About Debbie Gainsford
If you're a marketer wondering what's next - a promotion, a pivot, or whether you're even in the right career - you're in the right place.
I'm Debbie Gainsford: a career coach for marketers and a global marketing leader with 25 years of B2B marketing experience. I've been in this industry since it went digital. I joined Getty Images in 2000 - the day they transitioned to a fully digital business - and what followed was two and a half decades of building, leading and transforming marketing functions across tech, media, adtech and publishing, in the UK, APAC and globally.
My career has covered every kind of marketing environment - building functions from scratch, inheriting and developing teams, working as a solo marketer, and navigating multiple business acquisitions. I've gone from Marketing Manager to Head of Marketing, worked with global brands including American Express, Meliá and Volkswagen, delivered results that moved the needle significantly - including a 300% increase in revenue from marketing leads and a 145% year-on-year increase in leads - and had my work recognised with industry awards along the way.
I've also been made redundant. I've questioned whether I was in the right career. I've had the conversations with myself that you might be having right now. That's what brought me to coaching - and it's what makes the work different.
Why work with a career coach who's actually been a marketer?
Most career coaches understand careers. I understand marketing careers - from the inside. I've hired marketers, managed marketers, been managed as a marketer, and navigated every stage of this career myself, including the parts nobody talks about. I know what it actually takes to get promoted in this industry, what a real career pivot involves, and what it feels like when you're not sure whether marketing still fits who you are.
I work one-to-one with marketing professionals at every stage - whether you're ready to go after the next role, navigating a career change, rebuilding your confidence after redundancy, or just trying to get some clarity. I also work with businesses looking to develop and retain their marketing talent, through team coaching and workshops.
The work is practical and honest. No frameworks, no formulas. Just real experience applied to your situation.
Based just north of Sydney, Australia. Working with clients globally.
Ready to have a chat with Debbie about your marketing career? Book a free, 15 minute discovery call.