The BD Career Path

What is Business Development?

Where did Business Developers come from?

BD is relatively new compared to Marketing and Sales.

25 January 1923: San Francisco Stock Exchange hires first-ever Director of Business Development.

[Records show Director of Sales and Marketing jobs as early as the mid-1800s]

1980s and 1990s: Director of BD jobs grew rapidly and the Business Development Representative (BDR) role appeared.

10 May 1997: First-ever Chief Growth Officer (CGO) hired in Calgary, Canada.

Proof Points:

-January 2022, LinkedIn reported BDR role as 6th fastest growing job in US.

-November 2020, LinkedIn reported that the Chief Growth Officer title was the second fastest growing C-Suite title with 46% growth.

-February 2021 LinkedIn found, CGO – rivaling the Chief Marketing Officer in recent years, the role of CGO increased by 37%.

The BD profession now has a clear path, from the entry level BDR to CGO.

So, I created the Business Development Professional Pyramid that shows responsibilities and authority for each role.

Authority = power to influence
Responsibility = accountability

What do you think?

Tony Gray, BDP


-------------------
Learn more in the “Business Development Body of Knowledge (BD-BOK).”

Get your copy of the BD-BOK on Amazon today!

--------------
Boost your BD career with the Business Development Professional (BDP) certification from the Global Business Development Association (GBDA).

Subscribe to CGO Magazine, our free monthly newsletter.