The Marketing Centre has added three senior marketing leaders to its network of part-time Chief Marketing Officers across the UK.
Nikki de Kretser, Chris Cathcart, and Mark Boulton have joined the organisation as fractional CMOs, each bringing a depth of board-level experience and a history of delivering measurable growth strategies for a range of businesses.
Professional backgrounds
Nikki de Kretser operates across Southern England and has a background in helping business-to-business companies within financial services, communications technology, and fintech sectors scale and enter new markets. Her previous roles include senior positions at BT Business, where she was responsible for launching the award-winning BT Business Plan TV campaign, resulting in a 10% uplift in customer acquisition.
She also led a global rebrand for Arkadin, reaching 35 countries, which underpinned sales growth and facilitated its acquisition by NTT Communications. At Cirrus Connects, de Kretser developed a partner marketing programme that generated a GBP £1.5 million sales pipeline in its first year.
Commenting on her new role, Nikki said:
"I'm passionate about connecting marketing and sales to drive business success. Having worked across multiple sectors and markets, I know how to turn marketing into a measurable growth engine. Joining The Marketing Centre allows me to use that experience to help ambitious businesses unlock new opportunities, strengthen their market position and accelerate growth."
Data-driven growth
Chris Cathcart, newly appointed as a fractional CMO serving the South, brings almost three decades of sales and marketing management, spanning the insurance, finance, education, retail, and travel sectors. His work at Google involved driving up to 25% year-on-year revenue growth for major clients. At Supporting Education Group, Cathcart launched and scaled the company's first business-to-consumer EdTech service, directly contributing to securing GBP £5 million in private equity investment and achieving 150% business growth in 18 months.
He also implemented data-driven marketing at Hampden Agencies, resulting in a 40% rise in client retention and a 20% increase in revenue. His commercial experience includes contributions at Tesco Personal Finance, Bigmouthmedia, and other significant brands.
Chris Cathcart explained his perspective on joining the firm:
"Data and customer understanding are at the core of driving sustainable growth, and I thrive on turning that into clear, actionable plans. The fractional CMO model gives SMEs access to that expertise without the commitment of a full-time hire, and I'm excited to partner with businesses to drive growth."
Alignment of marketing and sales
Mark Boulton, based in London, has held board and executive-level positions with a consistent emphasis on ensuring commercial plans support overall strategic objectives. At IFS, Boulton led a global team to reposition the business to compete alongside SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft, championing a digital-first marketing approach and helping the company achieve recognition as a Gartner leader in several categories.
As Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Revenue Officer at Phrasee, a generative AI software platform, Boulton devised a phased entry strategy into the US market. This approach accelerated profitability, developed a robust pipeline, and established a profitable reseller network. While serving as the first CMO at Inoapps, he introduced and integrated marketing strategies, built a demand generation model, and implemented both CRM and marketing automation systems.
Mark shared his approach to commercial strategy:
"I strongly believe that marketing and sales must work in tandem towards the same goals. My experience has shown me how powerful fully aligned commercial and strategic plans can be in driving business success."
Organisational outlook
Lucy Hogarth, Co-founder of The Marketing Centre, commented on the appointments:
"Nikki, Chris and Mark each bring deep expertise in aligning marketing with commercial goals, and a proven ability to deliver measurable growth. They strengthen our team's ability to support ambitious businesses, providing world-class marketing leadership when it's needed most."
The Marketing Centre offers businesses across the UK the ability to access experienced Chief Marketing Officers on a part-time basis, supporting strategic, commercial, and operational marketing needs. The addition of three senior figures brings the organisation's network to over 90 CMOs, with expertise spanning multiple sectors and markets. The CMOs work with companies to unlock growth, prepare for investment, and improve return on marketing investments through a flexible, no-contract approach.