Interview with Jonathan Pepper, Director of Partnerships: “I do what I love – build genuine connections”

In his latest industry leaders‘ interview, Patrick sat down with Jonathan Pepper: Director of Partnerships – EMEA & APAC at ContractPodAi. 

ContractPodAi “transforms legal departments into generative AI powerhouses” by fuelling legal use cases, contract lifecycle management and legal intake. 

Jonathan is a results-driven and seasoned partnerships professional with a track record of driving business growth through innovative partnership strategies. 

His career spans diverse regions – including EMEA and North America – and his expertise lies in creating and managing high-impact partnerships that result in significant revenue generation and market expansion. 

Can you tell us about your role as a Partnerships Director? 

My roles and responsibilities include partnership strategy, partner acquisition and partner maintenance/management. I love being involved with partners directly and this approach has been a great fit for the ContractPodAi team. The role is also highly collaborative internally by building strong relationships to deliver success. 

Can you tell us about your career to date? 

I made a life-changing decision during this time to move to London in 2019, which was instrumental in my career growth to date. 

I come from a background of sales, commercial pricing and partnerships. I started my career in South Africa with a very customer-centric focus, working with clients in the Middle East and EMEA to uncover hidden savings from their travel programmes. I made a life-changing decision during this time to move to London in 2019, which was instrumental in my career growth to date.  

Just before the pandemic, I took an opportunity as a Commercial Pricing Analyst at LGC – one of the global market-leading Life Science organisations – to broaden my commercial experience and acumen. I worked with some of the smartest people I have met and absorbed as much as possible from them during my time there.  

I found myself at a bit of a cross-roads at that point. I was going through quite a difficult time in my personal life which was compounded by feeling unfulfilled with the work I was doing.  

I decided to make a change and applied to roles with a focus on relationship-building, one of the areas I found I was passionate about and had a real strength in. An organisation I had worked for within the tax industry heard I was looking for a new role and was adamant on me re-joining in a new capacity as a Partnerships Manager. 

This is truly what gave me the platform for growth as I was given the opportunity to work closely with leadership across the organisation (including the CEO) to help drive the partnerships strategy. Our Head of Partnerships also gave me the opportunity to grow into a Strategic Partnerships Manager, looking after partners with the largest commercial and growth potential. 

During my time in this role, I drove global enablement programmes, new integrations, partner network expansion and ultimately achieved partner-sourced revenue growth of 600%. This paved the way for me to become Head of Partnerships.  

I then once again found myself in a position where I was hungry for growth and considering a new industry for further learning and career development. 

Patrick from Carter Murray team was one of the most important relationships I formed while searching for my new opportunity. 

I was adamant on finding a partner-first organisation and took my time to research the type of organisations that excited me. It was a difficult job market, so meeting Patrick from Carter Murray team was one of the most important relationships I formed while searching for my new opportunity. 

Patrick always led with transparency and he shared my excitement for the opportunity to join ContractPodAi as Director of Partnerships. I took on the role in July and can’t wait to drive success in the partnerships programme. 

What attracted you to working in partnerships? 

Working in partnerships was a way for me to do what I love – build genuine connections with people around the world.

I have a real and genuine interest in building relationships with people. It is something I do in and outside of work environments. Working in partnerships was a way for me to do what I love – build genuine connections with people around the world – while driving growth, which are two areas I am passionate about. 

What do you enjoy most about working as a Partnerships Director? 

No single day is the same and I enjoy tackling each day with excitement.

I enjoy the wide range of activities that go into my day to day – from discussing strategy to jumping on partner demos to presenting to partners and inviting them to collaborate with our team. No single day is the same and I enjoy tackling each day with excitement for what is to come. 

What skills does a Partnerships Director need to succeed? 

Strong interpersonal and communication skills are two of the most important skills needed for success. Commercial acumen is required as the impact of any activity or partnership on revenue must always be top of mind. Strategic thinking and technical expertise are also required to understand how to drive effective and high-performing partnerships.

How do you stay updated on industry trends and changes? 

There are a range of different resources out there that can keep you on top of the industry trends and changes. GenAi is such a rapidly evolving landscape and it is imperative to build connections with other professionals working with different GenAi products to learn from them and their experiences. 

From a partnership’s perspective, joining the Partnership Leaders member group has been vital as I continue to grow my partnership expertise. These are professionals with a wide variety of skills and experiences to learn from, which was an instrumental part of me landing my current role. 

What advice do you have for those trying to get ahead in the industry? 

If you put in the effort here you will soon see the results. 

I highly recommend connecting with partnership professionals through networking events or social networks such as LinkedIn. Communities like Partnership Leaders are a great forum for meeting such professionals, learning from them and forming strong relationships in the industry. 

The more relationships you build, the more likely you will be to get ahead in the industry as there is a wealth of knowledge to be shared by leaders in this space. It does however require a proactive approach, but if you put in the effort here you will soon see the results. 

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