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Supporting Spartan with the hire of their Global Senior Brand Manager

Our partnership with Spartan, the world’s largest obstacle race and endurance brand, began in 2025. The team approached our recruiters to support a critical brand leadership hire for their DEKA fitness challenge.  

As part of the Spartan portfolio, DEKA is a high-growth, mission-driven fitness brand based in the US. Expanding further into the UK and Europe, they needed a marketer who could elevate brand perception in these markets, build strategic consistency, and represent DEKA with energy, credibility, and creativity. 

Supporting Spartan with the hire of their Global Senior Brand Manager

The story of DEKA

DEKA sits within the globally recognised Spartan ecosystem, known for redefining fitness challenges and creating highly engaged, community-led experiences. With rapid international growth and a renewed focus on brand expression, DEKA needed a senior marketer who could take ownership of brand strategy and elevate their positioning as they expanded across new markets. 

The brief was to find a Global Senior Brand Manager who could: 

  • Own and refresh the DEKA brand strategy for Europe 
  • Bring a strong voice to an emerging brand, where awareness was limited 
  • Operate both strategically and hands-on 
  • Thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven culture  

Because the brand was unfamiliar in the European market, DEKA needed a recruitment partner who could tell their story well and attract talent who might otherwise overlook the role. 

Challenge: Hiring a standout marketer for a brand still building recognition in the UK & Europe

Although Spartan has a strong US presence, DEKA is still relatively new to the UK and European markets. This meant that brand awareness was low, and hiring became an immediate challenge.  

To build recognition, momentum and community-led activation across the region, DEKA needed a Global Senior Brand Manager whose focus would centre on the UK and Europe despite the global remit. To engage top-tier brand talent, they needed a specialist brand recruitment partner who could compellingly position the opportunity to candidates. 

The hiring team chose to partner with 3Search because our deep network within UK health, fitness, sport, lifestyle and wellness meant we could access and influence the right caliber of candidates. With the team based internationally, they needed someone on the ground who could bring the brand to life in a way that resonated with the UK talent market. 

Solution: Representing the DEKA story to the UK market

Specialist brand recruiters, Harri Goode, and Liz Hopkins partnered with DEKA’s hiring team to shape the brief and define the characteristics of the ideal hire. From the outset, weekly check-ins ensured transparency, alignment, and momentum. 

We provided: 

  • Market insight and salary benchmarking to shape expectations 
  • Tailored candidate shortlists, refined weekly based on live feedback 
  • A narrative that positioned DEKA as a high-potential, mission-driven challenger brand 
  • UK Search expertise to ensure we targeted candidates who had both creative brand expertise and the energy to excel in a mission-driven environment 
  • Clear communication throughout the interview process to allow the DEKA team to focus on stakeholder alignment and final decision-making

 

Result: A standout brand leader driving DEKA’s next chapter

DEKA appointed their new Global Senior Brand Manager, who has already made a significant impact. They recently returned from Florida where they led on the DEKA World Championship 2025 launch in Fort Lauderdale — a hugely successful event. The event created the opportunity to capture great content, unify the global community, and showcase DEKA’s evolving identity on an international stage. 

Emily LeRoux VP of Marketing
When we first started the search, we were quite open-minded about experience level — our priority was passion, vision, and someone ready to take on the challenge of evolving a fast-paced, highly scalable brand. From the moment we began working with Harri and Liz, they paid attention to our ethos and what makes Spartan different. Their insight into marketing talent and ability to truly listen set them apart. They refined what we were really looking for and steered us toward candidates with the right skills and the right energy. When this CV came through, it immediately stood out. They were exactly the kind of person who could thrive here — and they have been a fantastic fit. I highly recommend 3Search. Their guidance, responsiveness and understanding of both marketing and culture made the process smooth and successful from the very first call.

Candidate Thought Count: 1

Hear from our successful candidates...

I cannot put into words how grateful I am that the 3Search page came up on my LinkedIn algorithm. Without it, I wouldn’t have found my dream job at DEKA — or had the chance to work with such wonderful recruiters. Harri and the wider team were absolutely amazing: patient, supportive, encouraging and genuinely invested in helping me succeed. They made navigating today’s tough job market far less daunting, and I am beyond grateful for their help. Their expertise and advice are second to none. I’ve already recommended them — they really are the best!
Senior Global Brand Manager

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Michael Judkins Customer Experience & Growth Director

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