Events & Sponsorship Manager

Events & Sponsorship Manager
Leeds, Manchester or London (Hybrid)
Permanent | Full-time | Competitive salary + generous bonus
Shape how our brand shows up in the market!
At Markel, we believe marketing is about connection, confidence and creating moments that matter. Our events, sponsorships and hospitality programmes play a vital role in how we build relationships with brokers, partners and clients across the UK, and we’re now looking for an Events & Sponsorship Manager to lead this work end to end.
This is a high-profile delivery role with real ownership. You’ll take the lead on some of our most important UK events and sponsorships, work closely with senior partners, and help evolve our approach towards smarter, more data-driven decision making.
If you’re an experienced events professional ready to step into a broader, more strategic role, this is your opportunity.

The opportunity:

Reporting to the Head of Marketing Services, you’ll sit within the execution heart of UK Marketing. You’ll be responsible for the planning, delivery and evaluation of our events, sponsorship and hospitality programme, shaping how Markel engages the market across live, virtual and hybrid channels.

While events remain the core focus, the role has growing exposure to sponsorship activation, hospitality and performance measurement, making this a great role for someone who wants to broaden their skills and influence.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading the end-to-end delivery of UK marketing events, sponsorships and hospitality, from concept through to on-the-day delivery and post-event evaluation

• Delivering high-impact experiences that bring the Markel brand to life and support broker engagement and campaign outcomes

• Owning flagship programmes such as BIBA, Broker Expo, Goodwood and the Markel Third Sector Awards

• Activating sponsorships creatively and effectively, maximising visibility, engagement and return on investment

• Partnering closely with Marketing Business Partners, senior leaders and regional partners to ensure activity is aligned, well-governed and commercially focused

• Managing budgets, suppliers, venues and agencies, ensuring consistently high-quality delivery

• Taking a data-led approach, tracking performance, measuring ROI, capturing insight and using it to inform future decisions

• Supporting internal events, office launches and award programmes when required

• Finding opportunities to improve efficiency and effectiveness through tools such as CRM, reporting platforms and AI-enabled solutions

What you’ll bring:

Essential

• Proven experience delivering events end to end (B2B experience preferred)

• Strong project management skills, with the ability to juggle multiple workstreams and deadlines

• Confidence working with senior partners and taking ownership in live environments

• Experience managing suppliers, logistics and budgets

• A calm, organised and detail-focused approach, even under pressure

• Clear communication skills—written, verbal and in-person

Desirable

• Experience in sponsorship activation or hospitality programmes

• Agency events background

• Experience in regulated, B2B or financial services environments

• Familiarity with tools such as HubSpot, Dynamics, Power BI or Copilot (not essential, we value curiosity and learning agility)

Why this role stands out:

• Real ownership of major national events and sponsorships

• High visibility and exposure to senior leaders across the UK business

• A varied, fast-paced role with room to shape how the function evolves

• Opportunity to grow your career into sponsorship strategy and data-led marketing

• Supportive, collaborative marketing team with strong values and ambition

What’s in it for you:

• Competitive salary plus generous annual bonus

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (with buy/sell options)

• Strong pension, private medical & dental cover, life assurance, income protection and more

• Hybrid working (3 days office / 2 days home) with flexibility around major events

• Ongoing development, learning and career progression opportunities

About Markel:

Markel is a Fortune 500 company operating in over 20 countries, built on a people-first culture and long-term thinking. We believe strong relationships, integrity and curiosity are key to achieving great things—together.

We’re proud to be an inclusive employer and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. Flexible working options are available, and we’re happy to make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

Ready to play your part?

Apply now and help shape the experiences that define how Markel connects with the market.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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