Hobbs & Towne Recruits Chief Marketing Officer for HomeWorks Energy
January 15, 2020 – As business becomes more global and complex, and power shifts from producers of goods and services to consumers, the chief marketing officer’s job of planning and coordinating marketing activities has become more challenging — and much more influential.
Recently, executive search firm Hobbs & Towne placed Bill Graham as the new chief marketing officer of HomeWorks Energy in Medford, MA. CEO Andy Towne led the assignment along with vice president Paul Gilkerson.
Mr. Graham is an accomplished marketer and experienced leader. He has expertise implementing metrics-driven direct marketing strategies, managing a P&L, growing businesses and building out committed and high-performing teams. His specialties include: multi-channel customer acquisition and service, international business, ecommerce, business development and negotiation, product innovation, leadership and general management.
Previously, Mr. Graham served as CMO of HomeServe. In this role, he oversaw all marketing (including direct mail, digital, telemedia and TV) as well as customer retention, PR/IR, product management and digital delivery for HomeServe USA. He previously held the chief digital officer role for the company. Previously, Mr. Graham was co-CEO of Prospectiv Direct, an online lead generation and strategic marketing company connecting brands with buyers. Earlier in his career, he was CMO for Affinion North America, where he oversaw marketing for $1.1 billion membership and insurance divisions.
HomeWorks Energy is focused on helping make homes smarter, greener and more comfortable year-round, specializing in home energy assessments, professional insulation work, and complete heating and cooling system upgrades.
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Founded in 1997, Hobbs & Towne is an executive search and advisory services firm. Partnering with venture capital, private equity and family office investors, as well as large, global companies, the firm has recruited across some of the most impactful technology categories, including but not limited to aerospace, agriculture, AI, bio and medical, data science, energy, food, IOT, mobility, robotics and sustainability. Hobbs & Towne has a team of 13 partners and 30 associates across offices in San Francisco, Philadelphia, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, and London.
Mr. Towne has been providing advisory and executive search services for over 25 years. He has personally completed over 500 executive searches, including over 150 of the firm’s 300-plus CEO searches. He has partnered with many of the premier investors around the world to build top-tier investment teams and leadership teams for transformative companies.
Mr. Gilkerson established himself as a key member of the firm in its industrial technology and sustainability sectors, with a passion for the burgeoning commercial space industry, the transportation and advanced mobility sectors, and the circular economy. He has worked with several investors and high-growth organizations to solve their most critical strategic hiring challenges. Mr. Gilkerson has placed executives at companies backed by some of the premier investors in the world, including Andreessen Horowitz, KCPB, Y Combinator, Social Capital, Playground Global, Mark Cuban, Brookfield Asset Management and Oaktree Capital.
Chief Marketing Officers
As business becomes more global and complex, and power shifts from producers of goods and services to consumers, the chief marketing officer’s job of planning and coordinating marketing activities has become more challenging, recruiters say. Yet executive search firms are seeing no shortage of assignments for this important C-level position.
Chief Marketing Officers Gaining Momentum As Business Game Changers
Today’s CMO works with the CEO to accelerate the organization and drive transformation. CMOs also collaborate with other members of the C-suite, especially with a company’s top HR executive to shape the company brand.
Current business landscape demands have only increased the contribution from CMOs, according to the latest research report from Forrester and Heidrick & Struggles. The survey found that CMOs are building strong relationships with the head of product and research and development to prepare their organizations for digital disruption.
“We see CMOs moving beyond functional expertise to assume responsibility for driving overall growth within their organizations,” said Sheryl Pattek, vice president, CMO executive partner at Forrester. “They are evolving into key strategic partners on the executive team, and know that collaboration with the rest of the C-suite will be instrumental to their success.”
Related: The Lancer Group Places Chief Marketing Officer for NAVEX Global
Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media