In recent years, we’ve helped numerous newly investor-led, middle-market companies recruit CMOs and CROs to lay the foundation for rapid and sustained EBITDA growth. Marketing is typically a core lever in the value creation plan—responsible for driving revenue, improving margins, and ultimately increasing enterprise value.
While the growth opportunity often appears straightforward—identify valuable customer segments, understand their behaviors, and engage them through data-driven strategies—execution is more complex. Many value creation plans are developed without a full understanding of the company’s current capabilities or constraints.
A CMO in this environment must define a foundational strategy while also building the operational engine—teams, processes, and systems—from scratch. They’re expected to deliver fast, measurable results on tight budgets.
The Ideal CMO Profile
The strongest candidates for these roles are:
- Data-Driven, Tech-Savvy Builders Equipped to build strategy, teams, systems, and data infrastructure from the ground up.
- Cross-Functional Operators Able to lead and influence across analytics, creative, tech, and operations.
- Hands-On Doers Willing to dive into execution, especially in lean environments with high expectations.
Too often, traditional in-house marketers—especially those from large, siloed organizations—lack the adaptability and executional depth needed for these roles.
The Untapped Potential of Growth Agency Talent
While we continue to recruit in-house marketers, most viable candidates have already made the leap from “academy” companies to investor-led environments—and they are few and often retained with equity.
To expand the talent pool, we’ve found a compelling and often overlooked source in leaders from top growth marketing agencies. Unlike traditional brand-focused agencies, these growth agencies—think Wunderman Thompson, Razorfish, and others—are built for:
- Speed
- Accountability
- Outcome-driven performance
They specialize in driving conversions, CAC improvements, LTV gains, and full-funnel optimization—skills perfectly aligned with the goals of PE-backed businesses.
Why They Fit
Agency-trained leaders bring:
- Strategic Insight + Executional Muscle
- Digital Fluency across channels and platforms
- Culture of Experimentation: Testing messaging, refining segments, optimizing funnels
- Influence Over Martech decisions that shape client growth
What to Look for in Candidates
The key evaluation point:
Do they drive marketing outputs or business results?
Successful agency leaders transitioning in-house must show:
- A P&L Mindset Focused on profitability, retention, reinvestment, and enterprise value—not just marketing KPIs.
- Business Acumen + Agility Able to prioritize, invent, and execute under pressure with limited resources.
When these traits combine with agency discipline and accountability, the result is a rare and powerful growth leader.
The New Growth Agency Leader: Capabilities
Strategic + Analytical Thinkers
- Interpret performance data to drive decisions
- Balance brand-building with ROI and segmentation
Data-Driven and Performance-Oriented
- Focus on metrics like CAC, LTV, conversion rates, revenue per channel
- Align creative with measurable business impact
Full-Funnel Focus
- Create integrated journeys: acquisition → retention → CRM → personalization
Test-and-Learn Culture
- A/B testing, iterative creative, real-time funnel optimization
Technology-Enabled
- Proficiency in tools like GA4, Tableau, Salesforce, HubSpot, CDPs
- Use of AI for targeting, personalization, and predictive analytics
Cross-Platform Fluency
- Expertise in paid, social, search, SEO, UX, influencer, CMS, and creative stacks
Embedded Strategic Partnership
- Work as an agile extension of in-house teams—not external vendors
Ready to Build Your Growth Engine?
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