Chief Executive Officer

Running Point Recruitment; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity stake

Performance-based bonus

Growth capital

Access to clients

Autonomy

Job summary

Running Point Recruitment, in partnership with a well capitalised consumer commerce investment group, seeks a Founding Chief Executive Officer to create and lead a new social-first agency in Central London. The role offers equity, growth capital, and autonomy to own the strategy, P&L, and outcomes.

You will build the team, shape the proposition for creator management, paid amplification and programmatic services for consumer brands, and win the agency’s first accounts.

Qualifications

• Experience building a business from ground up and leading a new venture.
• Proven ability to win new business and manage client relationships.
• Strong commercial acumen with responsibility for P&L.
• Understanding of ecommerce, consumer brands, and agency pricing.
• Entrepreneurial drive with ownership mindset.

Responsibilities

• Define agency strategy and own commercial performance and P&L.
• Develop trusted relationships with consumer brands.
• Lead sales and win the agency's first accounts.
• Design operating model, service offering, and delivery processes.
• Set pricing, ensure profitability and quality standards.
• Hire and lead the team to deliver growth.

Skills

P&L ownership

New business development

Agency leadership

Sales leadership

Strategic planning

Job description

Competitive Salary + Equity + Bonus + Growth Capital

Central London, office based five days per week

Have you ever wanted to build your own social first agency?

Running Point Recruitment is partnering with a well capitalised consumer commerce investment group to appoint a Founding Chief Executive Officer who will create and lead a new social first agency specialising in creator management, paid amplification and programmatic services for consumer brands.

Building a company from the ground up normally requires personal capital, an established network and the freedom to accept considerable risk. This opportunity removes many of those barriers by providing a competitive CEO salary, a meaningful equity stake, growth capital to build the team and access to an established ecosystem of consumer commerce clients. In return, you will own the strategy, the P&L and the outcome.

What you will own

• Agency strategy: Set the direction for the new social first agency and take full responsibility for its commercial performance and P&L.
• Client relationships: Develop trusted relationships with consumer brands and convert warm introductions from the wider investment portfolio into long term clients.
• New business: Lead sales personally, shaping the proposition, opening conversations, pitching and winning the agency’s first accounts.
• The operating model: Design how the agency works, including its service offering, team structure, capacity planning, technology and delivery processes.
• Pricing and delivery standards: Set commercial terms, protect profitability and establish the quality standards that will define the agency.
• Team building: Hire, develop and lead the team required to deliver the agency’s growth plans.

What you will bring

• Zero to one experience: You have built a business, function, proposition or team from the ground up and are comfortable operating without an established playbook.
• Proven sales outcomes: You have personally contributed to winning new business and believe that the founder should remain closely involved in sales, particularly during the early stages of growth.
• Commercial acumen: You have owned a P&L, budget, revenue target or substantial account portfolio with clear financial accountability.
• Relevant agency expertise: You understand how marketing, creative or media agencies win work, price services and deliver profitably. Experience across creator management, paid amplification or programmatic media would be particularly valuable.
• Entrepreneurial drive: You want the ownership and potential upside of building a business. Experience founding a venture, freelancing, consulting or creating a new commercial proposition would be advantageous.
• Consumer brand experience: You have worked with FMCG or consumer brands and understand the commercial expectations of senior brand stakeholders.
• Strong career progression: You have demonstrated sustained performance, good tenure and increasing responsibility throughout your career.
• Experience within ecommerce, marketplaces or Amazon would be advantageous, although it is not essential.

The package

• Equity stake
• Performance based bonus as the agency scales
• Growth capital to fund the agency, its technology and its team
• Access to an established ecosystem of consumer commerce clients
• The opportunity to create and lead a business with genuine autonomy