Bianca Balagosa Espada
Sales, Business Development, & Commercial Strategy
Makati
Summary
Business Development & Commercial Leader with 8+ years of experience driving B2B growth across the Philippines, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Demonstrated success in go-to-market strategy, sales pipeline development, and building strategic partnerships. Skilled in full-cycle sales — from lead generation to closing — across industries including EV mobility, SaaS, property tech, recruitment, and travel tech. Experienced in both hunter (new business acquisition) and farmer (account growth) roles. Adept at aligning sales with product and operations, leveraging CRM platforms, sales analytics, and customer insights to deliver performance. Thrives in startup and scale-up environments, navigating fast-paced, high-growth objectives with agility and impact.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
2
2
Certifications
4
4
Languages
Work History
Commercial and Growth Manager, Founding Team
AP Electric Mobility Inc., AboitizPower
07.2024 - Current
- Directly working with the founder for commercial strategies.
- Led market entry and B2B growth for a first-of-its-kind electric mobility solution in the country, driving pilot deal acquisition, and building early commercial traction.
- Defined and executed ICP strategies with a focus on logistics, eCommerce, and ride-hailing sectors to maximize adoption potential.
- Managed the full sales cycle, from prospecting and pitching to closing pilot agreements, establishing strong proof points for broader market rollout.
- Built a sales funnel framework, aligning closely with product, data, and operations teams to ensure seamless pilot execution and customer satisfaction.
- Oversaw EV infrastructure site selection and acquisition, enabling the initial build-out of the battery-swapping network at its most competitive commercial setup.
- Forged strategic partnerships with key logistics and industry associations to strengthen market presence and ecosystem collaboration.
- Handling the marketing messaging of the venture by providing guidance to the marketing team to roll out initiatives.
Venture Lead, Business Development (Contract)
917Ventures, Globe Group – SaaS Venture
02.2024 - 07.2024
- Scaled an early-stage SaaS product by driving business development initiatives across the BPO, startup, and retail sectors.
- Owned the outbound sales cycle end-to-end—from prospecting and pitching to deal closure—averaging 20 outbound calls per day and four booked pitch meetings per week.
- Mentored and upskilled a team of three BD specialists, designing sales trainings, developing call scripts, and running A/B testing to improve conversion rates.
- Represented the company at industry events, securing strategic alliances, and generating partnership opportunities to expand market reach.
Senior Business Development – EU Chain Brands
Agoda International
02.2023 - 01.2024
- Managed a quarterly portfolio of 200–300 key hotel chain partners across Europe, driving revenue growth, and strengthening strategic relationships.
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of city- and country-level market conditions and trends to tailor strategies for each account.
- Leveraged Tableau and Metabase to generate data-driven insights, optimize performance, and inform decision-making.
- Led quarterly business reviews with C-level executives, general managers, revenue managers, and sales/marketing directors, preparing customized presentation decks and actionable recommendations.
- Pitched and secured the adoption of new products, driving cross-sell and upsell opportunities.
- Successfully re-engaged dormant partners, reopening direct inventory distribution across multiple channels.
- Monitored and optimized the sales pipeline using HubSpot and Twilio, ensuring consistent partner engagement at every touchpoint.
- Resolved escalated partner concerns efficiently through Zendesk, maintaining high satisfaction levels.
- Trained and mentored new team members, equipping them with product knowledge and effective sales scripts to accelerate ramp-up.
Business Development – EMEA Direct Supply
Agoda International
09.2021 - 02.2023
- Engaged independent and chain hotels across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, primarily through phone and email outreach, to drive partner acquisition and retention.
- Analyzed historical performance data and market trends using Tableau and communicated tailored insights during partner conversations.
- Pitched and closed high-volume deals on commission-based and discount-based products, consistently achieving strong conversion rates.
- Trained hotel partners on maximizing the platform’s extranet tools for operational efficiency and revenue optimization.
- Consistently exceeded bi-weekly and quarterly sales targets across the EMEA region since 2021.
- Recognized for outstanding performance with multiple awards:
Top Wins in Agoda Programs – EMEA (Q2 & Q3 2022)
Most Overall Won Deals – EMEA (Q2 2022)
Strategic Acquisitions Manager, Brokerage Sales
Lamudi Philippines
03.2021 - 09.2021
- Reported directly to the Director of Broker Sales, providing strategic support in scaling nationwide broker partnerships.
- Spearheaded a new project targeting high-revenue B2B real estate brokerages and in-house developer teams, introducing a new pricing matrix and product customization to drive adoption.
- Researched and identified new client segments across the Philippines, expanding the company’s market coverage.
- Managed the end-to-end sales cycle: lead generation, cold calling, appointment setting, pitching, negotiating, contract preparation, and deal closure.
- Collaborated with the marketing and finance teams to ensure seamless processing and fulfillment of contracts.
Partner Acquisition & Business Development Executive
Lamudi Philippines
05.2019 - 03.2021
- Acquired individual and group real estate brokers and agents to subscribe to the company’s advertising services through face-to-face presentations and telesales.
- Conducted monthly field presentations (a minimum of 5 sessions) with audiences ranging from 5 to 100 participants.
- Identified 40+ target clients daily through structured inside sales processes, and executed 80+ cold-calling touchpoints per day.
- Tracked and monitored the sales pipeline, product activations, and deal progress using Salesforce.
- Handled weekly escalation calls from Business Development Associates, overcoming objections, and closing deals.
- Trained associates on effective pitching and negotiation scripts, improving team performance and closing ratios.
- Consistently exceeded sales quotas by 90%–150% (pre-pandemic).
- Recognized with multiple awards and responsibilities: Doer of the Month – 6x (2019–2021), Go-to Partner of the Learning & Development Team for training facilitation, Go-to Acquisition Lead for winning clients across the Visayas and Mindanao regions.
Education
BA - Psychology & Sociology
University of The Philippines Visayas
06-2017
Skills
Outbound and Inbound Sales
Customer Relationship Management
Lead Generation and Research
Cold Calling
Presentation and Public Speaking
Negotiations
Client onboarding
Upselling and Cross-selling
Account Acquisition and Management
Account Performance Analysis
Recruitment
Stakeholder Management
Qualitative analysis
Customer Insighting
Certification
Civil Service Commission, Professional Level | Philippines | Eligible since 2017-04
Timeline
Commercial and Growth Manager, Founding Team
AP Electric Mobility Inc., AboitizPower
07.2024 - Current
Venture Lead, Business Development (Contract)
917Ventures, Globe Group – SaaS Venture
02.2024 - 07.2024
Senior Business Development – EU Chain Brands
Agoda International
02.2023 - 01.2024
Business Development – EMEA Direct Supply
Agoda International
09.2021 - 02.2023
Strategic Acquisitions Manager, Brokerage Sales
Lamudi Philippines
03.2021 - 09.2021
Partner Acquisition & Business Development Executive
Lamudi Philippines
05.2019 - 03.2021
BA - Psychology & Sociology
University of The Philippines Visayas