Alex Banning
Denver
Summary
Growth-focused executive with a career track record of standout sales results who rapidly scales travel/experiential businesses while maintaining customer loyalty, referrals and repeat sales. Change agent who transforms organizations by realigning around the customer, leveraging data to improve effectiveness, and embracing technology. Experience building and leading distributed sales teams across the US, Europe, South America, and Asia, which required hiring and coaching regional leaders and developing sales talent in different cultural contexts. Commercial leader for enterprise-wide technology implementations to modernize sales systems. Known for partnering well across marketing, operations, and product teams to align lead generation with sales execution. Collaborative leader experienced in presenting strategy to ownership and boards, facilitating cross-functional planning, and creating sales training and enablement programs that scale best practices across regions. Team mentor and culture champion known for creating fast-paced, mission-focused sales teams that exceed targets.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
Executive Vice President
EF High School Exchange Year
Cambridge
03.2024 - 12.2025
- Promoted to lead the turnaround of a high-profile exchange program that had been unprofitable and declining annually due to structural challenges, including staff bloat from COVID hiring, a 75% remote workforce creating coordination gaps, overlapping functional teams that were confusing customers, and declining student and host family recruitment. Managed $25M P&L with full budget authority and led cross-functional team of 80 full-time employees and 1,000+ independent coordinators, serving 4,500+ annual participants.
- Successfully turned around the organization within one year by delivering $7.5M savings in operating costs, stabilizing participation rates and leading a restructuring that realigned resources around customer-facing functions.
- Established annual revenue and enrollment targets, aligning corporate objectives with regional sales goals while managing sales performance of geographically distributed team; implemented KPIs for lead conversion, placement rates, and customer satisfaction across U.S. territories.
- Redesigned customer journey by analyzing frontline experience and identifying obstacles to sales and customer success, enhancing overall engagement and satisfaction.
- Tightened the lead-to-conversion cycle, working with marketing team to align lead generation campaigns with sales; redesigned sales enablement programs to improve sales effectiveness, standardize approach, and reduce churn.
- Presented quarterly commercial strategy and business objectives to leadership, board members, and 800+ staff and independent contractors, driving alignment and focus on organizational goals.
Vice President Sales
Cultural Care Au Pair
Denver
11.2022 - 02.2024
- Tapped to lead a $150M sales organization that paired 15,000+ American Host Families annually with au pairs from 20 countries. Managed team of 8 Regional Directors and 50 Account Executives selling placement services to American host families across all U.S. markets.
- Delivered 12% YOY growth in booked business through improved lead qualification, pipeline management, and sales process effectiveness; this reversed what had previously been a concerning decline in host family enrollment.
- Led quarterly sales planning cadence, developing targets and KPIs for each region and implementing performance dashboards to track conversion rates, pipeline velocity and revenue attainment.
- Directed digital transformation efforts, aligning sales needs with SaaS technology implementations for over 50 Account Executives using tools like Salesforce, Atlassian, and Microsoft cloud.
- Developed Regional Sales Directors through targeted pipeline reviews and coaching on performance management.
- Collaborated with marketing on paid search, paid social, and community outreach to optimize lead generation in line with sales capacity and conversion rates.
Sales Director
Cultural Care Au Pair
Zurich
09.2018 - 10.2022
- Recruited to revitalize an underperforming international sales operation where legacy markets (Austria, Sweden) were declining and newer markets (Argentina, France) had not yet scaled. Led all sales and marketing efforts across rotating portfolio spanning 11 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America, managing 5 countries simultaneously with full P&L responsibility for each market. Built and managed 5 Country Managers and 40+ sales and customer support staff across multiple currencies, regulatory environments, and cultural contexts.
- Scaled Argentina 175%, France 100%, and Austria 25% by adapting sales and marketing strategies to vastly different market conditions (Argentina: 1,000 leads daily vs. Austria: 1,000 leads monthly).
- Navigated COVID-19 by architecting crisis response, establishing landing programs in Serbia and Brazil to address travel restrictions, chartering aircraft, and lobbying U.S. Department of State for visa extensions.
- Led Au Pair Recruitment workstream for enterprise-wide digital transformation, serving as liaison between 11-country field organization and technology team during migration from 26 legacy applications to consolidated Salesforce platform.
- Collaborated with central marketing team to develop culturally relevant campaigns across 11 languages, adapting messaging and creative with local affiliates.
- Owned complete P&L for each country including cost-per-acquisition optimization, pricing strategy across different currencies and economic conditions, and revenue generation from a two-sided marketplace model.
Regional Sales Director
EF High School Exchange Year
Denver
09.2014 - 08.2018
- Selected as one of four leaders to pilot an organizational transformation from functional silos to a regional P&L model, running a multi-state territory as standalone business with all commercial and operational functions. Built Denver satellite office from scratch (EF High School Exchange Year's first extension outside Cambridge headquarters). Managed 5 full-time staff and 250 independent coordinators.
- Achieved 35% growth over a two-year period compared to 3% company-wide growth, establishing region as the fastest-growing and largest territory nationally through execution of a new, integrated regional model.
- De-siloed functional teams (sales, placement, customer support, coordinator recruitment) to enhance collaboration and streamline processes.
- Constructed high-performing team; developed and delivered sales training and enablement content for improved sales calls, conferences, and meetings.
- Increased participant Net Promoter Score 13 points year-over-year through improved coordinator training, quality benchmarks, and satisfaction tracking that identified service gaps.
- Implemented Salesforce-based pipeline management to improve visibility into lead flow and conversion rates.
Account Director
EF High School Exchange Year
Cambridge
09.2012 - 08.2014
- Led team of fifteen sales enablement and customer quality specialists.
- Streamlined customer journey procedures, enhancing quality, speed, and transparency, resulting in a 25% reduction in Lead to Closed Won timeframe.
Account Manager
EF High School Exchange Year
Cambridge
04.2010 - 08.2012
Account Coordinator
EF High School Exchange Year
Cambridge
12.2008 - 03.2010
Program Leader
Rustic Pathways
Nadi
05.2008 - 09.2008
Education
B.A. - Political Science and History
Bates College
Lewiston, METimeline
Executive Vice President
EF High School Exchange Year
03.2024 - 12.2025
Vice President Sales
Cultural Care Au Pair
11.2022 - 02.2024
Sales Director
Cultural Care Au Pair
09.2018 - 10.2022
Regional Sales Director
EF High School Exchange Year
09.2014 - 08.2018
Account Director
EF High School Exchange Year
09.2012 - 08.2014
Account Manager
EF High School Exchange Year
04.2010 - 08.2012
Account Coordinator
EF High School Exchange Year
12.2008 - 03.2010
Program Leader
Rustic Pathways
05.2008 - 09.2008
B.A. - Political Science and History
Bates College