Widgit Chief Growth Officer Case Study

E-learning software company Widgit partnered with Oakstone International to appoint a senior growth leader capable of turning ambition into execution within a mission-led, culture-first EdTech organisation. Despite a limited local talent pool, Oakstone secured a commercially rounded leader with deep EdTech experience across sales, partnerships, and marketing, enabling consistent, values-driven growth alongside the CEO and CTO.

Widgit’s Background

Search Background

Requirements

The Challenge

The Result

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Widgit's Background

• Widgit was founded in 1982

• HQ in Warwickshire, UK

• Private

• Specialising in language and education inclusion (SaaS EdTech)

Search Background

• Widgit worked closely with an external HR firm to structure their organisation for more consistent growth. More Than HR contacted Oakstone International to discuss helping Widgit hire a key growth leader.

• More Than HR evaluated seven search firms and presented Widgit with three firms to speak to.

• Widgit chose Oakstone International to work with due to our experience working with small SaaS businesses and our cultural synergy around being a culture-first organisation.

• Widgit is a mission-led, culture-first organisation and needed someone who would align with what they were building.

• Widgit valued the honest approach Oakstone took when sharing knowledge about the possible challenges they may face when hiring a growth leader in their narrow space.

Requirements

• Widgit had many ideas for growing but needed the right person to execute their vision.

• Widgit wanted to hire someone with international sales, partnerships and marketing experience,  who could generate more consistent revenue streams.

• They needed a commercially rounded character who could lead company growth.

• The right hire would be based near to Warwick to work alongside the CEO and CTO.

• Widgit wanted someone with EdTech or B Corp experience and a history of working with value-driven organisations.

The Challenge

• The EdTech space in Warwick is minimal, and therefore finding people was challenging.

• The emphasis on hiring someone who was mission-driven was more challenging to evaluate than skills and experience.

The Results

• Widgit hired Jonathan Sullivan, who had previously worked in the EdTech space for WCBS, Impero, Britannica Digital Learning and Community Brands.

• Jonathan had worked for international and UK headquartered businesses establishing sales, partnerships and marketing teams.

• Jonathan was based close to Warwick, so could lead the transition alongside the team, and was highly driven by Widgit’s mission and values.

• What makes a great commercial leader in a mission-driven organisation?

  The best mission-driven commercial leaders combine strong revenue execution with genuine alignment to organisational purpose. They are motivated by impact as well as growth, and can lead teams with both empathy and performance focus.

• How do you assess cultural and values fit in executive hiring?

  Cultural fit is best assessed through structured behavioural interviewing, values-based questioning, stakeholder sessions, and referencing. For mission-led businesses, motivation and purpose alignment are as critical as commercial track record.

• What are the biggest recruitment challenges for regional software companies?

  Regional software businesses often face recruitment challenges such as limited local talent pools, competition from remote-first employers, and the need to balance proximity with niche sector expertise when hiring senior leaders.

I’m Hiring

Oakstone International are a specialised SaaS executive search and recruitment firm assisting companies globally. If you are looking for executive search assistance or would like to speak to a Divisional Director about future hiring assistance in EMEA, the US or APAC, contact Oakstone.

I’m Job Seeking

As a SaaS client-driven firm, we work exclusively for clients to find people with a specific set of skills and experience.

However, if you would like to submit your CV, it will be passed on to our divisional directors, and we will consider you for future roles that are appropriate to your background and goals.