Cross-Border GTM
Executive Search

Clients We've Served

What Cross-Border GTM Actually Requires

A European software company entering the US market needs a GTM leader who can do something genuinely difficult: build an American go-to-market function effectively from scratch, often with a CEO who is still based in Europe, with limited institutional knowledge of how US enterprise buyers evaluate and procure software, and with a product that was built for a European market context and needs to be positioned for a different one.

That is not the same mandate as hiring a VP Sales at a US-native company. The cross-border candidate needs startup DNA — genuine comfort operating in ambiguity without the support structures of a mature organization. They need an existing US enterprise network in the relevant industry vertical. They need the judgment to know when to localize and when to preserve what is distinctive about the European product. And they need to be able to operate as a one-person beachhead before the team gets built.

The GTM Leader Profile for US Expansion

M Search has placed GTM leaders for US expansion mandates across fintech, treasury software, expense management, cybersecurity, AI, and enterprise SaaS. The profile that succeeds in these searches shares specific characteristics:

• US-native enterprise network

  Has closed deals with US enterprise buyers in the relevant vertical. Relationships with US decision-makers that were built before the job, not from the job.

• Startup operator instinct

  Has built a GTM function from scratch — defined the ICP, stood up the sales process, made early hires. Has not only managed a mature team.

• Founder relationship skills

  Can work effectively with a European CEO who has strong product conviction but limited US market intuition. The relationship requires patience and credibility in both directions.

• Cross-cultural commercial fluency

  Understands the differences between European and American enterprise sales cultures without being dismissive of either. Can navigate both when the deal requires it.

• Tolerance for slow starts

  US enterprise sales cycles are long. The first 6 months are often pipeline-building. The leader who needs early wins to stay motivated is the wrong fit for a US expansion mandate.

Live Proof Points

TIS (Treasury Intelligence Solutions) — German fintech backed by Marlin Equity and Aquiline Capital. M Search placed a GTM leader to own the US enterprise expansion. TIS needed someone who understood both treasury software buyers and the PE board relationship — a narrow combination that required a targeted search.

Rydoo — European expense management platform backed by Eurazeo. M Search placed a VP Sales Americas to lead the US expansion. The mandate required someone who had sold expense or finance software to US enterprises and could build the Americas motion with limited initial support from the European headquarters.

These searches required an understanding of what cross-border GTM actually demands — not just finding a strong sales leader, but finding the right person for a mandate that is categorically different from a standard US-native hiring search.

The Retained Model for Cross-Border Search

Cross-border searches require full commitment. The candidate profile is specific enough that a contingency firm — running multiple mandates simultaneously and presenting whoever responds to outreach — will not find the right person. M Search runs every cross-border search as a retained engagement: one mandate at a time, full commitment from Graham personally, sourcing through the specific network that produces cross-border GTM candidates.

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