Victoria Zelin has over 20 years of experience in business development, sales, and sustainability consulting. She has a proven track record of successfully generating new clients and expanding existing accounts. Zelin has worked with many large corporations to develop customized sustainability strategies and solutions that reduce costs and risks while improving reputation. She is skilled in identifying opportunities, building relationships, and closing deals.

1. VICTORIA L. ZELIN
Basking Ridge, New Jersey (908) 306-0272 vzelin@gmail.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/victoriazelin
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
Insightful, responsive SUSTAINABILITY - BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT / SALES EXECUTIVE with a
proven track record of success in selling consulting services and leading-edge solutions. Creative and analytical
problem solver. Tenacious, articulate, persuasive closer, especially effective with senior management.
Enthusiastic, resourceful and well-networked team player who possesses outstanding interpersonal and group
communication skills. Relationship-oriented, hands-on, straight-forward and empowering coach with clients and
colleagues. Organized and reliable. Accustomed to a fast pace; balances competing agendas while providing
thought leadership, value-added advice and innovative solutions to maximize business opportunities.
Areas of Expertise
Sales including identifying prospective clients, researching company and executive backgrounds, obtaining
referrals, cold calling, qualifying leads; building rapport, listening for problems, possibilities and opportunities;
diagnosing client needs, being a trusted advisor, matching needs with selected products & services, presenting
firm capabilities and solutions, developing and making executive presentations, following-up, preparing
proposals, working with client decision-making and purchasing people and processes, negotiating fees and
services, closing; interfacing with accounting for A/P & A/R.
Account Management including penetrating large accounts, cross-selling additional services and expanding
revenues profitably; providing clients with expert guidance, recommendations and benchmarks; recommending
customized and innovative solutions; understanding interpersonal, team and organizational dynamics and
corporate culture; meeting deadlines, supervising projects, reporting progress, reviewing deliverables; tracking
and reporting effectiveness; troubleshooting, being a client advocate and ensuring dedicated customer service.
Business Development including seeing the big picture, identifying key issues and drivers, competitive
analyses, obtaining client feedback, identifying niche opportunities, developing creative and strategic offerings;
maintaining CRM databases with new and existing information; setting and achieving revenue goals,
forecasting; arranging and delivering speaking engagements and conference sessions; selecting and moderating
expert panels; reviewing public relations and marketing collateral; working trade shows.
Sustainability including articulating the value and ROI of sustainability in corporations; reducing operating
costs and risks; generating new revenues; improving reputation and brand; attracting and engaging internal and
external stakeholders; increasing innovation and competitiveness; enhancing corporate social responsibility.
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
2010 Senior Business Development Manager, Sustainability & Climate Change, DELOITTE, NY, NY.
to Responsible for selling sustainability consulting services to Fortune 500 corporations. Identified and
5/2012 generated leads. For each sales pursuit, collaborated with the partner who had ultimate responsibility
for the corporate account, selected and managed a team of experts from opportunity through
conclusion. Sell specialties including strategy, energy, supply chain/ops, IT, engagement, reporting.
* To generate leads, attended conferences including GreenBiz and BSR (Business for Social
Responsibility). Engaged senior-level executives in conversations to diagnose needs, budgets and
opportunities. Result: Set up meetings between Deloitte partners and dozens of prospective clients.
2007 SVP & Sustainability Practice Leader, HUDSON GAIN CORPORATION, New York, NY, a
to boutique consulting firm providing executive search, leadership development and change
2009 management services to mid-market companies and divisions of major corporations. Responsible for
selling as well as delivering services, developing new business and creating fresh offerings (including
sustainability services) to meet market needs. Represented firm's Corporate Sustainability Practice.

