Meet the Team: Q&A with Jamie Hutchings, Jigsaw’s Business Development Manager
By Sarah Rutter
Have you ever wondered what a Business Development Manager at Jigsaw does? Then you’re in luck! In this week’s meet the team Q&A we sat down with Jamie Hutchings to talk all things Biz-Dev.
Tell us a bit about yourself…
I love socialising and going for food and drinks with my friends – I’m happiest when I’m surrounded by people and chatting to everyone. I’m a really sporty person, so outside of work I’m always playing some kind of sport, whether it be rugby union, tag rugby, cricket or golf… I’m always doing something.
How did you come to work at Jigsaw?
🏉 I went to university to pursue a professional rugby career but sadly this fell through!
⛳ Then, I worked in sports – particularly mass participation events like Brighton marathon and golf tournaments – my job was interacting with high profile clients and officials. By the time Covid hit, I was organising social sports leagues in London, so I had to find something else.
🧩 I moved into an Operations role at Jigsaw but after six months we quickly realised I was much more suited to a people facing role, so I moved over to the Sales and Partnerships team; I managed accounts in this team for two years and absolutely loved it.
🤝 Then, an opportunity in the Business Development and Marketing team popped up which allowed me to pitch to people and unlock a brand new skill set.
📈 Now, my role is solely Business Development focused, which I’m really enjoying. I really want to help brands unlock their potential when it comes to gift cards!
How has becoming a part of Tillo changed your role?
The acquisition has been really exciting! Previously, Jigsaw was quite a small team, so my role also involved a fair bit of marketing. Since becoming a Tillo company, I’ve been able to focus all of my efforts on the thing I love most – business development – as we now have the support of Tillo’s amazing marketing department.
I’ve also gained loads of new teammates from Tillo’s Commercial Team, which presents a great opportunity for me to learn and evolve my skill set. They have so much industry knowledge, and I’ve been soaking it all up like a sponge.
It really is such a privilege to get to work with some of the best in the business and to use what I’m learning to propel Jigsaw forward 🚀
What does a typical week look like for you?
A typical week for me is split between the Jigsaw office in London Bridge and working from home, with a monthly trip to Tillo HQ in Hove. It’s really nice to have so many options of where to work.
Strategy wise, we’re in a great position to help more brands discover the potential of their gift card program, so a big project for me right now is working with the marketing team to develop new and innovative ways to showcase the potential of gift cards.
I’m also a big believer in the power of face-to-face communication and so I’m actively growing my network and attending as many in-person events as possible.
If you had to predict a future gift card trend, what would it be and why?
The digitalisation of gift cards, for sure.
Physical gift cards have been king for so long but digital is becoming more and more popular. In the latest GCVA Sales Analysis, the sale of digital gift card sales overtook physical sales for the first time ever, taking over 50% of the market share – very exciting times!
Digital gift cards are so accessible and you can collect points on your purchases, meaning they can save money in the long run. I think the older generation are warming to them due to factors like Covid and the increasingly digital world in which we live, so the population as a whole is more comfortable with using cards digitally.
Conclusion
Stay tuned as we continue to explore the stories and faces behind the team that makes Jigsaw a trusted name in the gift card industry.
