I’m Zain Awan, a commercial leader with over 15 years of experience helping businesses grow, scale and compete in markets around the world. My career has taken me across the UK, USA, Europe, South East Asia and Australia, working with companies of all sizes, from ambitious startups to established enterprises, and the common thread through all of it has been the same: building the right teams, opening the right doors and creating the strategies that turn ambition into results.

I didn’t start out with a grand plan. I started in advertising sales at ITV, Britain’s largest commercial broadcaster, where I learned the fundamentals of selling, storytelling and understanding what makes an audience tick. I moved to STV, where I developed campaigns across television and digital platforms for a wide range of brands, and it was during those early years that I found my footing. I realised I wasn’t just good at selling. I was good at seeing the bigger picture, understanding how all the moving parts of a commercial operation fit together and figuring out where the real opportunities were hiding.

That instinct took me agency-side to All Response Media, where I helped brands across the UK sharpen their media strategies and get more from their investments. It was a great grounding in the discipline of making every pound work harder, something that still sits at the heart of how I approach commercial strategy today.

From there, my career started to take on a more international shape. At Letbwise, a local estate and lettings agency in Scotland, I led sales and marketing initiatives that secured key contracts with the Scottish Government and raised the agency’s profile in a crowded market. It was my first real taste of taking something local and making it punch well above its weight, and it lit a fire in me.

That fire led me to Zivelo, where things shifted to a truly global scale. As Global Senior Sales Director, I led a commercial organisation of over 100 people across four continents. I drove a 300% revenue increase, secured multi-million-pound contracts in QSR, healthcare, retail and banking, and helped position the company as a premium provider of self-service kiosks and digital signage. It was a role that tested every skill I had and taught me a few I didn’t know I needed. Leading teams across different time zones, cultures and markets forces you to think differently, communicate more clearly and trust the people around you.

I took that international experience to Big Mobile, where I spearheaded market entry across Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia. Introducing their AI-driven Buddy platform to regional agency networks and enterprises meant tailoring go-to-market strategies to fit vastly different regulatory and commercial landscapes. I built an account management team from scratch, drove demand generation campaigns across media, automotive and healthcare verticals, and forged the strategic partnerships that positioned the platform in a fiercely competitive ecosystem. South East Asia taught me that no two markets are the same, and the businesses that succeed internationally are the ones willing to listen and adapt.

At Huboo, a fulfilment and logistics company on a rapid growth trajectory, I built the enterprise sales function to support their strategic expansion across Europe. I introduced MEDDIC frameworks, enhanced CRM and marketing automation systems, and worked closely with product and operations teams to align commercial strategy with what was actually deliverable. It was a masterclass in scaling a commercial function inside a fast-moving business without losing sight of quality.

I then took on the role of Global Client Director at Insyt Agency, directing international commercial operations across the USA, EMEA and APAC. Managing high-value enterprise accounts at that level required a blend of strategic thinking, relationship management and operational rigour. I restructured account practices to improve retention and upsell rates, led cross-border contract negotiations and built a team that consistently delivered measurable results for global brands.

Along the way, I worked with The Drum on a short-term basis, supporting their go-to-market strategy by developing strategic partnerships across events, digital marketing and offline media. It was a brief but rewarding engagement that reinforced my belief in the power of the right partnerships to unlock commercial value.

Most recently, I served as Commercial Director at Aston Shaw, an established accountancy firm in Norwich. It was a different kind of challenge, one that called for transformation rather than expansion. I led a full brand overhaul, revitalised the firm’s go-to-market strategy and launched a strategic partnerships division and an outsourced go-to-market model to expand reach and modernise service delivery. Taking the commercial principles I’d honed in tech, media and logistics and applying them to professional services was incredibly rewarding, and proof that good commercial thinking translates across industries.

Outside of my day-to-day commercial work, mentoring is something I care deeply about. I’ve been an active mentor through both the Chartered Institute of Marketing and MET Mentoring, working with marketing graduates and junior professionals to help them prepare for successful careers. That means practical support: CV reviews, interview coaching, soft skills development and honest conversations about what it really takes to build a career in this industry. I know how much difference the right guidance at the right time can make, because I’ve seen it firsthand. Watching someone land their first role or step up into a position they didn’t think they were ready for is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

At my core, I’m someone who thrives on building things. Whether it’s a sales team, a market entry strategy, a partnerships programme or someone’s confidence in their own ability, I’m at my best when I’m helping something grow. I bring energy, honesty and a bias towards action to everything I do, and I believe that the best results come from combining sharp strategy with genuine human connection.