OCL Vision, expert eye care specialists, worked with our Executive Search team to find a Marketing Director for their organisation. Following recent investment from BGF, they needed a marketing leader to take them to their next stage of growth.
Hiring a fractional marketing leader to define, sharpen and scale OCL Vision
The story of OCL Vision
OCL Vision is one of the UK’s most advanced eye clinics, combining world-class surgeons, cutting-edge treatments, and exceptional patient outcomes. From life-changing laser eye surgery and lens replacement to sight-saving treatments for glaucoma and retinal conditions, OCL serves two distinct audiences – lifestyle-driven vision correction patients and older clinical patients.
With BGF growth investment and plans to expand across new sites, the business is entering a high-growth phase. To realise this ambition, OCL needed a senior marketing leader who could refresh and differentiate the brand, unlock greater customer acquisition, and optimise the entire patient journey.
Challenge: Building a premium brand while driving immediate results
OCL’s marketing to date had leaned heavily on digital acquisition and bottom-of-funnel tactics. To meet ambitious growth targets, they needed a Marketing Director who could:
- Sharpen the value proposition across two distinct customer segments
- Balance long-term brand building with short-term lead generation
- Operate as both a board-level strategist and a hands-on executor
- Make smart “buy vs build” decisions across internal teams and agency partners
The brief demanded a rare blend of creativity, commercial acumen, and deep understanding of premium, multi-site B2C services. To find such a marketer, OCL Vision engaged our Executive Search consultants.
Solution: A targeted executive search in a competitive market
We were retained to lead the search, mapping talent across premium healthcare, luxury retail, and high-consideration consumer services. Working closely with the CEO and Chair, we defined success criteria, benchmarked profiles and built a shortlist of leaders with proven experience in scaling brands at pace.
The process included:
- 9 shortlisted candidates
- 4 final panel interviews with the CEO, Chair, and lead surgeon
- 1 outstanding offer and acceptance
Throughout the process, we managed weekly feedback loops, shaped expectations and provided market insight to ensure alignment between candidate profiles and the role’s evolving needs.
Result: A marketing leader with the strategy, energy, and hands-on approach to deliver growth
The successful candidate joins the senior leadership team, reporting directly to the CEO. They bring the strategic mindset and executional drive to refresh OCL’s brand, optimise the patient journey, and scale acquisition across both consumer and clinical markets.
It was a challenging brief and a tight time scale but Harrison at 3Search quickly grasped what we were looking for and helped refine the brief further. They then worked at pace to deliver a strong shortlist of candidates, communicating well throughout as a true business partner. We’re delighted by the outcome and quality of work delivered by 3Search.
