Dr. Barbara Sturm, VIC Director (Fixed- Term Contract)

Dr. Barbara Sturm is looking for an exceptional client experience leader to step into the maternity cover role of Very Important Client Experience Director. This is an opportunity to own Privé, one of the brand's strategically important functions. 

The role sits at the intersection of client relations, commercial growth, and brand expression. You will be responsible for deepening relationships with our most influential clients, driving acquisition into the invite-only Privé membership, and growing the global Privé revenue year-on-year. You will lead a small team of two direct reports and will report into the Global Marketing and Communications Director. 

This is a fixed- term contract for up to 12 months.

Privé Membership – Acquisition & Retention

• Drive targeted acquisition of new members into the invite-only DBS Privé programme, identifying and unlocking new pockets of wealth across key markets.
• Own the full Privé client lifecycle, from prospecting and onboarding through to long-term retention, overseeing customer service resolution and ensuring every touchpoint reflects brand excellence.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with VIC clients and market partners, acting as the trusted face of the programme.
• Identify commercially attractive opportunities to grow incremental revenue beyond existing member spend.

Client Journey & CRM

• Oversee the end-to-end Privé client journey, ensuring consistency, personalisation and excellence at every touchpoint.
• Lead the CRM communications strategy for the VIC segment, curating relevant, timely and elevated written and digital messaging that drives engagement and loyalty.
• Own the data: analyse client behaviour, purchase patterns and engagement metrics to identify high-value prospects, inform segmentation strategies and measure programme impact against commercial KPIs.
• Work closely with the CRM team to ensure VIC data is captured, maintained and actioned effectively, and with the Ecommerce team to align online client journeys with the wider Privé experience.
• Collaborate with the Spa team to integrate treatment and wellness touchpoints into the VIC client journey, delivering a fully holistic brand experience.

Events & Activations

• Conceptualise, curate and execute high-impact events and activations to drive ongoing client engagement globally, working particularly closely with key market teams.
• Personally host and attend client events, dinners and brand moments, sometimes alongside the Founder, acting as a polished and confident brand representative.
• Ensure all client-facing experiences are meticulously produced and unmistakably on-brand, setting the tone for how DBS is perceived.
• Own the programme budget, managing spend across events, gifting and partnerships with rigour and accountability, and reporting on ROI against both relationship-building and commercial KPIs.

Brand Partnerships

• Identify, develop and manage brand partnerships that add value to the Privé proposition and open doors to new affluent audiences.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure partnerships are aligned with the brand's luxury positioning and commercial goals.

Commercial & Team Leadership

• Proactively seek and seize incremental revenue opportunities.
• Partner closely with the Business Development team to align Privé strategy with the commercial pipeline, sharing client intelligence and co-creating opportunities for revenue growth.
• Lead, mentor and develop two direct reports (Head of/Senior Manager and Executive), fostering a high-performance team culture.
• Report to the SVP of Marketing, providing regular, data-led updates on programme performance, client insights, budget tracking and commercial pipeline.

–    Demonstrable experience in a senior VIC, client experience or private client role within luxury beauty, fashion, wellness or lifestyle. 

–    Experience and ease with nurturing relationships with UHNWI clientele. 

–    Experience designing and executing luxury events and activations from concept through to delivery, with the confidence and polish to personally host and represent the brand in high-profile settings. 

–    Commercially minded, with the ability to translate client relationships into measurable revenue outcomes and manage programme budgets with precision. 

–    Data-literate and analytically confident- able to interpret CRM data, client metrics and performance reporting to inform strategy and drive decisions. 

–    Exceptional written and oral communication skills, equally at ease crafting a bespoke client communication or presenting to senior stakeholders. 

–    Willing and able to travel and to attend evening and weekend events when required.

–    Collaborative by nature, with experience working cross-functionally with teams such as CRM, Ecommerce, Business Development, Operations, Spa and Retail. 

–    Experience managing and developing junior team members. 

–    Comfortable working in a global role, with a particular focus on the US.

–    A genuine curiosity about science, skincare innovation and anti-inflammatory living- someone who is personally invested in the DBS philosophy and can speak to it authentically with clients. 

–    Existing relationships with premium lifestyle brands suitable for partnership. 

–    Familiarity with private membership programmes or club-style client propositions.