Aspiring MBD leaders – Advice from a CEO

July 9, 2026|Accountants, Kim's Blog, Lawyers, Management Skills, Marketing, Strategy|

This is one of a series of articles supporting the Home – PM Forum new training course Aspiring Marketing and Business Development Leader – PM Forum (for marketing and BD managers looking at their next career move). Becoming a CMO is an aspiration for many senior MBD managers. So, I sought the views of Edward Gordon-Hall – CEO of Druces law firm – on his advice to aspiring MBD leaders. Edward has a distinct perspective – having made two senior career transitions – first to CFO and then to CEO – across several well-known law firms. Aspiring MBD leaders – Advice from a CEO.

It was fortuitous that I bumped into Edward at the Managing Partners’ Forum 2026 Growth Conference– where the two main themes were private equity and business development. (Managing Partners’ Forum Growth Conference 2026)

In this article, Edward talks about how aspiring MBD leaders need to:

Understand, create and execute strategy
Cultivate a different level of credibility
Develop leadership skills to rise above the operational
Make a real impact
Collaborate

About Edward Gordon-Hall

Since summer 2023, Edward Gordon-Hall | LinkedIn has been CEO of Druces, a mid-sized City of London law firm. There are 70 legal professionals led by over 20 partners.

He has a long career in professional services including roles as Finance Director/CFO at Lewis Silkin, Olswang and Druces as well as Practice Director roles at Kilburn and Strode:

It’s interesting to note that his progress wasn’t linear. He absorbed operations, practice management and administration responsibilities alongside his main professional career in finance, a common route for finance professionals.

I worked at Olswang too. 10 years before Edward’s time there. Naturally, the firm and its management had changed significantly over that time. But it was interesting that we had both seen what had propelled that firm through its phenomenal growth – and also what made it necessary (long after both of our departures) to be absorbed into a larger entity (CMS) in 2017.

Interesting too that we had both fond memories of transitional moments in our careers at Olswang. For me, it was the opportunity to present to the Board (as part of my MBA studies) on a

major opportunity that would reposition the firm for further growth. For Edward it was an achievement of which he is justifiably proud – measured financial improvements.

Understand, create and execute strategy

Edward’s first piece of advice is about increasing your strategic ability.

“To move up to a CMO role it is important to understand strategy creation and execution, and know how the various disciplines execute strategy. In addition, you must understand your own organisation’s strategy and how those disciplines should be aligned to it”.

“It’s a significant change in the way you think. It’s Board level of thinking at a higher level. You move from the comfort of a specific discipline where you’ve spent the lion’s share of your career to date with operational business as usual routines – to a mindset that’s about the organisation’s strategic aims and objectives where you are mostly planning the future”

He notes that this isn’t a solitary pursuit, requiring collegiate thinking. It means actively contributing to Board discussions and playing a part in co-creating strategy. You become equal to the owners in a C-suite position, helping to shape the future vision – and then make it happen.

“You have to help create the vision and the goals – think about how everything aligns to that vision. You’re no longer waiting to be told what to do. You are no longer taking instructions. You are part of the team shaping the future direction of the firm and driving it forward”

There’s much material on how to be more strategic. See, for example:

Promoting strategy conversations with questions December 2025

Be more strategic – Strategy is about making choices August 2025

Be more strategic – Strategy into Action (Strategy Implementation) December 2024

Be more strategic – Stretch your strategy muscle May 2024

Book review: The Strategy Book by Max McKeown November 2023

Be more strategic – PESTLE, Positioning and Plans December 2022

Edward recognises that the strategic shift is often eased by undertaking a further programme of study, such as an MBA – which is a common choice for aspiring marketing leaders once they have their professional qualifications under their belt. “An MBA will take you through finance, economics, risk and specific organisational behaviours such as culture, ethics and strategy – which takes you to a higher plane”. Many professionals in the sector attend specific shorter courses, such as the Harvard Business School course “Leading Professional Service Firms”. Leading Professional Service Firms | Executive Education

I often talk about T-Shaped professionals – deep knowledge in one discipline and a broad appreciation of a business’s other functions and how they work together (see Future Marketing Manager – T-shaped people, senior promotions)

Cultivate a different level of credibility

You also need to establish a different level of credibility to make the transition to CMO. This goes beyond visibility, influence and persuasion.

