For business / For owners, CEOs & boards

PEOPLE. Decisions.

I work with owners and leaders on the decisions that shape digital business: whom to hire, which priorities to fund and how to challenge a strategy. We can work on a specific appointment, a strategic session or an ongoing advisory mandate.

Discuss working together

The context

Executive assessment & independent board advisory

For a business hiring its first e-commerce leader, changing its marketing leadership or strengthening digital expertise at board level. The work is anchored in the company’s commercial model, maturity and expectations of the role.

01

External expert in executive hiring

Assess candidates for Head of E-commerce, Online Store Director, Marketing Director / CMO and relevant digital leadership roles. I can join your hiring process alongside the owner, HR or a recruitment partner and examine the candidate’s professional judgement.

Possible scope & deliverables

  • A role brief and assessment criteria tied to business objectives.
  • Structured expert interviews and a relevant business case.
  • A written assessment: strengths, evidence gaps and follow-up questions.
  • A comparison of finalists using the same job-related criteria.
02

Independent director & advisory board

Open to discussing an independent director mandate or participation in an advisory board. My proposed contribution is in e-commerce, marketing, customer experience, AI adoption and digital investment priorities. The mandate, independence criteria, conflicts of interest and time commitment are agreed before appointment.

Possible scope & deliverables

  • Review of digital strategy, assumptions and investment proposals.
  • Questions and decision criteria for board discussions.
  • A reporting structure for commercial progress and execution risks.
03

Strategy sessions & expert second opinion

Facilitate a focused discussion when owners and managers need to align priorities, examine a growth plan or assess a major digital initiative. We agree the decision to be reached and the evidence needed before the session.

Possible scope & deliverables

  • A session brief, pre-reading and a decision-focused agenda.
  • A comparison of strategic options and their assumptions.
  • Agreed priorities, owners, next steps and review points.
04

Executive mentoring & onboarding

Provide a regular professional sounding board for an e-commerce or marketing leader. Sessions can focus on a new mandate, building the team, working with the owner or making difficult commercial choices.

Possible scope & deliverables

  • An onboarding agenda and first-stage priorities for the role.
  • Regular reviews of decisions, stakeholder expectations and execution.
  • A personal action plan with progress reviewed at each meeting.

How we work

A clear scope at each stage
  1. 01

    Define the mandate

    Clarify the business context, stakeholders and decision to be made. Agree scope, confidentiality and potential conflicts.

  2. 02

    Examine the evidence

    Work with role expectations, business data, interviews or strategy documents appropriate to the engagement.

  3. 03

    Support the decision

    Present a reasoned assessment and next steps. The owner or authorised governing body makes the final decision.

Experience & sources

Experience behind the advice

METRO: e-commerce leadership

Experience leading the e-commerce division at METRO Cash & Carry. A published Mindbox interview discusses customer data, the digital channel and the business behind omnichannel retail.

Read the source

L’Occitane: digital commerce in beauty

The MediaMetrics interview examines online and store sales, loyalty and the customer experience of buying cosmetics.

Read the source

Founder and President of ECDMA

Leading a professional association focused on e-commerce and digital marketing, with professional exchange, education and industry programmes.

Read the source
Eugene Mischenko: career, teaching and research

Questions about the engagement

Can you assess candidates found by our HR team?

Yes. I can join at the role-definition, interview or finalist stage. The engagement focuses on professional assessment and a documented recommendation; search and recruitment can remain with your existing team or agency.

How do you keep candidate comparisons consistent?

We agree job-related criteria in advance, use comparable interview questions and cases, and distinguish demonstrated experience from untested claims. The assessment describes evidence and uncertainties relevant to the role.

Can we begin with a single strategy review?

Yes. A defined review or facilitated session can be a standalone engagement. An ongoing advisory arrangement or board mandate requires a separate agreement on responsibilities and participation.

YOUR NEXT decision.

Tell me about the company, its stage of development and the decision in front of you. For hiring, include the role description and expectations; for a board mandate, outline the board’s purpose and planned participation. Agree confidentiality before sharing candidate or board materials.

We agree the scope, responsibilities, timing and fee after discussing the brief.

Send a project brief

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