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Available for interim & fractional engagements

Shahbaz
Farooq

Commercial & Digital Growth Leader — Interim & Fractional Executive

Senior operator with 15+ years delivering measurable revenue growth, digital transformation and customer performance across eCommerce, education and international markets. I step in quickly and drive real results.

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£350M+
Digital revenue owned & scaled across EMEA markets
£30M
Incremental revenue growth delivered within 12 months
25+
International markets scaled across EMEA & beyond
15+
Years operating at executive & director level
About

Experienced leadership that delivers from day one

I work with organisations that need experienced leadership to improve performance, deliver growth or navigate change — quickly and without a lengthy onboarding runway.


My focus is always on measurable commercial outcomes. I combine strategic clarity with hands-on delivery, and I'm equally comfortable reporting to a CEO, working alongside a founder team, or stepping into a PE-backed environment.


With a background spanning Asda (Walmart), Farnell (Avnet), Cognita, Experian, Capgemini and my own £3M DTC eCommerce business, I bring both corporate rigour and entrepreneurial agility.

"This person can step in and fix things — not in six months, but in the first few weeks."
Rapid onboarding
Revenue-first mindset
Hands-on delivery
Executive presence
Data-led decisions
Cross-functional leadership
International markets
Board-level reporting
How I can help

Services

Engagements typically range from 3 to 12 months. Available part-time (fractional) or full-time (interim) depending on your needs.

01
Interim Leadership
Stepping into senior roles across marketing, digital, eCommerce or growth functions to stabilise, lead and deliver results. Full-time engagement, immediate impact.
02
Fractional CMO / CDO
Executive-level marketing and digital leadership on a part-time basis. Ideal for scale-ups, PE-backed businesses and organisations not yet ready for a full-time hire.
03
Growth & Performance
Improving acquisition, conversion and retention across the full customer journey. Data-led optimisation of your digital channels, CRM and customer lifecycle.
04
Digital & eCommerce Transformation
Designing and delivering transformation programmes across digital, customer experience, CRM and operating models. From strategy through to hands-on execution.
05
Education Sector Growth
Specialist experience in pupil and student recruitment, admissions funnel optimisation, international market development and digital demand generation across education groups.
06
Commercial Strategy & Advisory
Supporting leadership teams with growth strategy, operating model design, investment prioritisation and performance improvement. Board-level advisory available.
Career history

Experience

Headline role
Head of e-Marketing EMEA
Farnell (Avnet) — 2012–2013
Senior commercial leader with full P&L accountability for a £350M digital business across EMEA. Led 30+ people and an £8M budget. Delivered £30M revenue growth in 12 months through a digital-first transformation across 25+ international markets.
£350M P&L30+ teamEMEAeCommerce
Largest impact
Europe Marketing Director
Cognita Schools — 2014–2017
Doubled enquiry volumes within 18 months. Grew digital demand contribution from under 5% to over 60% through full digital transformation across a portfolio of independent schools in Europe.
Digital transformationEnquiries 2×Education
2025 — Present
Marketing & Growth Lead
Gateway Education (Advisory / Interim)
Advising senior leadership on international growth strategy across China and India. Overseeing enquiry and conversion performance, CRM optimisation and executive-level reporting.
2023 — 2025
Marketing Director (Interim)
LTFE (Corporate Training)
Led digital acquisition, brand positioning and commercial growth across Gulf markets. Defined multi-channel acquisition strategy targeting senior decision-makers. Improved lead quality through CRM and journey optimisation.
2019 — 2020
Analytics & UX Lead (Interim)
Capgemini / UK Government
Led analytics, UX and optimisation within a major UK government department. Established enterprise-level measurement frameworks and delivered CRO programmes to improve conversion.
2017 — 2026
Founder & Director
Bed Kings (DTC eCommerce)
Built and scaled a profitable DTC eCommerce business from inception to ~£3M annual revenue. Owned full P&L, built a team of 6, and ran all digital growth and operational strategy.
2014 — 2017
Europe Marketing Director
Cognita Schools
Doubled enquiry volumes in 18 months, grew digital demand from <5% to >60%, led group-wide digital transformation and built a central 8+ person marketing team across European markets.
2012 — 2013
Head of e-Marketing EMEA
Farnell (Avnet) — FTSE 100
Full accountability for £350M digital P&L across EMEA. Delivered £30M revenue growth in 12 months. Led 30+ team and £8M budget across 25+ international sites.
2010 — 2012
Head of Asda.com
ASDA (Walmart)
Reported to Multi-Channel Director and CMO. Delivered £4M website redesign, 10% checkout conversion uplift, and launched Asda's first digital CRM programme.
2009 — 2010
Global eCommerce Manager
Experian
Led UK digital transformation as part of global eCommerce function. Implemented new platform, supported subscription product growth and introduced governance frameworks.
Sector specialism

Education & International Schools

Deep experience working across independent school groups, corporate training providers and international education markets including the Gulf, Europe, China and India.

2×
Enquiry volume growth in 18 months at Cognita
<5%→60%
Digital share of total demand
4
International regions covered (EU, Gulf, China, India)
8+
Marketing team members built & led in-house

Organisations I have worked with in education and training:

Cognita Schools
Europe Marketing Director
Gateway Education
Marketing & Growth Lead
LTFE Corporate Training
Marketing Director (Interim)

"Experienced across pupil recruitment strategy, admissions funnel optimisation, CRM implementation, and international market development — with a track record of doubling enquiry volumes and transforming digital performance."

Discuss an education brief
Sectors

Sector
experience

Education & EdTech
eCommerce & DTC Retail
B2B Technology
Financial Services
Government & Public Sector
Corporate Training
Charity & NFP
Insurance & Fintech
Telecoms
Gaming & Entertainment
Get in touch

Let's
talk

If you're looking for experienced leadership to support growth, improve performance or lead through change — I'd welcome a conversation about how I can help.

shahbaz@bigindigital.co.uk
+44 7531 048 886
linkedin.com/in/shahbazfarooq