Group Brand Director

Vet Partners are a group of vet practices and businesses across the UK, working in true partnership to help keep pets healthy and happy. Their journey started in 2015 with three practices, and the CEO and founder was a vet herself, collaborating with other experienced veterinary professionals to create a caring group of veterinary practices and businesses with a welcoming, family feel, guided by people with extensive experience of practice life and pet care. This spans across veterinary practices and veterinary businesses such as nursing schools, laboratories, and pet crematoriums. Today they are proud to have developed a supportive group of over 850 sites across the UK, Italy, France, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Portugal, and Ireland with 12,000 employees globally. Sharing a commitment to treating every animal like one of their own, whilst offering their own individual set of services to meet the needs of the local communities they serve.

In the UK, Vet Partners' presence is based in York where their veterinary teams receive centralised support in all areas, from finance to IT and marketing, as well as fantastic benefits, training, and investment, meaning they can focus on what really matters: delivering outstanding care to pets.

Due to continued growth and the requirement to develop new markets, Elevation Recruitment are partnering with Vet Partners to recruit a Group Brand Director. This is a key role for the business at a global and group level.

Role: Group Brand Director

Reporting to: Chief Marketing Officer

Location: York based, with hybrid working

The Role: As Group Brand Director, you will hold end-to-end ownership of the group’s brand across the UK and Europe, setting the long-term brand vision, strategy, and execution for the organisation. You will lead a significant brand transformation, evolving the business from a historically B2B-focused organisation to a trusted, emotionally resonant parent and endorser brand that engages both B2B and B2C audiences. Operating at Group level, you will ensure the brand drives growth, reputation, talent attraction, and long-term value, while empowering local markets to deliver culturally relevant execution. This role requires a seasoned brand leader with experience navigating complexity, scale, and multi-market environments.

Responsibilities:

• Brand Strategy: Define and own the group brand positioning and strategy across all audiences and European markets. Translate company culture, values, and strategic priorities into a clear, compelling, and differentiated brand narrative. Design the brand architecture, clearly articulating the relationship between the parent brand and local practice brands, and ensuring adoption across markets.
• Brand Evolution and Growth: Lead the evolution of the brand from B2B to B2C, establishing the group brand as a trusted endorser that creates emotional connection, awareness, and preference. Oversee the phased launch of the brand to B2C audiences, initially in the UK and subsequently across European markets. Ensure the brand plays a central role in supporting client recruitment, loyalty, and talent attraction, while strengthening overall company reputation.
• Brand Guardianship: Establish and monitor key brand health KPIs (awareness, reputation, NPS, etc.) across markets, using insights to inform strategy. Maintain strong awareness of European market trends, competitor activity, digital and channel developments, and consumer behaviour shifts. Provide senior leadership and direction to country marketing and communications teams through dotted-line relationships. Partner closely with country leadership to navigate cultural nuance, market maturity, and regulatory complexity. Act as the champion for brand consistency and integrity across all internal and external communications.
• Brand Activation & Experience: Set the plans for brand activation across all key touchpoints, including digital, social, in-practice experience, PR, and corporate communications. Own key group channels: corporate websites, group-level social media, and PR (including crisis communications). Partner with marketing teams to ensure consistent, high-quality execution of brand plans, tailored to local market needs. Lead external creative partners to bring the brand to life visually and emotionally, across all content and channels. Operate as a senior leader, partnering with the Senior Management Team including Country Leads, to embed the brand across the organisation. Influence at the highest levels, aligning stakeholders around a shared brand vision and direction. Build strong cross-functional collaboration and alignment across markets, functions, and leadership teams.

Skills & Experience needed to be successful in this role:

• Extensive senior-level experience leading brand strategy and transformation across multi-market European or global environments.
• Proven track record of building, evolving, and governing brands that drive growth, reputation, and long-term value.
• Experience engaging with Senior management, with the ability to influence, challenge, and advise senior leaders.
• Strong understanding of both B2B and B2C branding, including digital-first brand engagement.
• Demonstrated success leading complex, cross-functional organisations with both direct and matrixed teams.
• Experience within healthcare, veterinary, or other service-led industries is advantageous but not essential.

Success Measures:

• Strengthened brand awareness, equity, and preference among both B2B and B2C audiences.
• Clear articulation of brand architecture across Europe, with adoption by local markets.
• Consistent and high-quality brand execution across group and local channels.
• Positive brand perception among clients, colleagues, and industry stakeholders.
• Increased collaboration and alignment across functions and markets.