscape to identify opportunities and project revenue needs for effective resource planning.
- Achieved successful identification of of over 12 new cities, regions, or sectors for expansion, enhancing engagement with universities, agent clusters, corporate sponsorships, high schools, embassies, and education clusters. Delivered strategic insights into new cities, regions, or sectors for expansion, fostering connections with universities, agent clusters, corporate sponsors, high schools, embassies, and educational clusters. Realized opportunities for expansion into new cities, regions, or sectors, strengthening relationships with universities, agent networks, corporate sponsorships, high schools, embassies, and education clusters.
- Managed sales and revenue activities for 9 teams.
- Developed and managed strategic sales objectives, ensuring alignment with overall business goals for monthly, quarterly, and annual performance.
- Oversaw all stages of student recruitment, ensuring effective lead generation and successful enrollment.
- Continuously optimize conversion strategies, pricing models, and commercial offerings.
- Achieved significant partnership growth through proactive ecosystem development strategies. Elevated community engagement by fostering robust partnerships and collaborative networks. Cultivated an innovative ecosystem that supported sustainable partnership growth.
- Fostered robust relationships with pivotal external stakeholders, resulting in improved project collaboration. Enhanced stakeholder relations, leading to more effective communication and project success.
- Managed over 500 Secondary schools and administrators
- Achieved seamless coordination between over 600 recruitment agents and sub-agents, enhancing candidate placement rates. Drove engagement initiatives with sub-agents, resulting in improved talent acquisition. Streamlined recruitment processes through effective collaboration with agents and sub-agents.
- Cultivated strong partnerships with agents and counselors, resulting in improved service delivery. Enhanced relationship management processes, achieving greater satisfaction among agents and counselors. Drove collaborative efforts with agents and counselors, leading to streamlined communication and support.
- Embassy representatives and cultural attachés
- Alumni networks and influencer communities
- Scholarship foundations and student financing partners
- Negotiated partnership agreements and commercial terms to establish long-term collaborations.
- Coordinated operations across multiple teams effectively.
- Ensured seamless handoff between sales, counselling, admissions, and destination teams to enhance operational efficiency.
- Oversee operational turnaround time, student satisfaction scores, and post-enrollment support.
- Monitor compliance with international education recruitment standards.
- Developed regional team for business growth.
- Recruit, train, and mentor business development managers, counsellors, and support staff.
- Establish high-performance culture with strong accountability frameworks.
- Conduct weekly performance reviews, pipeline reviews, and team coaching sessions.
- Enhanced brand visibility through outreach efforts.
- Represent Leverage Edu at education exhibitions, conferences, school tours, and media opportunities.
- Support marketing activities including content campaigns, webinars, and digital growth strategies.
- Oversee event planning such as international education fairs and recruitment drives.
- Gathered insights to inform product development.
- Provide market intelligence and student insights to global leadership.
- Recommend program offerings, scholarships, preferred destinations, and marketing themes based on Nigerian demand patterns.
- Governance, Reporting & Compliance
- Prepare competitive analysis reports, financial forecasts, and operational dashboards.
- Ensure GDPR-aligned student data handling, ethical recruitment practices, and policy compliance.
- Report progress, risks, and growth opportunities to regional/global leadership.
- Implemented technology solutions to improve processes.
- Drive CRM adoption and data integrity across teams.
- Identify automation opportunities to streamline the sales and admissions workflow.
- Work with tech/product teams to refine Nigeria-specific user experience.
- Fostered community engagement for customer success.
- Strengthened alumni relations to cultivate ambassador networks and establish referral ecosystems.
- Monitor feedback loops to improve service quality and student outcomes.
- Resolve escalations and ensure premium handling of VIP clients.
- Developed and executed regional business strategies to enhance market presence.
- Cultivated partnerships with educational institutions to expand service offerings.
Country/Regional Business Development Manager
4 Years 6 Months- Team Management and Training
- Manage and train a minimum of 15 counsellors for recruitment, admission placements, and visa applications across six major international destinations.
