It is quite rare to meet two people who have followed the same career path. Very often we do not follow a predefined career plan, and we take shortcuts, detours, or even complete 360-degree turns. Here is a presentation of a “typical” career path for a commercial professional in an agency. Discover commercial careers in agencies.
Step 1 – Account Executive (formerly Account Director)
The Account Executive represents the operational side. They coordinate the project from start to finish on the ground. They serve as the link between the client (advertiser) and the creative teams. Their role is essential, as they must understand the client’s expectations and transform the brief into strategy. They decide the overall direction of the campaign and provide the necessary context to the creatives so they can propose solutions (outdoor advertising, TV commercials, etc.). They then submit the creative team’s ideas and defend them in front of the client. They are also responsible for negotiating budgets with the advertiser upstream.
Step 2 – Account Director
In some agencies, commercial professionals may become Account Managers before becoming Account Directors. With this position, the commercial professional takes on an additional management role. At this stage, the person must be autonomous with respect to their clients and may be required to manage several account executives or account managers. Their role is also entrepreneurial: they must manage and retain a client portfolio and may even, in some agencies, participate in new business development.
Step 3 – Consulting Director
Logically, the Consulting Director holds the same position as the Account Director, but with even greater responsibility. Depending on the agency structure, they may manage a division (food, lifestyle, etc.) or at least manage a larger portfolio, overseeing several Account Directors and therefore their budgets indirectly. Generally speaking, the position involves much more management and responsibility.
Step 4 – Commercial Director
The Commercial Director is part of the company’s management team. They are responsible for overall commercial strategy. Their role is to grow the business (client portfolio development, process structuring, etc.). They may have direct clients in some agencies, but this is no longer their primary role. Mostly, the Commercial Director is there to oversee activities, but they are above all its main driving force.
If they wish, the Commercial Director can take a more active role in the company’s management by becoming Deputy General Manager, then General Manager. However, this profile is especially suited to people who prefer not to be directly involved with clients.