Twenty-eight years building marketing operations that move markets — for Fortune 500 leaders, founders, and the boards behind them.
I've spent 28 years leading marketing for Fortune 500 companies — through deregulation, competitive market expansion, and a successful $8.4 billion acquisition.
Today I run DeBellis + Ferrara, the agency I founded to help companies build marketing operations that actually drive revenue — not overhead. My clients are leaders selling intangible products, where trust, education, and credibility decide the sale.
I work with CEOs, founders, and PE-backed leadership teams who need senior marketing judgment without the cost of a permanent hire. Sometimes that means stepping in as a Fractional CMO. Sometimes it's a 90-day interim during executive search. Sometimes it's quiet advisory at the board level. The throughline is the same: strategic clarity, operational discipline, and decisions that hold up.
Three ways I work with leadership teams — built around how much continuity you need and how fast you need it.
Senior marketing leadership without a full-time executive salary. Brand strategy, campaign oversight, team development, vendor management, and budget discipline — delivered at the level your business actually requires.
Bridge leadership during executive search. Zero ramp time, immediate deployment, and clean transition support. 90-day minimum, flexible extensions based on search timeline.
Board-level counsel on marketing strategy, org design, and operations. For founders and PE-backed teams who want senior judgment on the calls that matter — without adding a chair to the org chart.
Fortune 500 leadership, deregulated market expertise, and the unglamorous discipline of running marketing as a real business function.
Specialized in companies selling intangible products — where marketing has to build trust, educate buyers, and support complex decisions.
Available for Fractional CMO engagements, interim leadership, and strategic advisory. If you're weighing a hire, a transition, or a hard decision about how marketing should be run — start here.
gail@gaildonohue.com