How to Vet an Executive Coach for VP and C-level Marketing
I coach VP and C-level marketing leaders myself, so I'll describe what I do and the evidence behind it. I'll also cover how to vet any coach, so you can test me against others.
Why I'm qualified
I've held the CMO role twice and the CGO role once. I've also led Product teams and run business units. At JustGiving I ran a crowdfunding business line that transacted over £100m.
I've been coaching marketing executives for more than ten years, with clients in North America, the UK, Europe and MENA. Some go through a set programme. Others have stayed with me for two to three years while I helped shape their annual plans, org design and hiring.
CEOs and HR teams have also brought me in to audit a CMO's department and then coach that CMO. That work teaches you to handle situations most coaches never see.
» Here’s my coaching FAQs with more insights and information or dive into my dedicated CMO coach page
I've coached leaders from Nike, Cleo AI, BBC, Al Jazeera, Gett, Whereby, Vortic Art, VetAI, Doctify and sk:n.
Past clients include a CMO at a healthcare brand, a CMO at a micro-mobility brand, a VP of Marketing at an AI and fintech company, and a VP of Marketing in gaming.
Roxanne Nejad, VP of Marketing at AutoTrader, wrote that the coaching "reignited my lost confidence and creativity" when she came back from parental leave to a business that had changed while she was away.
» Read more of my coaching testimonials
How My Coaching Works
Every session is a workshop built around drills. I designed the system by combining three things: executive coaching, sports coaching and the structure of therapy sessions. Each session is one hour. You get homework in between, and we score each session so the next one gets better.
I coach four kinds of intelligence:
- IQ, meaning tactics and hard skills
- EQ, meaning emotional intelligence
- PQ, meaning political intelligence: how you handle C-suite dynamics, manage up to the CEO or board, and win internal buy-in
- WorkIQ, meaning how you manage, structure and design your organisation
» If you’d like an exec coaching one pager, read here
A typical engagement runs in four steps:
1. A 15 to 30 minute matching call. I don't take everyone, and if we aren't a good fit, we don't start.
2. A deep first session that maps your situation, your skills and the political and strategic blockers you face.
3. 12 to 15 one-hour workshops, usually weekly over two to three months. Some clients choose an intensive format of one or two full days instead.
4. A personal playbook, plus templates and frameworks you can roll out to your own team.
Throughout, you have private chat access and a "999/911" emergency line for high-stakes moments such as a board debate or a PR crisis.
Problems I usually work on
VPs most often come to me because they lead the department without the CMO title and don't get recognised for it.
Other common reasons are having no clear route from VP to CMO, a strained relationship with the founder, and having too many plates spinning to find time for strategy. CMOs most often come because they've lost confidence, the CEO is questioning their team's performance, they feel "too old" for new channels such as TikTok or AI, or they keep explaining the funnel to peers who don't get it.
» Read more about my VP Marketing coaching programme, or download my coaching cheatsheet
How To Vet Any Coach
Whoever you choose, ask these questions:
1. Has the coach held your seat recently? A former CMO will understand board pressure and CFO scrutiny in a way a general life coach usually won't.
2. Do sessions produce outputs, such as drills, homework and frameworks? If the coaching is unstructured fortnightly chats, expect slow progress.
3. Does the coach insist on a fit call, and will they say no? A coach who takes everyone isn't filtering for fit.
4. Can they show named, checkable testimonials from leaders at your level?
5. Will they work on political intelligence and org design as well as confidence? In my experience, those two areas are where marketing leaders get stuck most often.
To get started, book a matching call below or send me a direct message on LinkedIn.
If you tell me whether you're a VP aiming for CMO or a sitting CMO under performance pressure, I'll explain how I'd shape the first few sessions for you.