- Coordinate and train counsellors from over 500 feeder schools within the country and region.
- Provided regular updates to counsellors on programs, admissions, visa processing, scholarships, post-work pathways, and destination changes.
- Application and CRM Management
- Oversee the status of application pipelines, managing the life cycle of applications.
- Implement tagging practices and conversion strategies both physically and on CRM, ensuring efficiency and reporting weekly on progress.
- Agents Network and Relationship Building
- Sustained and nurtured relationships with over 700 approved agents in Nigeria and feeder schools, enhancing their networks nationwide and regionally.
- Established strong, long-term relationships that fostered a continuous pipeline of students.
- Event Management and Partnerships
- Lead local operations for event management, including training, partnerships, and education fairs
- Organise and execute both online and offline events such as webinars, seminars, and in-house university visits to promote AECC’s offerings
- Product Development and Management
- Collaborate with AECC Global's central management to develop and manage products and services available in AECC Nigeria
- Create a prioritised roadmap for product feature rollouts, focusing on the African and Nigerian markets
- Manage the entire product lifecycle, covering event management, feeder school networks, advertising, marketing, sales, and customer relations for both B2B and B2C levels
- Compliance and Strategy
- Ensure compliance with local legislation and regulatory requirements across the country
- Develop a country strategy and translate it into detailed operating plans to align with AECC’s objectives
- Market Research and Competitor Analysis
- Conduct market research to understand consumer behaviour and the competitive landscape
- Use insights from research to help refine strategies and optimise AECC’s presence in the local market
- Brand Positioning and Market Strategy
- Develop a strategy for brand positioning within the Nigerian and African markets
- Establish and maintain a feedback loop with HQ teams, translating market insights into actionable initiatives for cross-functional teams
- Hiring and Partnerships
- Hire and onboard local talent to support applications, partnerships, activations, and drive organic growth
- Coaching and Development
- Build and manage local coaching operations to support students and clients
- Public Relations and Government Relations
- Serve as the local face of the AECC Global brand
- Manage public relations and government relations in collaboration with the Communications and Legal teams/agencies
- Growth and Business Success
- Contribute directly to the growth and success of AECC Global in Nigeria and the broader African market by
- Developed strategic partnerships to expand market presence and drive revenue growth.
- Executed comprehensive market analysis to identify emerging trends and opportunities.
Snr Business Development Manager/Admission Placement Manager
2 Years 1 Month- Customer/Agent Relationship Management
- Managed relationships with over 2,000 agents/clients nationwide, enhancing customer experience throughout all stages of the customer lifecycle
- Counselling and Admissions Management
- Supervised the counselling, admissions, and visa application processes for over 398 students annually, ensuring smooth and efficient processing
- Worked with a dedicated team to ensure student placements were aligned with the institution's offerings
- Counsellor Training and Development
- Managed and facilitated training sessions for all resident school counsellors, ensuring they were well-equipped to handle student inquiries, admissions, and placements effectively
- Lead Generation and Event Management
- Organized and managed both online (via CRM) and physical events nationwide aimed at converting leads into enrolled students.
- Developed and nurtured new leads, facilitating smooth progression through the sales process to successful conversions, focusing on the Nigerian and African markets
- New Business Development Strategy
- Played a key role in developing and supporting new business development strategies, working closely with management to provide input on bid decisions
- Managed and tracked all bids to ensure timely and effective execution, contributing to the growth of the business
- CRM, SAAS, and LMS Implementation
- Coordinated with technical teams to support the sales and implementation of CRM, SAAS, and LMS products, ensuring that these platforms were optimised for capturing leads and facilitating smooth processes
- Contributed to the proposal process, data analysis, and reporting to inform business development strategies and operational decisions
- Business Relationship Management
- Managed a database of business partners, organising meetings, facilitating business relationships, and ensuring new business opportunities were tracked and pursued
- Collaboration with Faculty and Experts
- Fostered relationships with Regenesys faculty, technical specialists, subject-matter experts, and professional writers to contribute to the design and review of technical solutions, course offerings, and overall business development strategies
- Monitored compliance with client requirements for learning and development services.
