CMO reached through recommendations

The brief

A company under NDA needed a Chief Marketing Officer to lead marketing across several brands and markets, manage the teams and improve existing processes. The client looked for senior marketing experience in B2C, a strong command of analytics, an international background and the ability to lead people.

The client's own process had three steps: an hour-long interview with us, an hour-long interview with the CEO and the team, and a test task.

Where the candidates were

Marketing leaders at this level rarely look for a job. Most of the strong ones are employed and need time to hand over their work before they can move, so the open market had little to offer. We went to people directly: through recommendations, through our referral programme and through personal outreach.

Every conversation started with the task and its scope. A leader with a good position wants to know first what the role is about, so that was the first thing we described.

The funnel in numbers

114 candidates entered the search. 45 reached screening, 8 had a video interview with us and 4 were put forward to the client. One of them moved to the test task, received the offer and accepted it. The search took about seven weeks from opening the role to the CMO starting.

For 38 candidates the search ended with a recorded outcome. 14 said the role did not interest them or that they were not looking for a job, 12 did not match the requirements, 6 were declined after a review, 2 did not reply, 2 went to our stop list, 1 declined the vacancy and 1 did not match the company culture.

The negotiation

The negotiations were complex. A leader at this level compares several options, and what moved the decision was the task itself. We showed that this role was more interesting than the alternatives on the table, and that opened the way to an offer.

Why this candidate

The CMO we placed brought more than ten years in marketing, with a long stretch in senior leadership. The profile matched the brief closely.

• A B2C background and experience in growing brands in international markets.

• Strong command of digital channels and analytics.

• A record of building a steady flow of inbound leads.

• A management style built on shared responsibility and professional respect.

What to take from it

• Senior marketing leaders are found through people: recommendations, a referral network and personal outreach reach those who never open a job board.

• Start every conversation with the task. Leaders choose between tasks, and a more interesting one can outweigh a comfortable position.

• Plan for handover time. Employed leaders need weeks to finish their work before they can start.

• Describe the hiring steps at the start, so every candidate knows what to expect from the process.