You need to gain the trust of the Board. Show you have a broader perspective of the market and the firm. It’s more challenging than seeing the world through the MBD lens.

“Many aspiring marketers struggle with this” he reflects. “You have to show you have the right skill set to help drive the business forward”.

It would be unfair of me to share Edward’s views of the standout CMOs in the legal profession (besides, of course, the one in his own firm). But he shared an observation about seeing one such person at a conference and thinking: “This person really understands business leadership and strategy – and they can see the opportunities and risks in this rapidly changing market””.

Develop leadership skills to rise above the operational

“Future leaders have to rise above the day-to-day, business as usual stuff. At more junior levels you focus on the tasks at hand, at C-Suite level your thinking becomes more entrepreneurial. You must think like an owner, identifying and offering ideas on what should and could be achieved in the future – and how it might be done”.

A CMO needs to be focused on and geared towards the firm’s overall performance, rather than their own area. “Our CMO isn’t down in the detail weeds. He’s built the right team around him to manage the execution and operational aspects. He’s out there driving the business forward”.

This suggests that a key step on the route to CMO is to ensure that you have not just the right team, but a talented and skilled second in command that can take charge of the important day-to-day running of the function. And that can be extremely positive for your own development. By recruiting and developing a talented No. 2, it enables you to focus on and perform that C-suite contributor function. Edward strongly emphasises the maxim that you must recruit the best possible people to work with you. “Without that you will constantly be on the back foot, always keeping an eye on operational matters as well and this a major handicap”. Edward mentioned this fun video First Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy – YouTube which talks about the importance of first followers to create momentum in a movement.

He said to think about a “day in the life” of different roles. As a head of function, you might be operational most of the day, with very limited time to think strategically. Yet as a C-suite member you are thinking all day: “Where are the business opportunities – what is next?” and “How might we successfully seize them?”. That most important leadership question “What is next?”

He mentioned here a book that was important to him: “What management is” by Harvard Business School Joan Magretta. We all have a favourite business book!

This leadership ability of future thinking is becoming harder to achieve as professional service firms metamorphose into different business models – whether through the demands of private equity owners or the impact of AI transformation.

Make a real impact

CMOs need to spot opportunities – the ultimate business development. With a broader perspective than marketing. They need to be outcome focused.

Edward shared a personal story about the difference between senior managers and C-suite directors. “I was doing a perfectly good job as finance director – and having a real impact on the firm’s P&L account. But it wasn’t until I led a significant project to implement a multi-lingual, multi-currency, highly visual practice management system that it was felt we made a real impact enabling the firm to grow internationally”

This suggests that as an aspiring marketing leader you need to do more than what appears on your job description and is covered in your and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). It means extending yourself and doing more than expected. Really delivering.

Edward talked about this more integrated, collaborative approach at C-suite level. He shared how his firm managed the transition to a new premises. As CEO he was aware of the approaching end of lease. The decision was taken not to extend the lease but to move to new premises – a significant and costly undertaking. Yet he knew instinctively that this was the right decision – particularly as one of the four pillars of the firm’s values was environment. An environment that promotes the right professional and growth mindset. And he was delighted that his own Head of BD – an integral part of the firm’s C-suite – suggested that the firm conducted a planned rebrand at the same time. “A CMO needs to see what the firm is trying to achieve and bring considered ideas to the table”.

Collaborate

An underlying theme in what Edward kindly shared is about collaboration.

Early career progression is often about what you achieve as an individual – yes, as part of a team but wanting to make your mark. As you become more senior, the focus shifts and its more about what you enable and empower your team to achieve. And it’s no different stepping up to a CMO role – it’s not simply about you shining as an individual. It’s about your ability to step into the Board room, play a role in facilitating creativity and collaboration and help the Board – as a team – accelerate the firm’s progress.

So it’s not just a career progression – it’s more of a step change…

Other articles in this series:

Aspiring MBD Leaders – Advice from a Chief Commercial Officer June 2026

Aspiring MBD leaders – Advice from recruitment consultants – Kim Tasso May 2026

Aspiring MBD leaders – Advice from a CFO – Kim Tasso April 2026