Executive Search Success Story: Securing a Chief Marketing Officer to Build Patient Acquisition and Brand for a Multi-Site Healthcare Services Platform

How JRG Partners executed a confidential North American executive search that equipped a private-equity-backed multi-site healthcare services platform with a Chief Marketing Officer and the patient acquisition, brand, and marketing analytics leadership required to unify twelve acquired brands, build a scalable digital patient acquisition engine, reduce cost per new patient, and support de novo expansion across new markets.

The Challenge

A private-equity-backed healthcare services platform had grown through twelve acquisitions to more than 160 locations operating under a dozen legacy brands, each with its own local marketing, websites, and patient acquisition tactics. New patient volume growth had slowed, cost per new patient varied more than threefold across markets, online reputation was inconsistent, and the sponsor’s de novo expansion plan required a repeatable way to build patient volume in new markets quickly. No marketing executive existed at the platform level. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the value-creation plan:

• Twelve legacy brands with fragmented websites, local marketing, and inconsistent patient experience
• New patient volume growth slowing, with cost per new patient varying more than threefold across markets
• No digital patient acquisition engine, marketing analytics, or attribution at the platform level
• Online reputation and review management inconsistent, affecting conversion in competitive markets
• De novo expansion requiring rapid patient volume ramp in markets with no brand awareness
• Sponsor same-store growth and de novo targets dependent on marketing capability not yet in place

Recognizing that growth required a platform marketing executive, the CEO and sponsor engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Chief Marketing Officer, supported by a VP of Digital Patient Acquisition & Analytics and a VP of Brand & Local Marketing. The company required an executive search partner with deep healthcare services expertise and access to marketing leaders who had unified brands and built patient acquisition engines across multi-site platforms.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

CMO Search Specialization

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice for Chief Marketing Officer searches, with a proven methodology for evaluating candidates on brand strategy, digital acquisition, marketing analytics, multi-site execution, and measurable volume and cost outcomes.

Private Equity Platform Experience

Our team has extensive experience serving healthcare-focused private equity sponsors and multi-site platforms, with a clear understanding of same-store growth, de novo ramp expectations, and the marketing capability sponsors expect to scale.

Healthcare Services Marketing Expertise

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across multi-site healthcare services, consumer health, and retail healthcare companies, ensuring an immediate understanding of patient acquisition economics, local market marketing, reputation management, and brand unification across acquired practices.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Brand & Acquisition Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, sponsor operating partners, COO, and regional leaders to review brand landscape, patient volume and cost trends, digital and local marketing practices, reputation data, and de novo plans. This review defined a CMO profile combining brand unification, digital patient acquisition build, and multi-site marketing execution.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting chief marketing officers and senior marketing leaders at multi-site healthcare services, consumer health, and retail healthcare companies who had unified brands and built patient acquisition engines. Over 255 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of consolidating acquired brands, building digital patient acquisition and analytics functions, reducing cost per new patient, managing online reputation at scale, and ramping patient volume in de novo markets. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented a brand unification and patient acquisition plan to the CEO and sponsor, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified volume, cost, and brand outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 255+ healthcare services and consumer health marketing executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Placed a multi-site healthcare CMO in 50 days.
• Consolidated twelve legacy brands into one platform brand within twelve months.
• Increased new patient volume by 28% while cutting cost per new patient by 40%.
• Halved time to target volume in de novo markets.
• Exceeded sponsor same-store and de novo growth targets.