CMO – Growth and Brand — Digital Lending Portfolio

The mandate

A recent strategy review exposed growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality within a privately held diversified financial-services platform. The immediate arena is the digital lending portfolio during conduct-risk remediation. For mandate 042, the successful executive inherits decisions that have been deferred, competing stakeholder expectations and a need to establish facts before committing further capital.

The CMO – Growth and Brand operating perimeter covers approximately £3,550 million in assets under oversight, with activity spanning several digital lending portfolio customer, product and delivery clusters rather than a single asset. The CMO – Growth and Brand Financial Services remit carries direct influence over roughly 225 colleagues and third-party capacity.

The group board and the relevant risk and people committees want a CMO – Growth and Brand who can convert ambiguity into a short list of explicit choices for the digital lending portfolio. The CMO – Growth and Brand Financial Services seat must resolve conduct-risk remediation, while preserving the underlying strengths of the digital lending portfolio. For mandate 042, value will come through sharper allocation, stronger leaders and an operating cadence that exposes variance early.

The CMO – Growth and Brand’s first year on the digital lending portfolio is expected to end with efficient demand, brand salience and a common growth scorecard. In mandate 042, authority covers resources and leadership appointments; material trade-offs go directly to the board sponsor.

Why this seat is open

This is an urgent replacement for the CMO – Growth and Brand — Digital Lending Portfolio seat following an accelerated leadership transition. Interim accountability is in place for the digital lending portfolio, but the board wants a permanent appointment within 6–8 weeks because conduct-risk remediation cannot remain under split ownership. The predecessor’s outcome is being handled neutrally and professionally. The external search remains confidential until the preferred candidate and transition plan are agreed.

What you will own

• Set the CMO – Growth and Brand value-creation thesis for the digital lending portfolio, translate it into no more than five enterprise priorities and stop work that does not support them.
• Carry stewardship of approximately £3,550 million in assets under oversight, including allocation, risk acceptance and board forecasts.
• Lead the CMO – Growth and Brand Financial Services organisation of about 225 employees and partners, appointing a team with clear decision rights and credible succession for every critical seat.
• Resolve the digital lending portfolio economics and execution constraints created by conduct-risk remediation, with CMO – Growth and Brand-approved owners, dated milestones and transparent escalation thresholds.
• Establish one CMO – Growth and Brand operating review across commercial, customer, financial, people, technology and risk outcomes for the digital lending portfolio; remove reconciliations that obscure accountability.
• Prove incremental commercial contribution using controlled evidence, not only reach, activity or brand awards in mandate 042.
• Build the CMO – Growth and Brand’s three-year succession and capability plan for the digital lending portfolio, reducing dependence on individual executives and improving mobility across the wider Financial Services organisation.

The first 12 months

• Days 1–90: Validate the digital lending portfolio baseline, meet the 30 stakeholders most consequential to growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality, assess the leadership team, stabilise immediate delivery risks and agree a board-owned scorecard with explicit decision gates.
• Months 4–9: Make the principal CMO – Growth and Brand portfolio and organisation choices for the digital lending portfolio, install the new operating cadence, fill critical leadership gaps and deliver the first measurable release of cash, capacity or customer value.
• Months 10–12: Demonstrate a repeatable digital lending portfolio trend against efficient demand, brand salience and a common growth scorecard, lock the following year’s capital and talent plan, evidence control sustainability and present a credible three-year value case with downside actions.

What the board will measure

• Delivery of the CMO – Growth and Brand’s agreed first-year digital lending portfolio value case within a 10% tolerance, with variance explained before rather than after the relevant quarter closes.
• A CMO – Growth and Brand forecast that remains decision-useful across three consecutive quarters and reconciles the digital lending portfolio’s operating, cash, customer and people assumptions.
• Closure of the CMO – Growth and Brand mandate’s highest-priority digital lending portfolio risk and execution issues by their board-approved dates, with independent evidence that fixes are sustained.
• Retention of at least 90% of critical digital lending portfolio talent and ready-now successors for at least 70% of the CMO – Growth and Brand’s direct reports.
• A quantified CMO – Growth and Brand-owned improvement in the digital lending portfolio operating constraint behind conduct-risk remediation, supported by a clean baseline and named data owner.
• Clear stakeholder confidence in mandate 042: no unresolved high-severity escalation older than 30 days and no material surprise withheld from its agreed governance forum.

The person

You are currently a CMO, Growth Officer or Regional Marketing Vice President in a privately held Financial Services or adjacent enterprise. In relation to the digital lending portfolio, your CMO – Growth and Brand track record includes a transition where the original plan was no longer sufficient; you can explain your choices, evidence and numerical impact. Candidates from banking, insurance, payments, wealth or regulated fintech will be considered where the operating model, customer stakes and governance intensity match this CMO – Growth and Brand brief.

As a CMO – Growth and Brand candidate, you bring 22–28 years of progressive Financial Services or adjacent-sector experience, consistent with the 22-28 experience band. At minimum, you have carried a P&L, book, budget or accountable portfolio of £2,050 million and led an organisation of at least 220 people.

For mandate 042, the board wants two transitions: a difficult digital lending portfolio portfolio choice and a leadership-system change during conduct-risk remediation. As the prospective CMO – Growth and Brand for this digital lending portfolio, you must challenge optimistic cases and still create followership. References for mandate 042 must distinguish your contribution from the institution around you.

The CMO – Growth and Brand must be based in London; international relocation is supported, but this Financial Services role is not designed as a remote appointment.

Non-negotiables

• Current or recent accountability at the level of CMO, Growth Officer or Regional Marketing Vice President, with direct exposure to a board, investment committee or equivalent Financial Services governance forum.
• Proven CMO – Growth and Brand ownership of at least £2,050 million and leadership of no fewer than 220 employees in a comparable digital lending portfolio context.
• One completed Financial Services or adjacent-sector example of growth investment spread across channels without clear incrementality with outcomes sustained for at least two reporting periods after the initial intervention.
• Sector credibility from banking, insurance, payments, wealth or regulated fintech; experience that is purely functional and lacks CMO – Growth and Brand-level digital lending portfolio consequences will not meet the bar.
• Willingness to meet the London location expectation, complete conflicts and background diligence, and protect the confidentiality of mandate 042.

Compensation and terms

The anticipated CMO – Growth and Brand package is £210,000–280,000 base + annual incentive, calibrated to the final digital lending portfolio scope and the candidate’s current mix. Any long-term participation for mandate 042 follows standard vesting and performance conditions. The CMO – Growth and Brand appointment in London, centred on the digital lending portfolio, offers regular exposure to the group board and the relevant risk and people committees. A notice period of up to 6 months can be accommodated for the selected executive in mandate 042.

Confidentiality

Client identity is withheld at this stage and will be disclosed under mutual confidentiality after an initial fit discussion for mandate 042. Rounded ranges and blended context prevent this document from being used to triangulate the organisation for mandate 042.