- Ensured compliance with client requirements for learning and development needs across various sectors, maintaining high standards of service delivery
- Managed quality assurance processes to maintain high standards of service delivery for clients, ensuring their satisfaction and continuous partnership with Regenesys
- Market Research and Network Development
- Worked closely with the target market to deepen Regenesys’ network of potential clients, gaining a better understanding of client needs and tailoring services accordingly
- Conducted strategic market research, both short-term and long-term, to inform growth strategies and identify opportunities for business expansion
- Program Deployment & Achievement
- Ensured the successful deployment of all training programmes and management platforms, closely monitoring progress to ensure they were completed as planned
- Contributed to the enhancement of business development by supporting training initiatives that elevated the capacity and skills of staff and stakeholders
- Representation & Coordination
- Represented Regenesys Business School at relevant meetings, including country and regional coordination
- Developed strategic partnerships to enhance business growth and expand market presence.
- Identified emerging market trends to inform product development and marketing strategies.
Assistant Business Development Manager
4 Years 9 Months- Increased student satisfaction by streamlining the counseling and admissions process. Enhanced admissions outcomes by integrating student counseling with process innovations. Boosted enrollment rates through effective counseling and admissions management techniques.
- Supervised admissions counseling and visa application workflows, ensuring seamless support for over 700 students at colleges annually.
- Advised students and families on application procedures, enhancing their experience in navigating international education.
- Facilitated workshops aimed at empowering individuals to overcome personal obstacles. Mentored clients in identifying and pursuing their personal goals through tailored guidance. Led group counseling sessions to foster a supportive community environment for participants.
- Developed and implemented training initiatives for resident school counsellors, equipping them with essential skills to guide students through counselling and admissions.
- Achieved increased lead conversion rates through targeted outreach efforts. Delivered successful events by managing all aspects of planning and execution. Cultivated partnerships that elevated event attendance and engagement.
- Executed event organization and management strategies to convert leads through online channels and nationwide physical events.
- Developed and maintained relationships with prospective students and stakeholders to optimize the enrollment process and achieve high conversion rates.
- Achieved significant business expansion by identifying and pursuing new market opportunities. Secured new partnerships and client relationships through targeted business development initiatives. Drove market growth by strategically identifying and leveraging emerging business opportunities.
- Developed strategic initiatives to identify and capitalize on market opportunities, resulting in the closure of new business deals that enhance university partnerships and fulfill corporate objectives.
- Drove business development strategy by identifying growth opportunities and forging new partnerships.
- Assisted in developing effective sales and marketing plans. Supported teams in implementing promotional strategies. Contributed to enhancing customer engagement through targeted marketing efforts.
- Formulated and executed comprehensive sales and marketing strategies in partnership with agents, university partners, and the business operations manager.
- Spearheaded alignment of marketing initiatives with organizational strategic goals, focusing on high school sixth form and university enrollments at Chrisland.
- Managed online marketing campaigns, optimizing content and channels for maximum reach and effectiveness.
- Managed all digital marketing campaigns, utilising online and social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, Google).
- Implemented SEO strategies and used Google Analytics best practices to optimise campaign performance and track results.
- Developed and maintained lead generation tactics while overseeing sales funnel activities to drive revenue growth.
- Generated leads and managed the sales funnel process, overseeing the progression from lead generation through to successful conversion.
- Facilitated effective follow-up and timely responses to prospective clients, enhancing sales opportunities.
- Cultivated relationships with key stakeholders to align interests and goals.
- Cultivated and strengthened relationships with key stakeholders, including students, parents, educational agents, and university partners, to ensure alignment with organizational goals.
- Advocated for organizational interests during meetings and strategic discussions.
- Supervised customer service team to ensure high standards of service delivery.
- Supervised a team focused on customer service, ensuring the implementation of excellent service standards.
- Prioritised delivering a high-quality customer experience, addressing concerns promptly and maintaining positive relationships.
