Business type
Marketplace
Solution type
Permanent Hire
Size of commercial team
14
Company stage
Series A
Learnerbly’s SaaS-enabled marketplace enables employees to take charge of their personal development by deciding what they learn based on how they learn best (i.e. books, courses, coaching, conferences and e-learning). Founded in 2016, Learnerbly’s platform brings together 250+ learning providers and has supported 30,000+ employees from over 130+ organisations, such as Ocado, GoCardless and HelloFresh. Learnerbly has raised £15m to date and currently employs 75 people.
Learnerbly Need
After raising their Series A, Learnerbly was keen to hire a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) to oversee their global revenue function and manage their commercial leaders (Heads of Marketing, Customer Success, Sales and RevOps). They initially hired experienced CRO Margo Hayward on a fractional basis, working 3-4 days per week for five months, before looking for a full-time CRO to oversee their US expansion and fulfil their wide-ranging commercial priorities.
ScaleWise Impact
With Margo’s fractional role coming to an end, Learnerbly approached ScaleWise about finding the right full-time CRO.
ScaleWise spoke to all the key stakeholders at Learnerbly, including Margo, to get a complete understanding of Learnerbly’s people, culture and scaling challenges. ScaleWise then produced a detailed candidate pack, outlining the specific responsibilities and expectations of the role, as well as the ideal candidate profile. Armed with this specific criteria, ScaleWise leveraged its deep network of revenue leaders to create a shortlist of suitable candidates.
ScaleWise had the following impact:
1. Full-time CRO hire in six weeks
Due to the unique demands of the role and the desired calibre of the CRO, Learnerbly had expected a lengthy hiring process. But, thanks to ScaleWise’s streamlined process and deep candidate pool, Learnerbly was able to make an accepted offer just six weeks after engaging ScaleWise support (over the Christmas period).
2. Perfect match
With two distinct revenue streams (SaaS and supplier commissions) and an impending US expansion, Learnerbly needed an experienced CRO with specific expertise. ScaleWise first helped Learnerbly define the problems, challenges and focus areas of the commercial function. ScaleWise then produced a detailed role spec based on the commercial team’s current and future needs, which included a focus on the candidate’s strengths and attributes. Armed with this bespoke criteria, ScaleWise created a shortlist of six candidates (5 CROs and a VP to see the comparison), from which Learnerbly was able to find the perfect match.
3. External advice
Although Learnerbly’s top team had experience of making C-suite hires, they’d never hired a Chief Revenue Officer before. ScaleWise provided guidance throughout the hiring process, advising on role responsibilities and personality attributes, as well as salaries and compensation packages. ScaleWise also acted as an external mediator on expectations and helped align the internal team on the ideal hire.
4. Seamless transition
Learnerbly wanted to make a quick hire so the incoming CRO had time to work with Margo before her fractional role finished. Thanks to ScaleWise’s slick process, the incoming CRO was able to onboard with Margo in the month preceding her departure to ensure a smooth transition.
Jonny Day
COO, Learnerbly
“I was very impressed by how quickly the process moved, especially given the detailed requirements of the role. ScaleWise did an awesome job of getting a complete understanding of our needs, translating that into a comprehensive candidate pack and curating a shortlist of excellent CRO candidates incredibly quickly.”
