Placing the Director of Product – Consumer and B2B Regulated Products
Challenge
Our client, one of the most iconic brands in the UK, engaged CVM People to appoint a Director of Product – Consumer and B2B Regulated Services – a pivotal leadership role at the heart of the organisation’s strategy to deliver outstanding customer outcomes and commercial growth across its Consumer and B2B businesses.
This was a complex and confidential brief. The successful candidate would be responsible for the full lifecycle management of all FCA-regulated products, contributing to a combined £700m+ in revenue across Consumer and B2B channels. Reporting directly to the Chief Commercial Officer, the role required a blend of strategic product leadership, regulatory knowledge, and commercial acumen.
Beyond technical expertise, the individual needed to bring strong stakeholder influence, a collaborative mindset, and the ability to operate in a highly matrixed, regulated environment – while leading a diverse team and serving as a product SME in critical governance and risk forums.
Solution
CVM People designed and ran a targeted and highly consultative search strategy, bringing together our domain expertise in regulated markets, product leadership, and commercial transformation.
Our process included:
- Deep stakeholder engagement with senior leaders within our client to understand the organisational goals, cultural dynamics, and regulatory responsibilities tied to the role
- A targeted talent mapping exercise focused on experienced product leaders within regulated industries such as insurance and financial services
- Discreet, relationship-led candidate engagement to surface individuals who combined regulatory fluency with strong commercial and leadership capability
- A structured assessment framework to evaluate strategic thinking, stakeholder management, compliance understanding, and team leadership
Results
CVM People successfully appointed an exceptional Director of Product who:
- Had a proven track record in regulated product leadership, with experience launching and evolving customer-centric products in complex, compliance-driven environments
- Demonstrated strong commercial ownership and the ability to align product strategy with EBITDA growth
- Showed confident leadership and stakeholder influence across cross-functional teams
- Brought a strategic vision coupled with the ability to execute at pace
Quote from the hiring manager: Chief Commercial Officer
“I was particularly impressed with CVM People’s deep understanding of the relationship between product, compliance, commercial growth, and customer value. They brought a level of insight and perspective that went far beyond simply sourcing candidates. Their ability to connect market trends with our strategic objectives allowed us to refine and evolve our search criteria mid-process -ultimately helping us to better align with what the market had to offer and attract a truly high-calibre shortlist. The quality of candidates presented was exceptional, and the final hire has already begun to make a tangible impact on the business. CVM People demonstrated real strategic value at every stage of the process.”
Chief Commerical Officer