- Conducted market research to assess current conditions and identify trends.
- Conducted research and analysis on current market conditions, documenting the impact of these conditions in periodic reports.
- Evaluated industry trends to identify strategic opportunities for organizational growth.
- Coordinated offline marketing efforts, managing logistics for recruitment events.
- Managed offline marketing efforts, coordinating and organising events for the organisation.
- Liaised directly with clients and prospective students during events to facilitate recruitment and strengthen client relationships.
- Monitored marketing performance, analysing data to inform strategy adjustments.
- Monitored the progress of both online and offline marketing efforts, analysing campaign data to assess performance.
- Implemented findings to drive new client acquisition and increase sales revenue, ensuring that marketing initiatives aligned with organisational goals.
- Spearheaded strategic initiatives to enhance partnerships with educational institutions and organizations.
- Formulated and executed business development strategies to strengthen market presence.
- Developed strategic partnerships to enhance business growth and expand market reach.
- Analyzed market trends to identify new opportunities and inform business strategies.
Counsellor/Public Relations Officer/Marketing
3 Years 11 Months- Developed and successfully executed comprehensive marketing strategies that consistently met the annual sales target of 200 students for international education: generating over 800,000,000 naira annually
- Managed awareness and conversion stages of sales/application funnel process, enhancing student recruitment effectiveness
- Developed and successfully executed comprehensive marketing strategies that consistently met the annual sales target of 200 students for international education: generating over $200,000,000 annually as commissions from Universities globally
- Monitored competitor trends and researched industry developments to identify opportunities for expanding university partnerships
- Supported the marketing department in executing online and offline marketing campaigns in several locations, including West, East, South-South and North Central regions of the country
- Engaged media outlets and press for advertising placements and public relations activities, increasing visibility and outreach
- Developed marketing reports and implemented insights generated from sales activities and agents' feedback to improve marketing operations
- Executed sales and marketing for Bridge House College in locations Nationwide
- Generated leads, managed network of agents and the sales funnel process, boosting international student recruitment conversion rates for BHC
- Identified new market opportunities
- Compiled and analysed data from marketing operations, generating and implementing insights for expansion
- Developed and implemented strategic communication plans to enhance college visibility and community engagement.
- Cultivated relationships with media outlets, ensuring positive coverage of college events and initiatives.
Education
B.A. - International Relations and History
OND - Public Administration
Skills
Certified agent/counselor
Lead generation
CRM expertise
Digital Marketing
Event coordination
Account management
B2B and B2C specialist
Talent Acquisition Strategy
Operational Efficiency
Human resources
Administrative Skills
Brand awareness
Territory management
Certified Trained Agent/Counsellor
Sales presentations
Certification
- Refresher Counsellors Destination trainings for USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand March 2024
- Advanced Diploma in Human Resource Management April 2023
- Counsellors' Destination trainings for USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand Oct 2023
- Commercial Leadership Programme July 2019
- Leadership & Emotional Intelligence July 2019
- Finance for Non-Finance April 2019
- Change Management. Feb 2019
- New Manager Development Programme Nov 2018
- Digital marketing training with SDGC Ikeja, Lagos Aug 2014
- Counsellors’ Destination training for the USA, Canada, UK, Australia, New Zealand Sept 2014
- Project Management Training with NYSC, Abuja April 2012
LANGUAGES
Fluent in written and spoken English
Fluent in Igbo
Timeline
Regional Business Development Manager
Leverage Edu
08.2025 - CurrentRead More
Country/Regional Business Development Manager
AECC Global
01.2021 - 07.2025Read More
Snr Business Development Manager/Admission Placement Manager
Regenesys Business School
11.2018 - 12.2020Read More
Assistant Business Development Manager
Chrisland Educational Organisation
01.2014 - 10.2018Read More
Counsellor/Public Relations Officer/Marketing
Bridge House College, Ikoyi
01.2010 - 12.2013Read More
University of Nigeria
OND from Public Administration
Read More
University of Nigeria
B.A. from International Relations and History
Read More