Ongoing senior direction
Senior marketing leadership, without the full time hire.
Fifteen years across marketing, digital and growth for global businesses, established brands, startups and ambitious local companies. I sit at the level a CMO sits at, set the direction, hold the numbers, and make sure the work that gets done is the work that matters.
Senior direction, commercial prioritisation and someone accountable for what marketing is actually delivering.
This is usually how the conversation starts
“We have people doing marketing but nobody steering it.”
“Our agencies are busy but I can't see the commercial return.”
“We've grown, but the way we work hasn't.”
“Budget goes out every month and I can't defend it.”
“We need a marketing director but not a full time salary.”
“Every decision comes back to me and I'm the bottleneck.”
You don't need to know the solution. That's the part I help with.
The remit
What I own when I'm your CMO.
Growth strategy
Where the growth is coming from over the next twelve months, and the plan that gets you there rather than a list of activity.
Team leadership
Direction, structure and standards for the marketing people you already have, plus hiring input when the gap is real.
Agency oversight
Briefing, challenging and holding suppliers to account, so you stop paying for reports and start paying for outcomes.
Budget and performance
What the money is doing, what it should be doing, and the numbers that actually indicate progress.
Customer journey
The full path from awareness to enquiry to customer to repeat, owned end to end rather than channel by channel.
Commercial prioritisation
Saying no. Deciding what gets done first, what waits and what gets killed, based on commercial impact.
How it works
Embedded, not advisory theatre.
Get the picture
First weeks are spent understanding the commercial model, the numbers, the team and the customer, not producing a deck.
Set the direction
A clear plan with priorities, owners, budget and the measures that will tell us it's working.
Run the rhythm
Regular working sessions, agency and team reviews, performance reporting and decisions made at pace.
Build the capability
The goal is a marketing function that runs well without me. Standards, process and confidence stay with your team.
What the retainer includes
Senior judgement, applied to your business every month.
- A growth strategy with commercial priorities, not an activity list
- Regular leadership sessions with you and the exec team
- Direction, review and standards for internal marketers
- Agency and supplier briefing, challenge and accountability
- Budget control and performance reporting you can defend
- Escalation access between sessions when decisions can't wait
Questions
The things people ask before we start.
How many days a month is a fractional CMO?
It depends on the stage of the business. Most engagements run between two and six days a month. We agree the level after the Diagnostic, or after an initial conversation if the priorities are already clear.
Do you replace our agencies?
Not usually. Part of the value is having someone senior who can brief, challenge and hold your existing agencies to account. If a supplier isn't delivering, I'll tell you and help you fix or replace them.
Will you manage our internal marketing team?
Yes. I give them direction, standards and review, and I develop them. The aim is a stronger team, not dependence on me.
Is there a minimum commitment?
Marketing leadership doesn't show results in four weeks. Engagements typically run in blocks of six months so there's time to set direction, execute and see it land.
Do you work with businesses outside the UK?
Yes. I work with UK businesses and with companies in Dubai and the wider GCC, remotely with periodic in person time where it's worth it.