Business Development Managers and Directors

The business development profession is still new and evolving. It is only in the past decade or so that more companies have business development managers and directors on staff. In years prior, jobs that may have had similar responsibilities to those of business development managers and directors include account managers, sales executives, and operations managers. Successful business executives know that they must constantly search for new business opportunities—from finding new markets for their products or services and new partners to work with for mutually beneficial outcomes, to finding new strategies (e.g., mergers, acquisitions, divestitures, etc.) that will help their company to grow and earn higher revenues. At a small company, the founder typically handles these duties. But at larger companies, a need has gradually emerged for dedicated business development professionals to handle these duties. The National Business Development Association was founded in 2013 to represent the interests of business development professionals.