Fractional Marketing Director for purpose-driven businesses.
Accountability for better marketing outcomes, without the cost of a full-time hire.
No one accountable for marketing at board level?
You may need a fractional marketing director.
I give your marketing direction, accountability and board-level credibility.
Go from this:
- Marketing activity isn’t clearly aligned to business priorities
- There’s no single senior person accountable for delivery
- Decisions are slowed down by lack of experience and confidence
- There’s limited visibility of what’s working, what isn’t, and why
- The board sees marketing as a cost, not an investment
To this:
- Clear marketing direction aligned to business priorities
- A senior owner accountable for strategy, decisions and outcomes
- A focused plan the team can execute with confidence
- Faster, better decision-making supported by evidence and experience
- Board reporting that shows the value marketing creates, not just the activity
What I offer
- Director-level ownership of your marketing function
- Clear marketing direction aligned to business goals
- Clear recommendations on where to invest more, redirect or pull back
- A focused strategy the team can realistically deliver
- Leadership for your marketing team
- Regular planning, review and prioritisation
- Oversight of execution and performance
- Technical, creative and process expertise
Why work with me?
- Experienced marketing leadership without the commitment of a full-time hire
- I’ve led marketing for several small businesses
- I’ve run numerous mission-critical website migrations and directed significant marketing budgets across all channels
- I take responsibility for direction, decision-making and follow-through
- I bring structure, pace and accountability to marketing delivery
Hi, I'm Ned Wells. After more than 25 years in marketing, I'm increasingly fascinated by the challenge of how businesses can meet their near-term financial needs, while doing right by people and planet. It's why I set up The Impact Files podcast.
My early career was as an engineer, introducing new manufacturing systems and modernising how factories work. I then joined PwC, working as a management consultant on wide-ranging projects across Europe. Both roles taught me how boards decide where to invest.
After PwC, I was head of strategy at a fast-growing web development agency, before founding, growing, merging and exiting a digital marketing agency. So I know first-hand what it takes to run a business, win customers and build something of value.
Today I give purpose-led businesses the marketing leadership they need, as their fractional marketing director.
Some results
Over 25 years, I’ve led marketing and digital programmes for hundreds of organisations, from small businesses to global brands.
Trade sale
First Line IT: marketing leadership for 15+ years, from under £250k revenue to successful exit.
7x
Royal Academy of Dance: 700% growth in new members joining via mobile.
Zero
Standard Chartered and TGI Friday: no loss of search rankings after website relaunch.
3x
E-commerce business: enquiries tripled, cost per enquiry down 30%.
158%
National charity campaign: revenue up 158%, cost of acquisition down 24%.
Wondering how this would work for your business?
"Ned's strategic marketing expertise was instrumental in helping us expand Impact Pumps' pay-as-you-go SolarPlex system to a wider audience.
His strategic insights and hands-on support strengthened our marketing approach and helped generate impressive early results."
Mark Bryant, Chief Executive Officer, Impact Pumps
"Ned's brought some great strategic thinking to our digital marketing work, helping us to pinpoint where we might have most impact and designing the tools and resources we need to get ourselves noticed."
Graham Duxbury, Chief Executive Officer, Groundwork UK
"Ned’s support has been crucial to our successful journey as a relatively new business over the past few years – alongside providing additional capacity; extensive skills and knowledge in areas such as marketing and communications, he also brings emotional intelligence and a shared set of values to the table – things which are equally important to us."
Mike Ormerod, Head of Central Services, BDSIP Ltd.
Notable organisations I've worked with:
Commercial
- Essentra
- Fujitsu
- Oxford Instruments
- Standard Chartered Bank
- Philips
- Sony
- Smith and Nephew
- TGI Friday
- Wirth Research
As well as lots of start-ups, small and medium-sized businesses.
Charity and not for profit
- CPRE
- Crisis
- Diabetes UK
- Girls Not Brides
- Groundwork UK
- Health Foundation
- Marie Stopes
- Plan International
- Queen Elizabeth Foundation
- Royal Academy of Dance
- The Elders
- Sue Ryder
As well as lots of micro, small and medium-sized charities.
Membership and public sector
- Chartered Management Institute
- Chartered Institute of Marketing
- UK Hospitality
- Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)
- Institute of Directors
- Metropolitan Police
- Middlesex Learning Partnership
- Ministry of Defence
- Oxford University
- Oxford Brookes University
- UNISON
And some smaller membership organisations too!