Consumer · Chief Commercial Officer
Chief Commercial Officer executive search.
Retained CCO search for consumer brands and retail groups where commercial leadership drives the value-creation plan.
What the role is
A short definition.
A Chief Commercial Officer in a consumer business typically owns some combination of revenue, marketing, sales and commercial partnerships. In smaller businesses the CCO is effectively the number-two to the CEO on the commercial side. In larger businesses the role narrows — sometimes to sales-and-partnerships-only, sometimes to marketing-and-brand-only. The scope should be defined in the brief before starting.
Core responsibilities
What we assess candidates against.
- Revenue accountability across channels
- Marketing leadership (in businesses where CCO owns marketing)
- Sales and commercial partnerships
- Channel strategy and management
- Executive team representation for the commercial function
- Cross-functional coordination with Product, Ops and Finance
When to run this search
Typical triggers.
When a founder CEO wants to hand off commercial leadership; when a business needs commercial reset following underperformance; on a PE-backed reset; ahead of international expansion; on the departure of an incumbent CCO.
How we search
The specific approach we take.
Retained. Candidate pools depend on the scope defined in the brief — sales-and-partnerships CCOs come from a different pool than marketing-and-brand CCOs. Every mandate begins with clarity on scope before candidate mapping.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a CCO and a Chief Marketing Officer?
A CCO typically has broader revenue accountability including sales and partnerships; a CMO is typically marketing-only. In smaller businesses they can be the same role. We calibrate against client usage.
Can you support B2B commercial leadership as well as consumer?
Yes. B2B CCOs are handled under our Marketing & Communications practice where marketing is the primary scope, or here in Consumer & Retail where revenue and partnerships are primary.
How long does a CCO search take?
Twelve to sixteen weeks brief to accepted offer is typical.
How is compensation structured?
Base, cash bonus tied to revenue metrics, and equity or LTIP participation.
Can the CCO search be run alongside a CEO search in parallel?
Yes, and this is common in PE-backed businesses where a full commercial leadership refresh is underway. We coordinate the two searches to avoid candidate conflicts.
Related practice