Case Study: VP Sales
Category: GTM Leadership Client: B2B SaaS Location: London, United Kingdom
VP Sales | London
Commercial leadership appointment supporting the company’s next phase of North American growth.
The context
A B2B SaaS scaleup was preparing for the next stage of commercial growth, with North America identified as a priority market.
The company had an established product, early enterprise traction and growing customer demand, but required more senior commercial leadership to build a repeatable sales organisation.
The existing team had created momentum, but the next phase required stronger forecasting, team structure, enterprise sales discipline and clearer ownership of revenue execution.
The company therefore began a search for a VP Sales capable of moving from individual commercial success to a scalable operating model.
The mandate
The successful candidate would be expected to:
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develop and execute the North American sales strategy,
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build and lead an enterprise sales team,
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improve pipeline quality and forecasting,
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strengthen sales management and performance standards,
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work closely with Marketing, Product and Customer Success,
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and support the transition toward a more predictable revenue model.
The role required an operator rather than only a senior relationship manager.
The company needed someone capable of selling, recruiting and building systems simultaneously.
The search challenge
Many VP Sales candidates had impressive revenue numbers and experience with recognised software companies.
However, not all had personally built the commercial infrastructure behind those results.
Some had inherited mature sales teams, strong inbound demand and established brand recognition. Others had scaled organisations but had limited experience entering a new geography or creating enterprise pipeline from a less established market position.
The search therefore focused on causality:
What had each candidate personally built, changed or improved?
The most relevant candidates needed comparable experience in terms of company stage, sales motion, average contract value and enterprise customer profile.
Our approach
We defined the commercial environment the incoming leader would inherit and the organisation they would be expected to create.
The search criteria included:
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experience scaling B2B SaaS revenue,
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North American enterprise market knowledge,
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track record hiring and developing sales teams,
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success with comparable contract values and sales cycles,
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forecasting and operational discipline,
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and ability to operate within a founder-led growth company.
We mapped candidates across SaaS, enterprise software and adjacent technology companies in the UK, Europe and the United States. Potential candidates were approached with a clear explanation of the mandate, growth opportunity, resources and commercial expectations.
Candidate assessment
Assessment focused on:
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sales motion relevance,
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new-market and enterprise expansion,
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personal contribution to previous revenue growth,
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pipeline generation,
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hiring record,
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performance management,
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forecast accuracy,
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cross-functional leadership,
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and ability to communicate with founders and boards.
We also tested whether candidates could operate effectively without the infrastructure of a larger, more mature software business.
Candidate reports included our scoring, evidence from the screening process, strengths, potential risks, compensation expectations and recommended areas for deeper client assessment.
The outcome
The company appointed a VP Sales with the enterprise SaaS and organisational experience required to lead its next phase of commercial growth.
The appointment provided stronger senior ownership of sales execution and supported the company’s ambition to expand further across North America.
Search highlights
Role
Sector
Location
Search focus
Outcome
VP Sales
B2B SaaS
London, United Kingdom
Enterprise sales · North American growth · Team building · Revenue operations
Successful commercial leadership appointment
What made the search effective
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Assessment based on stage and sales-motion relevance
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Clear distinction between inherited and personally created results
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Direct engagement with passive SaaS sales leaders
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Evidence-based review of hiring, forecasting and pipeline ownership
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Early alignment around the realities of North American expansion