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* To get in on the ground floor of a new market niche and gain credibility for a new practice area in
sustainability, co-authored a research study on the role of the Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
in corporations. Result: Study was distributed to over 3000 decision-makers (now has 10,000 hits
online). Arranged, moderated and facilitated panels on sustainability at universities, conferences
and events; presented study findings to over 450 corporate and business leaders.
∗ To bring in new accounts across multiple product and service lines, cultivated new relationships,
engaged former clients and created new offerings. Result: Closed contracts with Novartis, Hudson,
Travelport, Moretrench, Emtec, New York University, LifeCell, Bayer Healthcare, C.F. Martin.
2006 Vice President, PULVERMACHER-FIRTH, Bala Cynwood, PA, a consulting firm specializing
to in executive leadership development and succession, spun off from Hudson Highland Group 3/07.
2007 Responsible for new business development from prospecting through closing, including leading sales
teams and selecting and overseeing consultants in delivery.
* To gain a foothold in corporations over $3 billion in revenues, prospected, met potential clients,
diagnosed problems, brought in consultants who fit client needs and culture, presented solutions,
prepared agreements, and closed contracts. Result: Won business with Johnson & Johnson,
KPMG, PSE&G, Wyndham Hotels, Schindler Elevator, Structure Tone.
2005 Director-Business Development, METRUS GROUP, Somerville, NJ, a human capital
to consulting firm specializing in measurement, diagnostics, employee surveys and balanced scorecards.
2006 Responsible for selling into new markets and accounts.
* To add new clients with recurring income streams, prospected, managed client meetings, diagnosed
issues, proposed solutions, and closed business. Result: Landed new clients including Pepsi,
Standard & Poor's, Johnson & Johnson, TVA, Life of Jamaica, Intuit, Home Depot, Wal-Mart,
Visa International, Yum Brands, Boston Scientific, Baker Hughes and Williams Energy.
2001 Director-Business Development, GENERATIVE LEADERSHIP GROUP, Somerville, NJ, a
to consulting boutique using transformational methodologies for organization and leadership change.
2004 Responsibilities: same as above.
* To build a strong track record in a sector that dominated the firm’s geography, researched local
pharmaceutical companies, marketed the firm's services, generated meetings and proposals.
Result: Sold consulting engagements with new clients: Novartis, Pfizer, Aventis, Cardinal Health
and several Johnson & Johnson companies, magnifying firm’s credentials in the pharma industry.
1999 Manager of Strategic Alliances, DOCENT, INC., Mountain View, CA, a software company
to with an award-winning Learning Management System for e-learning. Company went IPO in 2000
2001 and merged with Click2Learn to form Sum Total Systems in 2004. Responsibilities: same as above
plus web demonstrations and trade show prospecting; educated and sold CEOs of leading training
firms on adopting e-learning and our platform.
* To ensure closure of a critical, complex deal before the end of the fiscal year, won a competitive bid
and managed negotiations with the client’s President and executives and our internal leaders
between Christmas and New Year’s Eve. Result: Got signature from McGraw-Hill Lifetime
Learning for a 2-year $2.5 million deal on December 31, contributing to a higher IPO valuation.
* To reduce senior executives’ perceived risk in becoming early adopters of new technology,
presented CEOs with a compelling case for how business will be conducted in the future, the risks
of being left behind in a changing marketplace and how companies can thrive using the new
technology. Result: Within first year, became the top performing sales professional in the training
alliance division, selling to new clients including McGraw-Hill Lifetime Learning, Blessing/White,
Strategic Management Group, Instruction Set, Learning Insights and CT Corporation.

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∗ To generate a flood of sales around a time-limited offer, introduced CEOs to an opportunity to
combine their software purchase with access to a privileged post-IPO deal. Managed dialogue
between prospective client CEOs and CFOs and internal management, around the clock. Result:
Used the limited-time offer to accelerate decisions by several months and closed three contracts.
1995 Vice President, Business Development, LEE HECHT HARRISON, Edison, NJ, a top two
to career services firm that helps corporations downsize and outplace employees, and coaches
1999 executives and leaders. Joined Seagate, which was acquired by Lee Hecht Harrison in 1997.
Responsibilities: same as above, plus managed project administrators, career counselors, executive
coaches and consultants.
* To become the sole service provider to corporations or divisions of top companies, diagnosed needs
and culture to create customized offering, even in a commoditized industry. Rapidly scaled from
small to large projects. Inspired internal staff to exceed client expectations. Provided a value-added
sounding board for clients’ challenges. Result: Became sole provider at Chubb and divisions of
Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merrill Lynch; generated $600,000 to over $1 million per year in
outplacement and ancillary services from these clients, and ranked in the top 10% of sales force.
* To take business from entrenched competitors, having no prior history with a particular client,
obtained invitation to an RFP based on new relationships with line and purchasing leaders.
Competed against vendors with extensive relationships with client. Appointed as company’s first
National Account Team Leader for this client, managing internal executives, consultants and project
managers to develop and present the RFP. Result: Won contract, resulting in multi-year revenues of
approximately $6 million as AlliedSignal acquired Honeywell and downsized repeatedly.
Prior Experience
Business Development Roles:
§ THE DIBIANCA-BERKMAN GROUP, INC. (div. of CSC Index), Flemington, NJ
§ CREDEX, INC., Ottawa, Ontario
§ CONTEXTUAL CONSULTING GROUP, INC., Toronto, Ontario
EXXON RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING COMPANY, Florham Park, NJ. HR and Training
EDUCATION
MBA, Organizational Behavior, YALE SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT.
Interned at Department of US Navy as Management Consultant.
B.A., Cultural Anthropology, DUKE UNIVERSITY. Summa cum laude; Phi Beta Kappa. Ethnology
Summer Field School, Ramah, NM, VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY.
AFFILIATIONS
Co-Founder, SUSTAINABLE LEADERSHIP FORUM, 2009 to present. Non-profit supporting
leaders who are committed to expanding their visions, capabilities and networks for sustainability.
Active member of many Sustainability and Human Resources Associations and Social Media Groups.
2006 National Winner of Business and Professional Women – leadership and speaking contest.