Marketing Headhunters, tml Partners, Place Group Marketing Director at Unipart

Unipart Group, one of the UK’s largest privately held companies, sought to strengthen their leadership team by hiring their first Group Marketing Director. This pivotal role was designed to unify the marketing efforts of multiple business units and drive a cohesive go-to-market strategy.

About Unipart

Unipart Group is a leading provider of supply chain solutions and performance improvement technologies. It has expertise and breadth of capabilities in sectors including – automotive, rail and public transport, technology and healthcare.  Operating in 21 markets, in 2023 Unipart delivered £1bn turnover and in 2024 it is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Unipart brand.

The Challenge

Unipart needed a marketing leader to:

• Unify a legacy business unit with a complex P&L structure
• Create a single go-to-market strategy
• Undergo Marketing and Communications transformation 
• Identify areas to consolidate and drive efficiencies
• Develop digital-first brand architecture to represent future growth

They turned to tml Partners for their expertise in finding the right talent.

The Solution

Selina Cowell and David Price at tml Partners led the search. They worked closely with Unipart Group’s hiring team and CEO, Darren Leigh, to understand the company’s needs and strategic objectives. The search focused on identifying a marketing leader with experience in complex organisations and the ability to drive transformation.

After an extensive search, tml Partners appointed Caroline Brill, a proven CMO with experience in both complex FTSE 100 organisations and innovative scale-ups, as the Group Marketing Director at Unipart. Caroline’s expertise in unifying marketing efforts and driving digital transformation made her the perfect fit for this critical role.

Darren Leigh, Unipart Group CEO, commented: “Absolutely delighted to welcome Caroline Brill to Unipart Group as our new Marketing Director. Our brand and marketing will be central to the success of our growth agenda; to bring all the strengths of our company together under a strong, instantly-recognisable brand that has the confidence and trust of some of the world’s most demanding customers. Caroline has a proven track record of developing and implementing commercial, measurable strategies and programmes across many sectors including automotive, defence, logistics and retail. I look forward to the impact Caroline’s role and function will deliver over the coming years.’’

Caroline Brill, the placed candidate, added: “Selina is an outstanding recruiter for her clients. Her honesty, support and coaching during the recruitment process, and her care and her commitment were a unique experience and make the process a really enjoyable one. She also knows her industry incredibly well which is a strong value add for candidates and clients. It was a real pleasure to go through the process for this incredible role at Unipart Group with her.”

About tml Partners: Specialist Commercial and Marketing Headhunters

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.

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 with Selina: