People relocate to London to build their marketing careers. In 28 years in executive search, I have seen it again and again: ambitious senior marketers and digital leaders from around the world decide that if they want to test themselves at the highest level, London is where they need to be.
Why? This is my personal view, shaped by working on global marketing and digital roles for the past three decades. The key global hubs that stand out to me are London, Paris, New York, Dubai and further afield, San Francisco and Singapore. I think London has earned its place as a global benchmark for marketing leadership, and this piece explains why.
Suzie Walker, MD & Founder, Suzie Walker Executive Search
What makes London a global benchmark?
London has always held its place as one of the leading global cities for senior marketing and digital professionals. The calibre and level of expertise are extremely high.
Two things sit behind that. The first is depth. Senior marketing talent here has worked across an unusually wide range of sectors, from financial services and technology to media, consumer brands and professional services. Leaders learn to move between them, and to bring fresh thinking from one to another. The second is concentration. Many global businesses have their head offices in London, and that means marketing leaders here are often operating on a global stage, with international remits, complex stakeholders and commercial accountability to match.
That combination attracts people. Senior leaders move to London because the roles, the businesses and the peer group are the kind that stretch a career.
London, Paris, New York & Dubai - how marketing differs from technology
In my view, for marketing specifically, London sits alongside Paris, New York & Dubai, attracting senior marketing and digital professionals from around the world; they have world-class expertise, and offer the scale of roles that ambitious marketers want.
Technology talent tells a different story. It is more spread out. Amsterdam, Berlin and, increasingly, Lisbon are attractive European hubs for technology professionals, each with its own strengths and communities. Marketing leadership (in Europe), by contrast, is more concentrated in London.
That is a difference worth understanding if you are hiring or planning a move. A technology search often means looking across several European cities. A European marketing search is more likely to focus on London and Paris.
The community behind the talent
Talent alone doesn't make a benchmark. The community does.
London's marketing community is particularly active. Professional bodies such as The Marketing Society, and The Marketing Academy, which are global and have a vibrant, engaged community of world-class leaders, give senior marketers somewhere to learn from one another, share experience and build relationships beyond their own organisations.
We are part of that wider London community in our own way, through our in-person events for London's marketing, digital and technology leaders. Those conversations are where we hear what is changing first-hand.
What it means if you're hiring in London
London offers a deep, high-calibre pool of senior marketing talent, but it is a competitive one. The best leaders are rarely looking. They are often well regarded in their current roles, well connected across the community, and approached regularly.
From our work across the UK, New York and Dubai, we see a few things consistently:
The strongest candidates are in demand. A compelling brief, defined around the outcome you want rather than a job title help to engage some of the best “passive” candidates.
Reach matters. A network of more than 42k senior professionals, built over decades, means we can speak to leaders who would never respond to an advertisement.
Process needs rigour and pace. Being a marketing and digital specialist executive search firm, we are able to work efficiently, aiming to complete shortlists for interim roles within 7 to 14 days and within 28 days for permanent roles, often including interviewing circa 30 to 40 candidates for each search.
If you are a global business with a head office in London, the advantage is real: you are hiring in a market where world-class marketing leaders choose to be.
What it means for senior marketing and digital leaders
A strong community rewards people who invest in it. If you want to build your profile in London, relationships are the place to start.
In The Successful Candidate, I write about building a strategic relationship portfolio: the people, inside and outside your organisation, who understand your work and can speak for it. A few principles hold true in London as anywhere:
Show up consistently. Events, professional bodies and peer groups reward those who attend regularly and contribute, not those who appear once.
Give before you ask. The most respected leaders are generous with introductions, advice and time.
Build relationships before you need them. The strongest networks are made while you are in a role you love, not the week you start looking.
If you are considering relocating to London, the same applies, with one addition: start building your connections here early.
Talk to us
Whether you are hiring a senior marketing, digital or technology leader in London, or thinking about your next move, we would be glad to talk. To find out how we can support you with senior leadership hires, connect with a Consultant. You can also follow my profile, our company page and my newsletter, The Successful Candidate: Tips from Inside the Hiring Room, on LinkedIn.
Suzie Walker Executive Search is a specialist headhunting firm dedicated to finding exceptional interim and permanent senior marketing, digital, and technology leaders for both B2C and B2B organisations. We partner with FTSE 350 and private equity–backed companies, recruiting for roles at Head, Director and Chief (C-suite) level.
If you’re ready to make your next move, we regularly post new opportunities on our LinkedIn company page. If you apply for a role on the platform, it requires a 1st connection for us to respond, so please make sure to connect with Suzie Walker. Our company page is also frequently updated with the latest hiring news, expert interviews, and candidate guidance, so well worth following.
