Fractional COO / GTM Operations
- Launch processes that run the same way every time
- Work management, standard operating procedures and automation across teams, regions and agencies
- Stopping, or rescuing, programs that aren’t delivering
Industries · Consumer brands & retail
Fractional C-suite leadership for consumer brands and retailers
I've run go-to-market operations for a global consumer brand selling into more than 70 markets, and led digital, e-commerce and marketing work for fashion, health and wellness, and hospitality brands.
When does a consumer brand or retailer need a fractional executive?
For a consumer brand or retailer, a fractional executive usually earns their keep where launches, markets and agencies multiply faster than the operating model: coordinating teams and partners, localising at scale, and taking cost out with automation and AI. I take the COO, CMO or Chief AI Officer seat part-time and own the result.
What I see
Common challenges for consumer brands and retailers
01
Every launch feels like the first
Launch know-how lives in a few people’s heads, and coordinating teams, regions and agencies takes more effort than the launch itself.
02
Too many agencies, not enough direction
Creative, media, translation and digital agencies all need briefing and managing, and nobody senior owns how they fit together.
03
Localisation costs keep climbing
Every new market and product adds translation, adaptation and review work, and the bill grows with it.
04
E-commerce and new markets are under-resourced
A new channel or country needs a proposition, content and partners of its own, not a copy of the home market.
05
Systems and data are fragmented
Product, marketing and launch information sits across tools, spreadsheets and inboxes, so status takes chasing.
06
Programs are running that should stop
A digital or platform program has momentum and a steering committee, but it isn’t going to deliver what the business needs.
Where I help
Three seats I can fill
Fractional CRO / CMO
- Brand and marketing leadership above your agencies
- Market entry and e-commerce propositions
- Pricing and channel strategy across retail, wholesale and online
Fractional Chief AI & Transformation Officer
- AI-first translation and localisation
- Automating content and launch workflows
- A practical AI use policy for marketing and customer teams
Fractional seats from A$12,000 + GST a month; a two-week diagnostic from A$15,000 + GST. How I work
Experience
I've done this work inside consumer brands and retailers.
Clients and employers are anonymised. Figures are as reported at the time.
- Head of Global GTM Operations for a global consumer brand selling into 70+ markets
- One intake form now triggers 450 launch tasks across 8 internal teams, 4 regions and 14 agencies
- Moved translation and localisation to an AI-first platform across 14 languages, saving ~US$1M a year
- Recommended stopping a US$1M+ digital program; the alternative avoided US$1M+ in capex and ~US$600K a year in opex
- Acting head of digital for a global health and wellness brand, and China e-commerce content strategy for a global fashion accessories brand
450
Global consumer brand (70+ markets)
One form. A global product launch.
Turning a global new-product launch into a single automated workflow across teams, regions and agencies.
~US$1M
Global consumer brand (70+ markets)
AI translation at global scale.
Moving a global brand's translation and localisation to an AI-first platform, saving around US$1M a year.
US$1M+
Global consumer brand (70+ markets)
The project worth stopping.
Recommending a US$1M+ digital program be stopped, and the better alternative the business adopted instead.
FAQ
Consumer brands & retail: common questions
Do you work with brands selling into several countries?
Yes. Most of my consumer-brand work has been global, including go-to-market operations for a brand selling into more than 70 markets, with launches coordinated across regions and agencies.
Will a fractional executive replace our agencies?
Usually not. A fractional CMO or COO sets the strategy and the brief, manages the agencies and holds them to results. Most brands keep their agencies and get more from them.
Where does AI save money for a consumer brand?
In expensive, repeatable work you already pay for, such as translation, localisation and content adaptation, and in coordinating launches. Moving translation to an AI-first platform saved one global brand around US$1M a year.
What does a fractional executive cost?
My fractional seats start from A$12,000 + GST a month for about one day a week, and a two-week diagnostic from A$15,000 + GST. Interim cover is quoted after a call.
Further reading
Growth & go-to-marketFractional CMO vs marketing agency: which do you need?
An agency executes, a CMO owns the strategy and the result. How to tell which your business needs, when you need both and how they work together.
6 min read
AI & transformationAgentic AI workflows: what's real for mid-market businesses
What agentic AI workflows can really do for a mid-market business today, where they fall short, how to pick your first one and how to run it safely.
7 min read
AI & transformationWhen to kill a transformation project
Stopping a program is one of the hardest calls a leader makes. Here's how I recognise a project worth stopping, and how to do it well.
5 min read
Other industries
Let's talk about what's next for your business.
A 30-minute conversation, no pitch deck. If I'm not the right fit, I'll tell you, and point you to someone who is.