President, Marketing Services – FILLED
COMPANY OVERVIEW
Our client is a division of a global leader providing integrated, multi-channel marketing and business communication solutions. Our client uses its industry-leading global scale, technology, and execution to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of client’s marketing and business communications. The organization values entrepreneurial leaders at every level.
POSITION: President, Marketing Services
REPORTING: CEO
LOCATION: Chicago or New York City
POSITION SUMMARY
Our client is seeking an experienced digital marketing services professional, with proven CEO/GM credentials, capable of building and growing an $800M+ Marketing Services division to a $3B+ business. This individual will be a highly passionate, entrepreneurial, collaborative, and creative leader with a proven track record of building profitable marketing services businesses.
Reporting to the CEO, the President, Marketing Services will have P&L responsibility for the existing marketing services business of our client and build upon this base of business both organically and via strategic acquisitions to provide new sources of revenues and profits, and strengthen our client’s strategic relationships with its customers.
The President, Marketing Services will be responsible for selling and delivering digital marketing services solutions to our client’s customers. The President will establish and maintain a regular dialogue with marketers at senior levels and initiate/build additional senior level client contacts with both existing and prospective clients.
The President, Marketing Services will be responsible for expanding and leading the Marketing Services new business function. In this role, the President will attend and lead new business presentations and lead the Marketing Services division into multi-year, “agency of record” contracts.
The President will also be responsible for the assessment and building of strong capabilities within the Marketing Services business, both through organic hiring and development, and through leading targeted acquisitions to accelerate growth in key strategic competency areas (i.e., analytics/database, content, digital, email, mobile, and social media marketing).
PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assume P&L responsibility for growing current $800M+ marketing services business to a $3B+ business over the next 5-7 years.
- Provide strategic direction and vision. Develop clear annual goals tied to strategies. Analyze digital marketing services trends, market needs, and market gaps, and use this information to identify potential “Blue Ocean” business building opportunities.
- Be the external face and relentless champion of the Marketing Services brand to expand its presences in advertising, marketing, media, and marketing services communities. Articulate the Marketing Services agency positioning, differentiation, and comparative advantages, and continuously refine these to improve clarity and effectiveness.
- Lead client integrated, multi-channel marketing services strategies and new business efforts. Articulate, measure, and validate the value the Marketing Services unit delivers to clients. Lead the strategic effort to continue to transform our client from a trusted execution provider to a trusted strategy and creative solutions provider.
- Build relationships with key constituents, particularly CMOs, at existing and new clients.
- Build out and develop the Marketing Services executive team including greater emphasis upon recruitment of talent from leading digital marketing services competitors. Organize, assign, and keep aligned, clearly identified strategies, goals and objectives for each executive (with specific measurable results, KPIs, and timelines).
- Provide leadership to a large and diverse organization including business developers, client service teams, strategists, analytics experts, consultants, and execution professionals, while fostering an environment of empowerment, teamwork, and collaboration.
- Lead in the identification, evaluation, attraction, and acquisition of digital marketing services businesses to accelerate the revenue growth and expand the strategic core competencies of the Marketing Services division.
- Build and foster trust and productive relationships with other Executive Team Leaders, Board Directors, as well as outside strategic business partners.
- Develop or acquire proprietary digital marketing services tools and technologies to differentiate our client’s Marketing Services from the competitive set, and improve service delivery and execution for clients.
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATIONS
The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, assertive, analytical, creative, business builder and integrated digital marketing services leader with high integrity who can add to the current “value proposition” of our client’s marketing services business by understanding and building on the existing technology, products, services, and global execution offered by our client.
Qualifications will include:
- Strategic marketer and marketing services leader with a reputation for partnering with clients as a business/brand builder, problem solver, and developer of innovative digital marketing solutions to address marketing opportunities and growth challenges.
- Proven track record of significant new business development in an integrated marketing services or digital marketing services business.
- Experience developing and selling integrated, multi-channel digital marketing solutions to senior client relationships within Fortune 100 companies.
- 10+ years of marketing services executive management (CEO or GM) experience, including at least 5+ years leading a $500M+ digital marketing services business.
- 5+ years of direct accountability for managing P&L’s (including demonstrated achievement of consistent sales/new business wins/revenue growth).
- Proven experience in identifying, evaluating, acquiring, and integrating strategic acquisitions of digital marketing services businesses.
- Proven leader, recruiter, and developer of people.
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
- Strategic and analytical – able to quickly discern client marketing strategies and challenges.
- Innovative and creative thinker – can see and develop “out-of-box” solutions.
- Action oriented; a decisive quick study, with proven strategic business and marketing skills.
- Results-driven leader; able to engender support through thought leadership and persuasion.
- Inclusive leadership style; proven experience leading, motivating and inspiring others.
- Team player, collaborative, demonstrates trust, candor and unquestioned integrity.
- Effective communicator both orally and in writing; excellent listening skills; open to new ideas.
- Unwavering commitment to quality.
- Strong sense of urgency; balancing need for thoughtful and comprehensive analysis against desire for urgent, tangible results.
ESSENTIAL COMPETENCIES
- Communicates Effectively – Strong written and verbal communication skills. Adjusts style to fit the audience and the message. Motivates/influences audiences to take action.
- Interpersonal Style – Inclusive leadership style that wins over people’s trust and builds relationships through collaboration and thought leadership (versus a command and control style). Empathetic leader.
- Sets the Right Priorities – Quickly separates the mission-critical priorities and outcomes and focuses the organization on top priorities.
- Evaluates/Deploys People Accurately – Reads people well and can see and quickly assess strengths, weaknesses, skills and potential. Able to place the right people on the appropriate priorities. Strong in attracting, developing, and retaining key leaders in achieving vision, mission, strategies, and plans.
- Deals Promptly with Crucial Matters – Fearless and composed in a crisis. Takes on critical issues. Challenges and effectively manages problem performers. Makes tough decisions and challenges the status quo.
- Understands The Marketing Services Business – Knows the digital marketing services business and the mission-critical functions and skills needed to succeed.
- Client Centric: Solid grasp of clients businesses and opportunities for growth. Learns and adapts to new methods and technologies quickly and applies them to build mutually beneficial solutions.
- Demonstrates Personal Credibility – Driven to continuous personal improvement in self and staff. Open to feedback, constructive criticism, and responsive to it. Understands demands of different situations and adapts quickly. Highly flexible. Creative problem solver.
- Acts with Honor and High Character – Acts in a consistent fashion, in line with a clear and visible set of personal values. Deals and talks straight, direct and truthful. Knows how to hold confidences. Walks the talk. Leads by own example.
EDUCATION
Bachelor’s degree required; MBA preferred, but not required.
COMPENSATION
As we are seeking an outstanding individual with an excellent track record of accomplishment, our client will offer an attractive compensation package including base salary, equity participation, and a complete package of company benefits.
EXECUTIVE CONNECTIONS LLC
Executive Connections LLC is leading this retained executive search on an exclusive basis. For additional information regarding our client and this career opportunity, please contact:
Jeff Gundersen – CEO
Direct: 941-323-8300
jgundersen@executiveconnectionsllc.com