Conducting an Executive Search for a Chief Marketing Officer to unify brand strategy and drive student acquisition in a multi-campus regional university across two countries.
The Brief
A leading regional university with a multi-campus footprint across two countries engaged Future Leadership to appoint a strategic and visionary Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). The university was seeking a leader to unify its marketing, communications, and student recruitment efforts across domestic and international markets. The role was pivotal in enhancing brand visibility, student acquisition strategies, and stakeholder engagement.
The university had over 70 recruitment staff globally, supported by international and domestic marketing teams and a network of education agents. The CMO would be responsible for launching new academic programs, including a flagship Bachelor of Early Childhood Education, while managing internal political dynamics and avoiding market cannibalisation between campuses.
The successful candidate would need to demonstrate strategic agility, stakeholder influence, and the ability to lead a large multidisciplinary team in a competitive higher education landscape.
The Process
Future Leadership designed a tailored, confidential executive search strategy, led by a senior consultant team with deep experience in education and research appointments. The team included a Managing Partner, a Senior Research Associate, and a Business Services Coordinator.
The search was structured over eight weeks:
- Step 1: Stakeholder briefing and development of candidate prospectus
- Step 2: Search campaign (initially without advertising), market intelligence gathering, database research and network engagement
- Step 3: Candidate qualification, internal calibration and Future Leadership interviews.
- Step 4: Shortlisting, panel interviews, reference checks and offer negotiation.
A digital advertising package were launched mid-November, with ads closing in early December. No external advertising was used beyond the Future Leadership website, LinkedIn, and Seek.
Candidates were assessed through:
- Behavioural interviews
- Psychometric profiling using tools such as Hogan, OPQ, and Talent Q
- A scenario-based strategic presentation focused on launching a new course across campuses while managing internal competition and political tensions
The panel interview scenario required candidates to:
- Develop a cohesive go-to-market strategy
- Recommend campus rollout sequencing
- Address internal competition risks
- Propose mitigation strategies for political tensions and brand fragmentation
Interview questions explored leadership style, stakeholder engagement, use of analytics, campaign success and values-based leadership.
The search team maintained weekly communication with the university, including calibration meetings and progress updates. The consultant attended panel interviews and managed logistics.
The Outcome
A shortlist of 4–6 candidates was presented, with panel interviews conducted in late November. Final candidates underwent psychometric testing and 360-degree reference checks.
The appointed candidate brought over 25 years of experience across higher education and strategic marketing roles in Australia, the UK, and the US. Most recently, they led a central marketing and communications function at a major university, overseeing more than 120 staff and a budget exceeding $20 million. Their achievements included re-establishing a purpose-driven brand strategy, developing a full-funnel student recruitment framework, and implementing a higher education-specific econometric model to track marketing ROI and student acquisition outcomes. They also led the development of a new student experience strategy and a direct admission pathway program, both of which were integrated into the university’s strategic plan. Their leadership style, grounded in human-centred team development and data-enabled innovation, aligned strongly with the client’s aspirations for strategic brand growth, stakeholder engagement, and market expansion.
