Fractional Head of Ecommerce
Senior ecommerce leadership, without the full-time commitment.
What Is a Fractional Head of Ecommerce?
A Fractional Head of Ecommerce is an experienced senior ecommerce leader who works with your business on a part-time or interim basis. In this role, I provide strategic direction, hands-on leadership and commercial accountability (if required) of a full-time Head of Ecommerce, at a fraction of the cost.
For many businesses, hiring a senior ecommerce leader on a full time basis isn't the right solution, whether because of budget, the stage of the business, or the nature of the challenge they're facing. Working with me on a fractional basis gives you access to my expertise when you need it, insight and perspective from working across multiple businesses, but without the cost and administrative commitment of a full time member of staff.
A Fractional Head of Ecommerce typically works well when:
You are between permanent appointments and need experienced cover to maintain momentum and avoid losing ground
You are going through a period of significant change or delivering a specific ambition project such as a replatforming, a digital transformation programme, a new channel launch, and need senior leadership to oversee it, or own it
Your ecommerce team is capable but lacks a senior strategic lead to set direction and challenge thinking at board level
You are scaling rapidly and need experienced hands-on leadership before you are ready to justify a full-time senior hire
You want the benefit of a senior ecommerce leader's experience across multiple clients and sectors, rather than someone whose only reference point is your business
What I Bring
I have operated as Fractional Head of Ecommerce for a range of mid-to-large retailers and brands since 2018. Unlike many who offer this service from a purely advisory standpoint, I combine three distinct foundations:
Owner-operator experience.
I spent nine years building and running Freeze Pro Shop, growing it from a loss-making sub-£1m retailer to the UK's largest online retailer in its sector. I understand what it feels like to have the pressure of owning and leading a business
Consulting rigour.
My background at Accenture means I bring structured thinking, clear frameworks and the discipline of large-scale programme management to every engagement
Board-level credibility.
I work with the C-suite and senior leadership teams and am comfortable presenting to and challenging boards, setting strategic direction and holding agencies and internal teams accountable to clear KPIs and commercial outcomes
And I don't just advise, I can lead delivery as well if it’s right for your team.
How It Works
Every engagement begins with a thorough assessment of where the business is today. I seek to understand the current ecommerce ecosystem and how it fits in the wider business, performance, team structure, agency relationships and strategic priorities. From this, I establish a clear picture of what the opportunities are and in what order.
From there, engagements are structured around your specific needs. Some clients need a handful of days per month; others need a more intensive involvement through a major project. I work with each client to define the right model at the outset and review it as the engagement evolves. I pride myself of the longevity of the partnerships with my clients with some I’ve been with for more than six years.
Typical areas of focus include:
Ecommerce strategy and prioritised growth roadmap
Website development agency management and delivery oversight
Digital marketing agency selection, briefing and performance management
Acquisition, CRO, retention and internationalisation
In-house team development, recruitment and capability building
B2B and D2C channel strategy alignment and launch
Board reporting and stakeholder management
Recent Examples
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Appointed as Interim Head of Ecommerce to address declining online sales and to cover a gap in this position for the business. Delivered an end-to-end opportunity assessment, established a strategic roadmap and took direct oversight of marketing and development agencies. Supported the recruitment of a permanent Ecommerce Manager.
Result: Online revenue +45% YoY in Q1 2026 | Best month on the website since the Covid boom -
Provided fractional Head of Ecommerce cover between permanent appointments, managing the development agency roadmap, release planning and QA process alongside strategic projects to expand market share and reduce operational costs.
Result: Payment provider migration saving >£50K/year | Checkout CVR +4% | Biggest trading month on record -
Engaged to lead a full digital transformation across UK and European channels, working directly with the US parent company's CTO and UK & EU Senior Leadership Team.
Result: Best Q1 on record for the current UK website | Migrated nine legacy Magento 1 websites to Adobe Commerce |New B2B and B2C websites, PIM and consent management platform in delivery -
Ongoing fractional engagement since 2021, advising on ecommerce strategy, B2B and B2C growth, internationalisation, agency oversight and providing support to their ecommerce and marketing teams
Results: Confidential, at client's request
Let's Talk
If your business needs senior ecommerce leadership, whether to bridge a gap, drive a transformation or provide ongoing strategic direction, I would love to discuss it with you.