Company: Maven Partnership
Industry: Executive Search & Talent Advisory
Objective: Build a scalable marketing and brand engine to support rapid international growth.
Challenge: Evolving brand positioning, entering new markets, and creating a marketing capability from scratch – without a permanent in-house team.
Background
Maven Partnership, having experienced rapid growth and successfully expanded into the US market, recognised the need to mature its core capabilities and elevate its brand strategy and marketing engine.
Prior to engaging Growth Partners, the company had no specialist in-house marketing or brand team, and its growth had been achieved organically. This meant that Maven Partnership wanted to accelerate from a position of strength, and take steps to leverage this to enter their next stage of growth.
The Challenge
Maven Partnership faced several key challenges that highlighted the need for a fractional CMO:
- Tipping Point in Growth – A growing team and multiple locations required a structured strategy to support the next stage of maturity.
- Sustaining Momentum – Strong, consistent fee income growth needed to be maintained while rapidly scaling further into Middle East and Asian markets.
- Capability Gap – No in-house specialist marketing or brand team to drive strategic initiatives.
- Market Diversification Goals – Ambition to continue expansion into and beyond core sectors such as Private Equity, Private Credit, Sustainable Investment, Legal, and Professional Services.
- International Expansion – US market growth was a priority, but the business needed to bolster internal expertise to execute effectively with a unified brand voice and strategy.
The Solution
Fractional CMO deployment
Growth Partners embedded Tom Christie-Miller as Maven Partnership’s Fractional Chief Marketing Officer, providing immediate senior-level expertise to design and execute a commercially focused marketing transformation. Tom brings extensive experience across professional services and consumer brands, with a strong focus on marketing and brand strategy.
Brand sharpening
To support Maven’s growth ambitions, Tom worked to evolve and elevate the brand, positioning Maven as a premium, credible player in competitive markets while retaining its reputation as an innovative disruptor. Leveraging his experience at Kearney and Arthur D Little, Tom worked closely with the leadership team to support them as they evolved their consultancy offering, defining and delivering enhanced outputs that were aligned to best practice in global strategic consulting.
International Expansion
With the US and Asia being key growth priorities, the solution was tailored to support strategic entry and expansion. Tom helped define messaging, positioning, and initiatives to engage new clients overseas. This included aligning brand voice across geographies, identifying target sectors, and developing activities that facilitated stronger entry while protecting Maven’s European presence.
Auditing marketing capabilities and supply chain
Tom reviewed Maven’s marketing capabilities, processes, and supplier relationships. The audit identified gaps, efficiency opportunities, and areas where external expertise could complement internal resources. Recommendations were made for third-party support, ensuring the function could scale with Maven’s growth.
Building for the future
A key outcome was a structured roadmap for sustained brand and marketing development. This included defining permanent infrastructure, such as hiring a strategic Head of Marketing. The roadmap provided clear steps for gradually building capability while maintaining momentum, ensuring international growth with a strong, consistent marketing presence.
A Flexible Approach to Driving Growth
By partnering with Growth Partners, Maven Partnership accessed board-level marketing expertise immediately – without the cost, lead time, or commitment of a full-time hire. The engagement delivered tangible business impact, including:
Immediate leadership and strategic clarity
A commercially driven roadmap
International scalability
- A consistent brand voice and market presence positioned Maven for sustainable expansion across the globe.
Foundation for long-term capability
- The engagement established the structure and strategy for a future in-house marketing function, culminating in the appointment of Maven’s first full-time Marketing Manager and securing the brand’s long-term competitiveness.
“We were introduced to Emma and the Growth Partners team when we were still working out exactly what we needed. Hiring a Fractional CMO was a brilliant short-term solution for Maven. We gained senior-level expertise exactly when we needed it, without committing to full-time resources. It felt like a partnership rather than just a consultancy project. Tom’s guidance provided clarity for our leadership team and allowed us to focus on strategic priorities while shaping our marketing processes and function.
We’ve since hired a permanent Head of Marketing and launched a new brand, which has felt like a great investment in our ongoing international growth journey. I’d have no reservations in recommending Growth Partners to other businesses looking to explore how on-demand commercial leadership could support them at key turning points in their growth journey.“
Justin Pearson, Executive Chairman at Maven Partnership
Conclusion
Maven Partnership’s engagement with Growth Partners illustrates the power of fractional executive leadership during critical growth phases. By embedding a seasoned FCMO to lead brand evolution, market entry strategy, and marketing capability development, Maven has created a clear, actionable pathway to sustainable, scalable growth – while retaining the flexibility to adapt as opportunities evolve.
About Growth Partners
Growth Partners connect the very best marketing consultants with world-leading organisations. We specialise in marketing, sales, RevOps and commercial, offering a full range of flexible resourcing leadership solutions.
