Engageware did not simply need another CMO—it needed a marketing leader who could enter the business, move quickly, and turn marketing into a stronger driver of pipeline, revenue, and enterprise value. Working directly with Engageware’s CEO and Clearhaven Partners’ Value Creation Lead, we found and placed that leader.

Case Study

Placing a Chief Marketing Officer for Engageware

Engageware provides customer engagement and knowledge management software to enterprise customers across banking, credit unions, wealth and asset management, insurance, and financial brokerage. The company also serves select customers across technology, retail, healthcare, and government.

MarketSearch partnered directly with Engageware’s CEO and the Value Creation Lead at Clearhaven Partners to recruit and place a Chief Marketing Officer capable of building a more coordinated, revenue-focused marketing organization.

The Challenge

Engageware needed more than an experienced software marketing executive. It needed a CMO who could enter the business, quickly understand what had and had not worked, and begin creating measurable value from day one.

The role had not been handled correctly in the past. That raised the stakes for everyone involved. The next CMO needed the strategic range to strengthen Engageware’s market position and the operating ability to improve demand generation, product marketing, team performance, and alignment with sales.

Working jointly with Engageware’s CEO and Clearhaven Partners’ Value Creation Lead, we defined the type of leader the company needed:

• A proven enterprise and B2B software marketing executive.
• A strategic partner to the CEO, PE sponsor, sales leadership, and product organization.
• A hands-on operator who could assess the existing team, technology, data, and programs.
• A leader capable of connecting marketing investments directly to pipeline, ARR, and organic growth.
• An experienced team builder who could move quickly without losing sight of the longer-term strategy.

Solution and Approach

MarketSearch built the search around the outcomes Engageware needed its new CMO to deliver—not simply the title or a standard list of marketing responsibilities.

Process Highlights

• Worked directly with Engageware’s CEO and Clearhaven Partners’ Value Creation Lead to establish the mandate, success measures, and leadership profile.
• Evaluated candidates for both strategic leadership and their ability to remain close to execution.
• Targeted marketing executives with experience in enterprise software, complex buying environments, demand generation, product marketing, and revenue alignment.
• Assessed each candidate’s record of building teams, improving marketing performance, and translating technical products into clear commercial value.
• Examined what candidates had personally led and delivered—not simply the results of the companies where they had worked.
• Prioritized leaders who could diagnose the existing operation quickly, earn the confidence of the executive team, and create early momentum.
• Managed a focused and highly communicative search process with alignment across the CEO and PE sponsor.

The CMO Mandate

The CMO selected by Engageware assumed ownership of several critical areas.

Strategy and positioning: Own product positioning, messaging, pricing strategy, and category development across Engageware’s enterprise software portfolio.

Demand generation: Scale multichannel digital campaigns, account-based marketing, and inbound programs tied directly to pipeline and ARR targets.

Product marketing: Turn complex technical capabilities into clear value propositions while overseeing product launches, demonstrations, competitive intelligence, and sales enablement.

Marketing leadership: Hire, mentor, and structure a high-performing global organization across growth, content, product marketing, public relations, and field marketing.

Revenue alignment: Build stronger coordination between marketing, sales, product, and customer success so the company could operate around shared growth priorities.

Early Impact

Within the first six months, it was clear we had placed a standout CMO.

During the first 30 days, the new marketing leader reviewed Engageware’s historical performance data, technology stack, team capabilities, active programs, and market position.

By day 60, the CMO had established clearer target-buyer personas, value propositions, and messaging frameworks. From there, the CMO developed a comprehensive 12-to-18-month marketing plan tied directly to the company’s revenue goals.

The work also helped Engageware:

• Improve lead-qualification rules so marketing-qualified leads were more closely aligned with what sales needed.
• Strengthen coordination across marketing, sales, product, and customer success.
• Optimize website funnels and email programs to improve conversion opportunities.
• Establish clearer accountability for pipeline contribution and marketing performance.
• Build a more focused foundation for scalable organic growth.

The Result

MarketSearch placed a CMO who brought the right balance of strategy, operating depth, and speed.

The successful placement gave Engageware and Clearhaven Partners a marketing leader who could immediately assess the business, establish a clearer market position, improve revenue alignment, and build a practical growth plan.

This was not simply about filling a C-suite opening. It was about finding the right executive to turn marketing into a stronger and more accountable driver of enterprise value.

Strong Call to Action

Is Your Business Ready for Its Next Marketing Leader?

The right CMO should create value well beyond the marketing department. MarketSearch helps CEOs, private equity firms, and value creation teams recruit senior marketing leaders who can strengthen positioning, build pipeline, align with sales, and accelerate growth.

Talk with MarketSearch about your retained marketing executive search.

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FAQ

Who led the Engageware CMO search?

MarketSearch partnered directly with Engageware’s CEO and the Value Creation Lead at Clearhaven Partners to define the mandate, evaluate candidates, and place the company’s Chief Marketing Officer.

What type of CMO did Engageware need?

Engageware needed an enterprise software marketing executive who could lead strategy and positioning, improve demand generation, strengthen product marketing, build a global team, and connect marketing performance to pipeline and revenue.

Why was this CMO search especially important?

The position had not been handled correctly in the past. Engageware needed a proven leader who could assess the business quickly, create early momentum, and develop a longer-term marketing strategy tied to growth.

What did the new CMO accomplish during the first six months?

The new CMO assessed Engageware’s data, technology, team, programs, and market position; clarified buyer personas and messaging; and developed a 12-to-18-month marketing plan connected to revenue goals.

Does MarketSearch recruit marketing executives for private equity-backed software companies?

Yes. MarketSearch works with private equity firms, value creation leaders, CEOs, and executive teams to place CMOs, VPs of Marketing, Heads of Growth, demand generation leaders, and product marketing executives.

What does MarketSearch evaluate during a retained CMO search?

MarketSearch evaluates strategic leadership, operating ability, industry relevance, team-building experience, revenue accountability, executive presence, and the candidate’s personal contribution to past results.

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