How We Placed ECI’s First Chief Marketing Officer in Seven Weeks

ECI had reached the point where marketing could no longer operate as a reactive, service-oriented function. Following a significant private equity transition and the appointment of a new CEO, the global technology provider needed its first Chief Marketing Officer—an executive who could establish the strategy, sharpen the brand and build a more effective full-funnel demand generation engine.

MarketSearch Executive Search partnered directly with ECI’s CEO and private equity lead to define, recruit and place the right CMO. The search was completed in seven weeks, including role development and stakeholder alignment.

About ECI

ECI is a premier managed service provider (MSP) and managed security service provider (MSSP) specializing in cybersecurity, cloud, AI and data solutions for the alternative investment industry.

With offices across the United States, Europe and Asia, ECI combines global reach with localized, personalized service. Its capabilities include outsourced IT, private and managed cloud solutions, hosted IT, worldwide technology support, cybersecurity, disaster recovery and digital services.

The Challenge

ECI had never had a Chief Marketing Officer. Marketing had largely operated as a responsive internal service rather than a unified, proactive function connected to the company’s larger commercial strategy.

That left important opportunities on the table. ECI needed a stronger market position, a clearer story and a more deliberate approach to generating demand across the full funnel.

The timing made the hire especially important. A major change within private equity ownership, along with a new CEO, created the need for an experienced marketing leader who could:

• Establish the company’s first executive-level marketing strategy.
• Differentiate ECI in a crowded MSP, MSSP and financial technology market.
• Bring brand, content and demand generation together under one plan.
• Build the marketing function, not simply inherit an established playbook.
• Partner closely with the CEO, private equity leadership and the broader commercial team.
• Turn strategy and ideas into measurable programs that could be tested, optimized and scaled.

This was not a replacement search. ECI needed the right person to define what modern marketing should become inside the business.

Our Approach

We began by working directly with ECI’s CEO and private equity lead to align on the business need behind the title. That stakeholder work shaped a focused role specification built around the outcomes the new CMO needed to deliver—not a generic list of marketing responsibilities.

Process Highlights

• Developed a compelling CMO specification centered on market differentiation, strategic leadership and full-funnel growth.
• Positioned the opportunity honestly: the successful candidate would have the authority and responsibility to write the marketing playbook.
• Targeted senior marketing executives who combined strategic vision with the ability to execute, measure and continually optimize.
• Evaluated candidates for experience building marketing functions, unifying company storytelling and strengthening demand generation.
• Screened carefully for the ability to operate effectively with a CEO, private equity stakeholders and commercial leadership.
• Delivered weekly progress reporting to maintain visibility, alignment and momentum throughout the search.
• Assessed leadership style, judgment and cultural fit alongside experience and results.

We did not race to produce résumés. The goal was to identify a CMO who understood the opportunity, could earn credibility across the organization and was equipped to build the function ECI needed next.

The Result

MarketSearch placed ECI’s first Chief Marketing Officer seven weeks after the search began, including the time required to develop the role specification and align key stakeholders.

The placement gave ECI:

• Its first executive-level marketing leader.
• A proactive strategic partner to the CEO and private equity team.
• Greater industry credibility and relevant market relationships.
• Leadership capable of connecting brand, positioning and full-funnel demand generation.
• A foundation for stronger visibility, more disciplined inbound growth and continued revenue expansion.

Most importantly, ECI moved from a reactive marketing model to one led at the executive level—with a CMO prepared to build, lead and continually improve the company’s marketing strategy.

Why ECI Chose Us

Marketing executive search is different when the people leading it understand the work firsthand.

MarketSearch focuses exclusively on marketing and growth leadership. We know how to separate someone who interviews well from someone who can actually build the strategy, earn internal trust and deliver against the business goals behind the hire.

We do not “spray and pray,” and we do not race to place. We define the real need, selectively approach the right leaders and look beyond what is printed on a résumé. Experience matters, but so do judgment, character, leadership style and cultural fit.

That is how candidates and clients become long-term colleagues and trusted partners. Marketing executive recruitment should not end at onboarding. It should evolve.

Looking for Your Next Marketing Leader?

If your company is creating its first senior marketing role, replacing a critical executive or building a stronger growth function, MarketSearch can help you define the need and find the leader capable of delivering it.

Talk with MarketSearch about your retained marketing executive search.