
amicable · Candidate Pack · B2C Growth & Profitable Scaling
Founded in 2015 by relationship counsellor Kate Daly and tech entrepreneur Pip Wilson, amicable emerged from a deeply personal place — Kate's own £80,000 "train-wreck" divorce. Their mission was unambiguous: transform the way people end relationships by replacing the adversarial, solicitor-led process with something kinder, faster, and more humane.
By fusing psychology with consumer-focused technology, amicable pioneered a lawyer-free alternative that places families — not fees — at the centre. In 2020, the company made legal history by winning a landmark High Court ruling that formally validated their couple-led, conflict-free model. That precedent cemented amicable's position as the defining force in the fast-growing lawtech sector.
Most recently, the Octopus Group acquired a majority stake in the business — a significant vote of confidence and a signal that amicable's next chapter will be written at genuine scale.
amicable's ambition now reaches well beyond divorce. The company is evolving into a holistic "relationship health" brand — supporting people through all significant relationship transitions.
The goal is to become the big, all-encompassing brand for positive relationship support in the UK.
amicable built a strong brand and created an entirely new category — and for a time, that novelty translated into cheap, plentiful PPC leads. The market has since matured. Competition has intensified, lead costs have risen sharply, and the economics that once worked no longer do.
Marketing spend currently represents approximately 50% of total turnover — a ratio that is structurally unsustainable and must be decisively addressed.
amicable's customer lifetime value is inherently lower than a traditional law firm's, yet the business competes for leads at the same high market rates. The gap must close.
Current blended marketing ROI sits at approximately 1.8:1 — well short of the 3:1 target required to underpin a sustainably profitable business model.
The incoming Fractional CMO must execute a clear profitability pathway, shifting the entire marketing function from volume-led acquisition to disciplined, unit-economics-led growth.
This is a fractional, hybrid role (typically 2–3 days per week, London/Home), reporting directly to Co-founder and Marketing Director Kate Daly. The business does not need a figurehead CMO — it needs a highly analytical, commercially ruthless B2C operator willing to roll up their sleeves, interrogate the data, and make difficult decisions with speed and conviction.
Set an operating plan focused entirely on profitable growth. Translate top-level targets into channel-level plans and establish clear, recurring decision-making rhythms across the team.
Rigorously optimise the £3M budget — aggressively defunding inefficient activities and reallocating capital towards channels that demonstrably meet strict unit-economic thresholds.
Establish a practical "commercial cockpit" tracking CAC by channel, payback period, contribution margin, and blended ROI — cutting through dashboard theatre to deliver real insight.
Reduce dependency on paid acquisition by systematically strengthening organic distribution — brand equity, content, strategic partnerships, and a practical referral and word-of-mouth engine.
Shift focus towards growing customer LTV through intelligent cross-selling and the launch of new go-to-market services, fully aligned with the evolving "relationship health" vision.
The Fractional CMO will step into a nuanced leadership environment requiring both the ability to coach junior talent and the commercial judgement to make difficult personnel decisions quickly. Working closely with Co-founder Kate Daly — who openly acknowledges she is a non-marketeer — the role also demands sophisticated upward management skills.
The current Head of Marketing has grown organically with the business and is highly coachable. She requires structured mentoring to reach the next level — particularly in growth marketing mechanics and LTV-led thinking. A significant developmental opportunity for the right CMO.
A critical early deliverable is an honest assessment of the Head of Growth. Is current underperformance structural, process-related, or a fundamental personnel issue? The incoming CMO must make this call with clarity and decisiveness within the first 90 days.
Kate is transitioning her focus toward internal partnerships and openly notes she is not a marketing specialist. The CMO must build a trusted working relationship, translating commercial complexity into clear narratives and managing how the founder engages with the marketing function.
Deliver a clear profitability pathway plan aligned with the 18–24 month goal
Implement a working unit-economics dashboard with monthly reporting cadence
Make immediate stop / scale / fix decisions channel-by-channel
Launch referral/WOM growth plan and initiate first lifecycle cross-sell experiments
Blended ROI must reach 3:1 by year-end, up from the current ~1.8:1 baseline
Every individual paid channel must achieve a minimum LTV to CAC ratio of 2:1
Brand investment must be strictly disciplined, capped at 35% of the total budget
amicable is not seeking a generalist or a brand-led CMO from a large corporate. The role demands a rare combination: analytical rigour and emotional intelligence, commercial ruthlessness and genuine human empathy. Customers navigating separation are experiencing some of the most distressing moments of their lives — the marketing must never lose sight of that.
Proven track record of unit-economics accountability within visible, category-creating start-up or scale-up brands. Experience in dating apps (Hinge, Bumble) is highly relevant given comparable scaling dynamics. Legal sector experience is not required.
Capable of building pragmatic measurement frameworks — avoiding "dashboard theatre" — and extracting genuinely actionable insights from HubSpot and Google data sets rather than producing reams of unused reporting.
Must possess a "slightly commercial ruthless streak" to make tough financial calls, balanced with deep empathy and kindness. amicable's core values — Kind, Trust & Professionalism, Customer Focus, Pioneering — are non-negotiable, not aspirational.
A self-directed contributor who will dive into spreadsheets, generate their own insights, and operate without a large corporate support structure. Comfortable working at pace in a high-trust, founder-led environment where decisions move quickly.
This is a rare opportunity to join a genuinely mission-driven business at a pivotal commercial inflection point — backed by the Octopus Group, led by a passionate founder, and poised to redefine an entire sector. If you have the analytical credentials, the human depth, and the commercial conviction to drive this transformation, we want to hear from you.
Fractional / Interim
2-3 days per week
For a confidential discussion about this unique opportunity to drive commercial growth and redefine an entire sector, please reach out to our recruitment partner at Practicus:
Michael Gater
Practicus specialises in executive search and interim management, connecting exceptional talent with mission-driven organisations like amicable.
Fractional Chief Marketing Officer