Appointing a Chief Sales Officer to support SBC’s global expansion

3Search Executive partnered with SBC, a global B2B events business operating across gaming and sports betting, to support a series of senior leadership appointments as the organisation prepared for international growth. 

Most recently, this included the appointment of a Chief Sales Officer (CSO) - a pivotal hire to scale and professionalise the company’s global commercial function. 

Appointing a Chief Sales Officer to support SBC’s global expansion

About SBC

SBC is a global operator of B2B events across the gaming and sports betting sectors, with recent expansion into consumer entertainment and live experiences. Alongside flagship industry conferences, the business has diversified into new formats, including Legends, a charity football event featuring international all-stars, and Infinity, a global music brand hosting world-renowned DJs. 

As the business prepared for significant international expansion, strengthening its commercial leadership became a strategic priority. 

Challenge: Transitioning to a scalable global sales organisation

Historically, SBC’s sales success had been closely tied to the Founder and CEO’s personal relationships and direct involvement. 

To support the next phase of growth, the business needed to appoint a Chief Sales Officer who could: 

  • Lead and develop a 14-person international sales team 
  • Establish a more structured, scalable global sales model 
  • Enable the CEO to transition away from day-to-day sales operations and focus on strategic priorities

This was a highly critical and high-impact appointment, requiring a leader with both transformation experience and the ability to operate effectively within an entrepreneurial, founder-led environment. 

Solution: A retained search focused on transformation leadership

3Search Executive’s Dominc Warman, delivered a retained search process, working in close partnership with SBC’s senior leadership team to shape the brief and define success criteria. 

The approach included: 

  • Detailed discovery and stakeholder alignment, ensuring clarity on role scope and leadership requirements 
  • Comprehensive market mapping, identifying over 150 senior commercial leaders across relevant and adjacent sectors 
  • Targeted engagement, resulting in conversations with over 80 qualified candidates 
  • Structured shortlisting, narrowing the process to a high-calibre final group

Throughout the search, we maintained regular steering sessions and provided full transparency on progress, alongside ongoing advice on benchmarking, role positioning, and candidate profile refinement. 

Outcome: Securing a high-impact commercial leader

SBC appointed Miles Lewis as Chief Sales Officer, bringing extensive experience in leading and scaling international sales teams. 

The appointment has: 

  • Strengthened day-to-day commercial leadership across the business 
  • Enabled the CEO to focus on strategic growth initiatives 
  • Created the structure needed to scale a more unified global sales operation

This hire represents a key milestone in SBC’s evolution, positioning the business for sustained international growth. Following this success, we have since supported their search for a Digital Marketing Director. 

Jonathan Max, Director of People and Organisational Development
Working with Dom Warman and 3Search Executive on this appointment was a really great experience. From the outset, they brought structure, insight, and real partnership to the process. The weekly steering meetings were invaluable, giving us clear visibility of progress and the chance to keep the search aligned with our business needs. The live market map was a particularly powerful tool, allowing us to see the breadth and depth of the search in real time. What stood out most was the level of care taken to understand not only the technical requirements of the role, but also the culture and personality fit we needed in a Chief Sales Officer. Thanks to this process, we had total confidence in the outcome and are delighted to have Miles Lewis join our leadership team.

Candidate Thought Count: 1

Hear from our successful candidates...

I had the pleasure of working with Dom at 3Search when he approached me about a Chief Sales Officer opportunity. From the very first conversation, I was impressed by the exceptional level of service, support, and insight he provided. Dom did not just match me to a role on paper; he took the time to really understand my strengths and potential. He prepared me thoroughly, gave clear feedback, and was always available to discuss the finer details. His commitment and personal investment in my success made a huge difference and ultimately helped me secure the role. I cannot recommend Dom and 3Search highly enough. He provides a genuinely first-class service and goes above and beyond to deliver results.
Miles Lewis, CSO

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