25 UK Decision Makers on the Move (Q2 2023)

There are hundreds of C-suite shakeups every day across industries. It can be easy to miss these moves — and the awesome opportunities that come with them. In particular, new decision-makers (especially CMOs) often signal large-scale sweeping changes within an organization. Rebranding! New website! Request for proposal!

First-time marketing executives and new hires are the top trigger for agency changes, media spending shifts, and new martech investments. New hires evaluate these areas and begin making adjustments within a 3-12 month window. From a prospecting perspective and with such a short turnaround, it’s crucial to stay up to date on any new hires or promotions, and have pitches prepared in order to stay one step ahead of the competition. Our latest list UK list, 25 UK Decision Makers on the Move (Q2 2023), provides the names, titles, contact information, and previous job information for marketing executives who have taken on a new role in the last few months. Below, we’ve highlighted even more information from four of these newbies.

Keep reading to discover seller, agency, and martech opportunities and uncover a deeper knowledge of what’s going on behind the scenes at these big brands (then, download the full list).

1)  Nick Tran: CMO, Farfetch

The luxury fashion etailer named Nick Tran as its CMO, effective April, to oversee all global marketing functions. He last worked as the global marketing head of TikTok, and prior to that, he was the brand & culture marketing VP of Hulu. CMO Holli Rogers stepped down in January.

Farfetch will likely: Make agency changes and continue to raise spend. The brand’s media mix tends to include print, outdoor, addressable TV, PR, social, experiential, digital, and influencers.

Target demographic: Millennials and Gen-Z, especially Women

Agency and martech opportunities:

• The new CMO is a huge harbinger of agency changes, so ask about work.
• Buddy Media Group won a TikTok brief in October, so Farfetch probably isn’t in the market for social support.
• Farfetch’s competitors include Boohoo, Asos, and Net-A-Porter.

Seller opportunities:

• Ask about the spend increases.
• Festival season is a top spending period.

2)  Dan Elton: Senior Customer & Marketing Director, Asos

Asos will likely: Make agency changes and continue to shift spend to reflect its turnaround strategy. The brand’s media mix tends to include partnerships, digital, social, VOD, influencers, cause marketing, experiential, and PR.

Target demographic: Millennials and Gen-Z (Female Skew)

Agency and martech opportunities:

• Reach out since the new marketing leader will almost certainly review agency relationships, especially as Asos seeks to mitigate its declines.
• Make sure you focus your pitches on data and customer experience.
• The company’s competitors include Amazon, H&M, and Boohoo.

Seller opportunities:

• If you reach out now, you should be able to secure budget from Asos’s spend shifts.
• Asos still plans to spend the most during the summer and festive seasons.
• Remember there are also opportunities at Asos-owned Topshop Topman, which just rebranded.

3)  Marieka Barnard: CMO, The IRONMAN Group

The global sports event operator promoted Marieka Barnard to CMO in March. She joined the company in 2011 as a marketing and sponsorship coordinator, but she most recently worked as the EMEA event marketing VP. She will lead marketing strategy and improve customer-centricity while also focusing on event experiences, products, and services. The marketing strategy will target athletes by showcasing “the positive benefits and life-altering impact of” IRONMAN’s events and series.

IRONMAN will likely: Make agency changes and increase spend. The company’s media mix tends to include digital, social, partnerships, experiential, and sponsorships.

Target demographic: Athletes, especially Millennials

Agency and martech opportunities:

• The new CMO is a huge harbinger of agency changes, so reach out for work.
• We don’t know who you may find among your competition.
• Other notable sports competitions include Tough Mudder and Spartan Race.

Seller opportunities:

• Spend should rise under the new CMO, so ask about budget.
• IRONMAN tends to spend the most around upcoming events.
• There are currently four more UK events set for this year: 2 July: IRONMAN UK in Bolton; 16 July: IRONMAN 70.3 Swansea; 3 September: IRONMAN Wales in Pembrokeshire; 17 September: IRONMAN 70.3 Weymouth

4)  John Ennis: Wholesale Marketing Director (UK), Fidelity International

Fidelity International will likely: Review smaller accounts, release new campaigns, and continue to increase spending. The brand’s media mix tends to include digital, direct mail, press, radio, social, and TV.

Target demographic: Millennials and Gen-X

Agency and martech opportunities:

• The investment service recently awarded its global media account to UM. Reviews tend to follow one another, so ask about work with other accounts.
• Fidelity’s competitors include Hargreaves Lansdown, AJ Bell, and Lloyds Banking Group.

Seller opportunities:

• UM should be working on new campaigns, so ask about budget.
• You should also ask about the recent spend increases.
• Fidelity tends to spend the most from January to March, which couples as the buying period.
• Planning takes place from April to June.

If you liked this blog post, check out:

1. Emerging Industries Report: Q1 2021
2. Shortened CMO Tenures & Why Sales Should Be Watching
3. List of Agencies in the Omnicom Network