Head of Sponsorships

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a Head of Sponsorships to lead the company's enterprise sponsorship strategy and oversee a portfolio of high-impact partnerships that strengthen brand reputation, deepen stakeholder engagement, and advance business objectives. This executive will define the future vision and operating model for sponsorships, driving a disciplined, portfolio-based approach focused on nationally scaled platforms with meaningful regional relevance. As a trusted advisor to the C-level business leaders and executives, the Head of Sponsorships will help guide investment decisions, evaluate emerging opportunities, and ensure sponsorship assets deliver measurable value across brand, client, community, and business outcomes. The role has end-to-end accountability for sponsorship strategy, partnership selection, activation, governance, measurement, and operations while leading the continued evolution of a best-in-class sponsorship function. Success in this role requires a leader who can balance innovation and brand ambition with operational rigor, business impact, and reputational stewardship across a complex enterprise.

Responsibilities

Enterprise Sponsorship Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

• Set and evolve Wells Fargo’s enterprise sponsorship strategy aligned to brand priorities, Line of Business objectives, and long‑term reputation goals

• Lead a disciplined, portfolio‑based approach focused on fewer, higher‑impact, nationally scaled partnerships with targeted regional relevance

• Evaluate partnerships against strategic fit, risk, return on investment, audience impact, and brand alignment across major national platforms

• Actively manage competitive dynamics while maintaining flexibility for future opportunities.

Activation, Experience & Measurement

• Ensure sponsorships are activated with excellence across owned, earned, paid, and experiential.

• Oversee hospitality, and experiential programs with clear business purpose and disciplined use.

• Establish and track KPIs covering brand impact, engagement quality, stakeholder value, line of business outcomes.

• Lead sponsorship agency relationship and scope, evolve to support lines of business.

Executive & Stakeholder Leadership

• Advise CEO and senior leadership on sponsorship strategy, tradeoffs, and investment decisions.

• Lead sponsorship content for CEO Business Updates and Operating Committee reviews.

• Partner with Lines of Business, Marketing, and Corporate Affairs to maximize enterprise value.

Team, Culture & Capability Building

• Lead and develop a sponsorship organization across strategy, partnerships, operations, and activation.

• Ensure clear accountability between strategic leadership and execution.

• Build sponsorship capabilities, strengthening talent, processes, and cross‑functional collaboration.

Operating Model, RAU & Governance

• Re-engineer the operating model for sponsorships to support the enterprise in a Center of Excellence role

• Own the end-to-end operating cadence (run as usual, planning cycles, prioritization), in partnership with Operations

• Ensure compliance is embedded; strengthen audit readiness and execution discipline

Experience & Qualifications

Required

• 10+ years of progressive leadership experience in sponsorships, brand partnerships, experiential marketing—preferably within financial services or other complex enterprise.

• 6+ years of management experience

Preferred

• Experience managing sports, cultural, and thought‑leadership platforms simultaneously within a portfolio framework.

• Proven experience leading largescale, high‑value sponsorship portfolios with multi‑year financial commitments.

• Demonstrated success operating at the C‑suite and board‑adjacent level, influencing senior executives and navigating enterprise decision‑making.

• Deep expertise in partnership negotiation, governance models, activation strategy, and ROI measurement.

• Strong cross‑functional leadership across Marketing, Risk, L&C, etc.

• Demonstrated ability to balance brand ambition with reputational risk.

• Executive presence with the ability to translate complexity into strategic recommendations.

• Bachelor’s degree required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

Leadership Profile

• Strategic and disciplined, not transactional