The Portfolio Executives

After twenty years leading commercial transformation, including the last five years inside PE and VC-backed businesses, I realised that what I enjoy most is the first chapter: walking into a business, diagnosing what’s broken, and building the engine. At both Highspot and Miratech, I was brought in to do exactly that – build marketing functions from scratch, align them to revenue, and deliver measurable pipeline growth. Before that, nine years at Accenture and a decade on the agency side gave me a consulting mindset: diagnose quickly, act decisively, and move on to the next challenge. The portfolio model felt like a natural evolution of how I’ve always worked, partnering closely with CEOs at key inflection points to transform commercial performance. I’d rather do that across multiple businesses than remain inside one organisation waiting for the next reorganisation.

I got started by registering on a PE-focused consulting marketplace. Within weeks, I was shortlisted for an interim CMO role at a £45m revenue PE-backed SaaS business. I was one of two final candidates, built a full proposal and presentation deck, and interviewed with both the CEO and the PE Partner’s Operating Partner. I didn’t win the role – the other candidate had more fractional experience – but the feedback was extremely positive. They valued the proposal, the quality of the conversation, and my understanding of the space.

My first real success in portfolio work was my NED role at Stourflex, which has been ongoing since 2022. It was my first opportunity to advise an SMB on commercial growth across construction, aerospace, and manufacturing, and it showed me I could create value without being embedded full-time. Beyond that, reaching the final two for a senior PE-backed engagement on my first attempt validated both the positioning and the market demand, and gave me a real-world benchmark for how I pitch, price, and present myself.

Along the way, I’ve learned three important things. First, value matters more than time, but pricing still needs to reflect how the market buys fractional support. My first proposal was priced too high for a six-month engagement because I hadn’t factored in the volume discount clients expect. I’ve since recalibrated and become much sharper in how I position fractional and interim work competitively without underselling it. Second, fractional experience is a credential in itself. Buyers want to know you’ve operated successfully in this model before, so every engagement builds the credibility for the next. Third, relationships outlast engagements. The connections I made through that first process, including with the CEO and Operating Partner, are already leading to new conversations and opportunities. The network compounds over time.

It’s working for me now because, after more than twenty years, I’ve developed the pattern recognition needed to help businesses avoid common GTM pitfalls and strengthen enterprise value quickly. I’ve seen enough commercial engines, both broken and high-performing, to diagnose problems quickly and act decisively. At the same time, the market is shifting. PE and VC firms increasingly want experienced operators on a fractional basis rather than committing to full-time hires for what are often six to twelve-month transformation projects. My focus area – B2B, PE-backed businesses between £20m and £100m revenue, with marketing functions that need building or rebuilding – sits directly where that demand is growing.

Looking ahead, I want to build a portfolio where I’m making meaningful commercial impact across two or three businesses at any given time. The model I’m working towards is to come in as an interim CMO for the diagnostic and build phase, then transition into an advisory relationship – supporting the permanent CMO through their first year while remaining a strategic sounding board for the CEO. That creates continuity for the business, gives the incoming CMO an experienced partner to lean on, and allows me to stay connected to long-term outcomes rather than simply handing over and stepping away. Right now, the focus is on doing exceptional work for the first few clients and allowing the results to speak for themselves.