NED / Chief Executive Officer

The Business

We represent a high-growth and well established SaaS business operating in a regulated, mission-critical sector. The company is entering a phase of scale and professionalisation, with a clear pathway toward a liquidity event in the next 2-3 years.

The Opportunity

We’re looking for a hands-on operator: start as a NED, move into the MD (CEO designate) in under 12 months. The role is central to driving value, scale, and a high-quality liquidity event.

Why the NED phase exists:

• Work one day/two days a week while learning the business and offering critical scale up and operational input, essentially a strategic Chief Growth Officer
• Understand the team, culture, and operations and as importantly the key sectors the business operate within, though lived experience of having worked in these a major advantage
• Validate mutual fit
• Allow a structured handover from the founder
• Prepare to take full operational control

Bottom line: if you don’t want the CEO role, stop reading.

Phase 1: Active NED (0-12 months - highly likely 6 months)

Your mission in this phase:

• Learn the business end-to-end - product, tech, commercial model, sales, regulations
• Assess the team and culture - build trust, spot gaps, observe dynamics
• Understand the founders vision - identify sensitive areas and where change is needed
• Diagnose operating and leadership structure - evaluate gaps and opportunities
• Review commercial performance - pipeline, forecasting, ARR, retention, enterprise adoption
• Influence selectively - guide strategy without taking full control
• Shape the target operating model for scale and exit
• Pressure-test the exit story - make sure buyers will get it

Key principle: hands-on, active NED only. No ceremonial roles.

Phase 2: MD (CEO designate) - (Full-Time Executive Role as MD progressively taking full control as the CEO)

Once you transition:

• Full P&L ownership and operational leadership
• Product and technology vision and direction
• Drive predictable revenue, retention, and margin improvement
• Lead the business through a transaction or liquidity event
• Act as primary interface with buyers and advisors

The founder steps back completely from day to day operational decision making - no shadow decision-making.

Who We’re Looking For

You are:

• A commercially focused leader in SaaS/software - strong proven record in sales, marketing, GTM strategy
• Preferably a founder/CEO who has exited successfully, or a CCO/COO who has worked closely with them to scale a company for exit readiness or completed a liquidity event
• Explicitly motivated to return to a hands-on CEO role

What This Role Is (and Isn’t)

This role is:

• A short runway to de-risk CEO transition
• A chance to run and exit a real business with real upside and wealth creation opportunity
• A mandate to professionalise, simplify, and strengthen leadership

This role isn’t:

• A long-term NED
• Advisory or mentoring
• Consensus-driven board experiment
• A guarantee that leadership roles remain unchanged

Equity & Incentives

Meaningful equity is on offer, designed to reward:

• Successful transition to CEO
• Value creation during scale
• High-quality exit delivery

NED salary, future equity and incentives will be discussed openly with qualified candidates.

Why This Opportunity Exists

Founder wants to step back and realise value. The business needs a proven entrepreneurial commercial leader - founder-CEO or sales/marketing C-level operator - with scale and exit knowledge and successful experience. The board wants clarity, authority, and decisive leadership. This is rare. If you’ve run a SaaS business to scale and want to do it again - driving revenue and growth while managing exit mechanics, this is your chance.