Head of Corporate Development

The Head of Corporate Development owns the growth agenda. The question the seat answers is not "can we do this deal" but "what should this group own in five years, and what is the sequence to get there". Everything else — pipeline, partnerships, divestments, entry strategy — is downstream of that.

It is a small-team leadership role, typically two to six professionals, with disproportionate exposure to the CEO, CFO and board. Much of the value is created before any transaction exists: framing the portfolio, setting hurdles, and killing opportunities early enough that the organisation does not waste months on them.

In Singapore the role is most often found in listed groups, conglomerates and investment holding companies running regional expansion, where partnerships and minority stakes are as important as outright acquisitions.

Where this sits: the senior-manager rung of the Corporate Finance pathway, above Corporate Development Manager and feeding Head of Corporate Finance. The nearest equivalent seats elsewhere are Head of FP&A and Financial Controller.

• Own the group growth agenda: the portfolio thesis, the target map and the sequencing of moves.
• Govern the pipeline — hurdles, stage gates and the discipline to stop opportunities early.
• Advise on capital allocation alongside the CFO, including build, buy, partner and exit trade-offs.
• Lead the most strategically sensitive negotiations, including joint ventures and anchor partnerships.
• Present the growth agenda and individual investment cases to the board and strategy committee.
• Oversee execution quality on transactions led by the team or by corporate finance colleagues.
• Run periodic portfolio reviews and recommend divestments where the strategic fit has gone.
• Build and develop the team, and set the analytical and paper standards it works to.

• A degree in finance, economics, business or accountancy; MBA or CFA common and often expected.
• Ten to fifteen years across corporate development, corporate finance, strategy consulting or private equity.
• A track record of completed transactions and, equally, of opportunities correctly declined.
• Demonstrated board-level communication and influence with a CEO and CFO.
• Regional experience across Southeast Asia, including partnerships and minority governance.
• People leadership experience, including hiring and developing analysts and managers.

• Open with a portfolio view. Show how you decided where a group should and should not grow.
• Quantify discipline. Screens run, opportunities stopped and the time saved matter as much as completions.
• Bring a partnership. Joint ventures test governance thinking more than acquisitions do.
• Show post-deal accountability. Explain how a completed case actually performed and what you learned.
• Ask about the board's appetite. Growth ambition without capital or governance support defines the ceiling.