Marketing headhunters, tml Partners, are delighted to have partnered with the team at Carmoola to source their new Brand and Marketing Director
Founded in 2021, Carmoola is a high-growth fintech startup on a mission to make the UK car finance market faster, fairer, and entirely built around the customer. Having raised funding from top-tier investors and helped over 10,000 customers get behind the wheel, the business is scaling rapidly with 200% YoY growth. With a best-in-class NPS of 92, Carmoola’s product experience is already industry-leading. As the company moves toward scaling from £15M to £100M+ in revenue, the business remains focused on revolutionising a traditional industry through seamless technology and a customer-centric approach.
The Challenge
As Carmoola prepared for its next phase of growth, leadership recognised the need for a visionary brand leader to achieve a step-change in creative output and emotional resonance. The mandate was to find a foundational Brand and Marketing Director who could blend strategic brand leadership with breakthrough creativity to make Carmoola “unforgettable.”
The incoming leader would be entrusted with full responsibility for brand strategy and customer engagement across all touchpoints. Key requirements for the role included deep brand expertise, a sharp understanding of behavioural psychology to drive smarter marketing decisions, and a strong commercial instinct to align brand strategy with aggressive revenue growth targets. The business needed someone capable of navigating the complexities of a scaling fintech while maintaining the agility of a “small but mighty” team.
The Solution
tml Partners was selected by Carmoola following a competitive pitch process. Malisha Patel, Head of the Financial Services practice at tml Partners, led the search and adopted a deeply collaborative approach. Malisha worked closely with CEO Aidan Rushby and Chief of Staff Anoushka Amin to define the world-class talent required for such a pivotal role.
By maintaining a continuous feedback loop and leveraging a deep understanding of the CEO’s pressures and the company’s need for efficiency, tml Partners narrowed the search effectively. A key strategic pivot during the process was the decision to look beyond the financial services sector to find a candidate who could bring fresh, consumer-centric perspectives. Their specialist expertise in senior marketing appointments allowed tml Partners to mitigate the risks associated with such a high-stakes hire.
The search resulted in the successful appointment of Rachel Kaplan, a high-calibre marketing leader with extensive experience in scaling global consumer brands. Rachel joined from Loop Earplugs, where she served as Director of Brand & Go-to-Market, and her background includes senior roles at Tangle Teezer and Dyson. Rachel has now settled into the role and is thriving, leading the charge to make Carmoola a household name as they redefine the car-buying experience.
About tml Partners: Specialist Headhunters for Marketing Commercial Roles
tml Partners are specialists in Executive Search with access to a global network of commercial, marketing, communications, brand, product and digital leaders. Our team work with businesses ranging from fast-growth challenger brands to blue-chip organisations to develop their in-house teams.
As one of the world’s leading commercial and marketing recruitment agencies, we can support whether you’re seeking interim or permanent solutions. Our team has the expertise to support across various sectors and locations.
To learn how tml Partners can help you, please get in touch.
