Fractional Chief Marketing Officer
Marketing leadership at board level, from setting strategy to reporting on commercial targets.
Zebra Growth, 2018 to present
I help mission‑driven
organisations systemise
their growth
Building the brand and marketing systems, and the shared understanding within teams, that let the mission thrive.
- Firstport
- Doconomy
- Woolkind
- Desana
- Intelligent Growth Solutions
- Edinburgh University
- Crisis UK
- Good Place Lettings
- Fairnergy
- Elevator UK
- Enough
- Rockstart
- StartCOOP
- Cool Farm
- Radix Group
- Mocean Energy
- Social Supermarket
2025
Marketing Director of the Year
I won this for leading marketing from strategy right through to results. It’s the same work I bring to mission-driven organisations, where success is measured by progress on the mission as well as by revenue.
Where I add the most value
Drawn from 16 years of building and leading mission-led businesses, these are the skills that I put to use in my work.
Strategy
- Problem diagnosis & business strategy
- Market, customer & community research
- Product development & pricing
- B2B & B2C go-to-market strategy
- Marketing effectiveness & coordination
Brand
- Brand strategy & identity
- Segmentation, targeting & positioning
- Brand architecture & risk management
- Long-term brand building
- Brand assets, including websites
Growth
- Account-based & B2B marketing
- North Star Metric & OKRs
- Sales & marketing alignment
- Growth marketing & experimentation
- Product-led & community-led growth
Commercial leadership
- Reporting to C-suite on commercial targets
- Leading growth, marketing & brand teams
- Marketing operations & project management
- Income & business model diversification
- Business development, partnerships & fundraising landscape
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Guiding people to shared answers
I run brand, communications and marketing workshops with teams, boards and partners, on their own or as a longer programme. Each ends with something you can use: a written vision, a map, a story or a plan.
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How I can help
As a fractional leader, on a fixed-term contract or as a freelancer.
Marketing Director
Running the whole marketing function: brand, campaigns, operations and supporting the team behind them.
Zebra Growth · Intelligent Growth Solutions
Brand & Communications Lead
Brand strategy and communications, with a particular strength in positioning organisations so they stand apart and are understood.
Gulp · Good Place Lettings · Woolkind
Fundraising & Business Development Director
Diversifying income and business models, building partnerships and navigating the fundraising landscape.
Firstport Board of Trustees and Investment Committee
Workshop Facilitator & Trainer
Designing and leading workshops, away days and accelerator programmes on brand, growth and regenerative marketing.
Elevator UK · Firstport · Zebra Growth training
Stand apart in a sea of sameness.
When organisations look and sound alike, it’s hard for the right people to notice you, let alone remember you. I help you work out why you matter, who you matter to and what makes you different, so choosing you feels obvious.
Start from the inside
Workshops and honest conversations with your team to uncover why you exist, what you believe and what you do best. This gives us a first version of your story to test, rather than assume.
Hear from the people who matter
Talk to the customers, partners and communities you want to reach. Learn what they need, what they value and how they see you today, and compare it with what your team believes.
Look beyond the obvious competition
Map the alternatives your audience has, including doing nothing. Spot where everyone sounds the same and where there’s genuine room to be different.
Choose what you want to be known for
Bring together what your audience values and what you can truly deliver. Test the options with real people before committing, so the choice rests on evidence rather than opinion.
Make it recognisably yours
Turn that position into a story, key messages and a distinctive brand expression. Check that people understand it, believe it and remember it.
Put it to work and keep listening
Carry it through your website, campaigns and conversations. Keep track of what lands and refine what doesn’t.
Working with private and third sector organisations
Private sector
- Purpose-led start-ups
- Climate-tech & agritech scale-ups
- B Corps and certified businesses
- Family businesses
- Sustainable food & drink brands
Third sector
- Social enterprises
- Charities
- Social investors & funders
- Accelerators & support organisations
- Community and civic organisations
- Firstport
- Doconomy
- Woolkind
- Desana
- Intelligent Growth Solutions
- Edinburgh University
- Crisis UK
- Good Place Lettings
- Fairnergy
- Elevator UK
- Enough
- Rockstart
- StartCOOP
- Cool Farm
- Radix Group
- Mocean Energy
- Social Supermarket
Good intentions need good systems.
I work best with organisations tackling social, environmental and systemic issues, building the brand and growth foundations that let them focus on the change they’re there to make.
- years leading growth
- 16
- years leading growth
- projects delivered
- 200+
- projects delivered
- marketers trained
- ~2,000
- marketers trained
Selected work
Six spotlights across start-ups, scale-ups, social enterprises and accelerators.
Purpose-led start-up
Woolkind
Bringing regenerative values to life through brand and digital design.
Facilitated purpose workshops to uncover why the brand exists, then wrote the brand story and positioning and led delivery of a unified brand system and Shopify platform.
New product · commissioned by Crisis UK
Good Place Lettings
Redefining relationships between landlords, tenants and agents.
Facilitated workshops across several organisations to clarify mission, audiences and key messages, then developed the brand strategy and coordinated the visual identity.
Scale-up expanding globally
Intelligent Growth Solutions
51:1 ROI and £26m in new business over two and a half years.
Led the largest account-based marketing programme of my career, driving EU go-to-market expansion and closer sales and marketing alignment for an agritech pioneer.
Large social enterprise
Firstport
A clearer, more confident position as a responsible social investor.
Workshops defined audiences, personas, a North Star and three pillars — transparency, responsibility and support — then became a go-to-ecosystem approach and a connected content system.
Accelerator workshop delivery
Elevator UK
An eight-session regenerative and ethical marketing module.
Planned, designed and facilitated a module for the Impact Programme cohort, from regenerative business and impact goals to a North Star metric and ethical risk register.
CMO · Brand & growth strategy
RADIX
Marketing leadership, brand direction and growth strategy.
CMO support for RADIX, bringing together brand and growth strategy.
View my full portfolio
A fuller picture of the brands, campaigns and workshops behind the work above.
Open the portfolioWhat Elevator UK said
“Lee Fitzpatrick, co-founder of Zebra Growth, has been a remarkable addition to our Impact Programme at Elevator.”
His dedication to social and environmental justice, paired with his extensive entrepreneurial experience, has brought significant value to our cohort.
His collaborative spirit and emphasis on knowledge sharing have fostered a supportive ecosystem, enabling startups to navigate complex challenges effectively.
His commitment to driving positive impact makes him an exceptional leader and a true asset to any initiative aimed at fostering meaningful change.
His expertise in regenerative business models and strategic growth marketing has empowered fellow participants to rethink their approaches and achieve sustainable growth.
The contributions have elevated our programme, providing participants with the tools and confidence to implement regenerative marketing strategies.
We are grateful for Lee’s participation and look forward to seeing the continued impact of his work with Zebra Growth.
In their words
A few testimonials from people I've worked with.
“I’ve known Lee for about a decade. He has a rare character, bringing both innovative and practical on one hand, and reflective and deep on the other”
“The workshop was extremely enriching and inspiring, it made me re-assess my entire thinking process. I am beyond grateful for you Lee, this has opened up a new dimension on a personal and business level.”
“His thinking goes beyond traditional best practice and addresses the fundamental drivers of success behind people & the importance of investing in positive and socially conscious culture within your business”
Trained and accredited
Level C brand strategist
Certified ABM practitioner
Mini MBA in Marketing
Ready to give your mission the growth system it deserves?
Whether you need a fractional CMO, a marketing director for a fixed term, or a facilitator for your next workshop, start with a short conversation.