Hire marketing leaders who unlock growth in 2026
Great marketing leaders do more than run campaigns. They align brand and growth with the commercial plan, defend investment in the language of finance, and build teams that deliver measurable results. At Solis Recruitment, we run retained and confidential searches for marketing leaders who increase pipeline quality, improve Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), and strengthen brand preference without unnecessary spend.
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We partner with founders, CEOs, and marketing leadership teams across the UK and Europe. Our strongest network is in London and across the UK, supported by an international footprint that gives you access to passive talent you will not see on the open market
What you need from marketing leadership in 2026
Budgets are tight, expectations are higher, and buying journeys are more complex.
The right leader will:
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Align brand, product and growth with a clear commercial thesis.
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Prove impact on pipeline quality, conversion, and payback, not only attribution.
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Use data and insights to decide what to start, stop, and scale.
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Build teams and agency ecosystems that can move at pace, while protecting brand integrity.
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Integrate privacy, responsible AI usage, and first‑party data into day‑to‑day execution.
Marketing Leadership Roles Place
We hire leaders who can take ownership of the full marketing value chain, as well as specialist executives for brand and performance.
We also place Heads of Marketing and Heads of Demand Generation when the right move is to consolidate leadership under a senior operator who can balance strategy and execution.
Why data and insights sit at the centre of modern marketing?
High-performing marketing teams treat data and insights as the operating system. Leaders must be fluent in how brand activity influences search, direct, and referral demand, and how lifecycle programs improve repeat rate and order value. We test for the rigour behind their decisions, for example:
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The Data-Driven Operating System
High-performing marketing teams treat data and insights not just as reporting tools, but as the fundamental operating system for growth.
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In today's complex ecosystem, marketing leaders must be fluent in commercial impact, able to connect every dollar spent to a clear return.
This requires mastery over the entire customer journey, from top-of-funnel awareness to long-term profitability. Our headhunting process rigorously tests a candidate's ability to operate in this environment, focusing on these critical areas:
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Connecting Brand to Profit
We look for leaders who can quantify the value of brand lift and directly connect that awareness to real, downstream performance, like an increase in organic searches or direct website visits. They prove that brand spend isn't a "black box," but a strategic, measurable investment.
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Owning the Full Customer Journey
True leaders move beyond isolated channel dashboards (e.g., just looking at Facebook or Google Ads). They monitor full-funnel diagnostics, understanding the transition rates and profitability across the entire path a customer takes, not just the starting line.
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Smart Investment Validation
We assess their ability to use experiments, incrementality testing, and post-purchase insight to guide spending. This means they are constantly testing "What if?" scenarios to prove that their investments truly add new growth, not just shuffle sales around.
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Mastery of Tech and Measurement
Leaders must be comfortable with the MarTech stack and know how to choose and implement the right attribution models. We ensure they can make the technology work for the business, guaranteeing accurate data and reliable reporting.
Empower
Growth
Branding is essential to the sales funnel