Head of Corporate Strategy

The role of head of corporate strategy‍

This role is responsible for developing and refining the company’s strategic direction. The head of corporate strategy works closely with senior leadership to identify key growth opportunities, assess potential risks and recommend strategic initiatives. They're working back from founder's vision and long-range strategy and plans to drive and prioritize company's initiatives.

Corporate strategy leaders often progress to chief strategy officers or corporate development. Some will move into business lines as well, becoming P&L leaders or taking general manager positions.

When to hire a head of corporate strategy

A head of corporate strategy is typically hired when a company is looking to enhance its competitive positioning, explore new markets or needs a robust strategy to navigate complex business challenges.

You would typically hire for a head of corporate strategy once your business is more established. There are early stage companies that combine it with other roles, for example strategy and operations, but at the scale where you talk about corporate strategy exclusively, it would be for a company that's further along its journey,.

What makes a world-class head of corporate strategy?

A world-class head of corporate strategy possesses a deep understanding of industry trends, a strategic mindset, and exceptional analytical skills. They are adept at scenario planning and have a proven ability to drive consensus among senior stakeholders.

World-class here often looks like the individuals coming out of the three main strategy consulting firms of McKinsey, Bain and BCG. Other exceptional leaders in the space likely had successful careers at other leading strategy consulting firms coupled with the experience of working for a startups post business school.

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Chief Revenue Officer

The role of the chief revenue officer‍

The CRO is responsible for all revenue generation processes in an organization, aligning all revenue-related functions, including sales, marketing, customer support, pricing and revenue management.

Chief revenue officers really going to be overseeing all of the revenue drivers for the business -- your sales functions will report to them, your business development functions will report in them.

When to hire a chief revenue officer

‍A CRO is hired when a company seeks to optimize and accelerate its revenue streams to achieve rapid growth.

What makes a world-class chief revenue officer

A world-class CRO combines strategic vision with practical execution skills, excels in building and leading high-performing teams, and has a proven track record in scaling business operations effectively.

Positions LF Partners has placed

• Chief Revenue Officer, EasyKnock

Head of Business Development

The role of head of business development‍

The head of BD is going to be someone who's results-oriented but with also strong business sense as well.

They focus on generating new business opportunities, building strategic partnerships and expanding the company's market reach. This role involves identifying new markets, negotiating deals and driving the business’s growth initiatives.

When to hire a head of business development

This role becomes crucial when a company aims to accelerate its growth through partnerships, acquisitions or entering new geographic markets.

What makes a world-class head of business development?

A world-class head of BD has a strong track record of successful deal-making, excellent networking skills and a strategic approach to creating long-term value. They are often characterized by their persuasive communication and negotiation skills.