Interim CMO + advisory
Interim CMO leadership, in role from day one
Full-time senior marketing leadership for a fixed term, for when a CMO role falls vacant or a business is going through change. Plus board-level advisory, for when the leader is in place and the board wants an independent view. Across the UAE and the UK.
In short
Full-time marketing leadership, for a fixed term
A vacant CMO role leaves budget committed and nobody accountable for what it returns. I step in, hold strategy and budget, lead the team and the agencies, and hand over to the permanent appointment with the work carried forward.
What I lead
The vacant CMO or marketing leadership role, taken on from day one.
Strategy, budget and team held through the transition.
A marketing function audit, with priorities reset.
The permanent CMO role defined, and candidates assessed.
A clean handover to the incoming leader.
When it applies
Your CMO or marketing director has left and the role sits empty.
You are mid-search and want senior cover while it runs.
A merger, funding round or restructure needs an experienced hand.
You are entering a new market and want a senior marketing leader in place there.
The board wants marketing led properly while it decides on the permanent appointment.
The outcomes
Measured on commercial results
Which one you need
Three ways to put senior marketing leadership in place
The same person, three different commitments. The right one depends on whether the role is vacant, permanently part-time, or already filled and in need of challenge.
Interim CMO
Advisory
Fractional CMO
What it covers
Six things an interim picks up
From week one, with no ramp-up billed to you.
The vacant role, covered
Strategy + budget held
Team stabilised + supported
Function audit + reset
The permanent role defined
A clean handover
How I work
One framework, from first conversation to renewal
Six phases. Each hands a finished output to the next. Two gates, where you decide before anything moves forward. An interim engagement runs all six. Advisory sits mainly in phase six.
Scope and fees are agreed before any work starts.
You see the full scope, the fee and the timings in writing, and decide, before I begin. Nothing is invoiced until you have signed it.You sign off the findings before the strategy is written.
The audit is played back and you agree which priorities carry forward. No strategy work is done, and no budget committed, against findings you have not accepted.How I engage
Interim cover, or advisory counsel
Two ways to engage, both senior and both independent. Scope, costs and timings are confirmed at proposal, in writing, before anything begins.
Book a discovery callWhat you receive
Five outputs, all of them yours
Everything produced stays with the business, whether or not the engagement continues.
Common questions
Questions I am asked about interim cover
- What is the difference between interim, advisory and fractional?
- Interim is full-time cover for a fixed term, in role and accountable, usually bridging a vacancy or leading a business through a period of change. Advisory is a monthly or quarterly board-level view where a marketing leader is already in post. Fractional is an ongoing part-time leadership role, one to three days a week. Three different commitments, compared side by side further up this page.
- How quickly can you step in?
- From day one. The engagement opens with a structured marketing and team review while I take charge of the function, so there is no ramp-up period billed to you.
- Can you cover an interim role during a market entry?
- Yes, and it is a common one. You get senior marketing leadership in place while the permanent team is built, so the launch is led by someone accountable from the first week. UAE market entry covers the wider setup work.
- Can you help us hire the permanent CMO?
- Yes. I define the role, assess candidates against it, and set the incoming leader up with a handover pack, so the work done during the interim survives the transition.
Adam was instrumental to the success of Expo 2020’s premier events portfolio, the Programme for People and Planet.
Kevin Brown
Vice President, Master Calendar, Expo 2020 Dubai
He thinks like a business owner first: he starts with the commercial position and what the board needs, then decides what marketing should do about it.
Rob Renton
UK On Trade Sales Director, Halewood Artisanal Spirits
Next step
30 minutes to test whether there is a commercial case
I will pressure-test the opportunity, confirm fit and agree whether and how to proceed. No obligation.
Book a discovery call