Building a Scalable Marketing Function for AG Grid | Case Study

Oakstone delivered a tailored search strategy focused on both technical expertise and cultural fit, sourcing candidates with startup and scale-up experience suited to AG Grid’s collaborative, high-growth environment. Despite challenges around niche technical requirements and location constraints, Oakstone successfully placed key hires and helped establish the foundations of AG Grid’s long-term marketing organisation, with average time-to-hire across searches of approximately 12 weeks.

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Search Background

AG Grid is a globally recognised provider of advanced data grid technology used by developers and enterprise organisations worldwide. Following recent private equity investment, the business entered a new phase of commercial growth with a clear focus on scaling its go-to-market capabilities and strengthening its internal structure.

As part of this growth strategy, AG Grid identified marketing as a critical function requiring immediate investment and expansion. At the time, the organisation had only recently introduced its first senior marketing leader, Head of Marketing, who was tasked with building the function from the ground up.

Having worked with Oakstone previously on other commercial roles, AG Grid engaged the team again to support the build-out of its marketing organisation and deliver multiple strategic hires.

Requirements

AG Grid required a recruitment partner capable of delivering several high-impact hires into a newly forming marketing team. The business needed individuals who could operate effectively in a fast-scaling open-source environment while also bringing the technical understanding required to market a highly developer-focused product.

The initial hiring requirements included:

• Demand Generation Leader

• Product Marketing specialist

• Community Manager

• Marketing Operations specialist

Beyond technical capability, cultural alignment was equally important. AG Grid wanted individuals who could thrive in a scaling business, contribute to building company culture, and collaborate closely with senior leadership as the organisation expanded.

The business also required talent located within reasonable proximity to London to support collaboration and in-person engagement as the team developed.

Oakstone’s Approach and Solutions

Oakstone began the engagement with an in-depth briefing process alongside the Head of Marketing to fully understand the organisation’s growth plans, immediate capability gaps, and long-term team objectives. This discovery phase focused not only on technical experience but also on identifying the personality traits and cultural fit required within a scaling open-source environment.

Each role was approached as an individual search project with tailored market mapping and candidate outreach strategies. Oakstone targeted professionals with:

• Experience within startup or scale-up technology businesses

• Exposure to technical or developer-focused products

• Proven ability to operate in high-growth environments

• Strong alignment to AG Grid’s collaborative culture

Across each assignment, Oakstone approached approximately 80–100 potential candidates before building carefully qualified shortlists of four to six individuals per role to introduce to the hiring manager.

The interview process was designed to ensure alignment across both capability and culture. Most roles followed a three-stage process involving the Head of Marketing, wider team panel interviews, and final-stage conversations with the CEO. The Marketing Operations role included an additional technical assessment stage involving the Head of Operations due to the specialist nature of the position.

Search Challenges

One of the key challenges throughout the searches was identifying candidates with the right combination of technical marketing expertise and experience working with highly technical open-source products. AG Grid’s developer-focused platform required marketers capable of understanding complex products while still driving commercial growth initiatives.

The Marketing Operations search proved particularly challenging due to the niche technical requirements associated with the role. The available talent pool was significantly smaller compared to the other positions, increasing the complexity of sourcing and qualification.

Location constraints also added complexity to the search. AG Grid wanted candidates within close proximity to London to help establish and strengthen the company culture as the team scaled. Balancing geography, technical expertise, and cultural fit required a highly targeted search strategy.

Search Results

Oakstone successfully delivered multiple hires across AG Grid’s newly formed marketing function, helping the business establish the foundations required for long-term commercial growth.

Key outcomes included:

• Successful placement of a Demand Generation hire from a shortlist of two candidates submitted

• Successful placement of a Community Manager from a shortlist of four candidates submitted

• Ongoing support for the Marketing Operations search due to its highly specialised nature

The average time-to-hire across the searches was approximately 12 weeks from briefing to final-stage completion.

Oakstone continues to partner with AG Grid as the business scales its commercial organisation further, supporting future hiring requirements and providing ongoing access to specialist technology marketing talent.