Market data / CEO · Updated October 2026
CEO salary benchmarks for consumer brands, UK 2026
At a consumer brand a hired CEO takes over from the founder, or runs the business while the founder moves to chair or brand, and leads the next raise. London salary ranges for consumer brands from Series A to scale-up, with seed alongside, plus equity by stage and fractional day rates at seed and Series A. For context, Robert Walters puts London CEOs across all businesses at £150,000 - £300,000+. If you're about to make this hire, here's how I run a search.
Chief Executive Officer
Leading the company and the board, fundraising, strategy and the senior team.
Full-time
Series A
£130,000 - £180,000
per year + equity
Series B
£170,000 - £240,000
per year + equity
Scale-up
£200,000 - £300,000+
per year. London.
Seed
£100,000 - £140,000
per year + equity
Scale-up means Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue.
Fractional
Series A · 2 - 3 days/week
£800 – £1,700
£6,400 – £20,400/month
Seed · 2 - 3 days/week
£600 – £1,400
£4,800 – £16,800/month
Hired CEOs usually take the largest equity grant after the founders. Equity at seed typically 2 - 5%.
| Role | Series A | Series B | Seed | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executive Officer | 1.5% - 3.0% | 1.0% - 2.0% | 2.0% - 5.0% | A CEO taking over from a founder who's leaving the business usually negotiates toward the top of the range. |
Equity figures represent percentage of fully diluted share capital on grant.
| Role | Full-time | Fractional |
|---|---|---|
| CEO | 3 - 6 months | 2 - 4 weeks |
Notice periods affect your search timeline. Factor in 4-8 weeks for a typical hiring process on top of notice. Senior candidates at large companies may have 6-month notice clauses - garden leave is sometimes negotiable.
Stage experience
Candidates who've run a consumer brand at your stage before price at the top. A CEO who's taken a business from Series A to Series B knows what the board and the next investors will ask for at each step, and that's worth paying for.
Equity appetite
A hired CEO usually takes the largest grant after the founders. Candidates who'll take more of the package in equity bring the salary down, and at seed and Series A that trade often suits both sides if the business has real upside.
What the founder keeps
If the founder stays on as chair or keeps brand and product, the CEO's job is narrower and the package usually follows. A CEO taking full control of the business and the board relationship sits at the top of the range.
Track record
Candidates who've already been CEO and can point to a raise or an exit are worth more than first-time CEOs stepping up from COO or CMO. A first-time CEO can still be a strong hire at seed, where the equity makes up for a lower salary.
When a consumer brand hires a CEO
Founders usually bring in a CEO when the business needs someone who has run a company at the next stage, or when they want to move into a chair, brand or product role.
The search goes better when the founder has decided what they'll do next before it starts. Candidates will ask in the first conversation, and the strongest ones won't go further without an answer.
Ask
“Why do you want to run a business someone else founded?”
Why it matters
Good answers are about the brand, the stage or the team. Be wary of anyone who talks about the founder as a problem to manage.
Ask
“Walk me through the last board meeting you ran. What did the board push back on?”
Why it matters
A CEO spends a lot of their time with the board. You want someone who's comfortable taking hard questions and has a view on how to run the room.
Ask
“What would you change in your first 100 days, and what would you leave alone?”
Why it matters
Good CEOs arrive with a point of view and the patience to test it. A long list of changes before they've seen the numbers is a warning sign.
Ask
“Tell me about a raise you led. What did investors want to see that surprised you?”
Why it matters
At Series A and B the CEO leads the next round. You're checking they've done it, and that they learned something from it.
Do this
Find out what the founder wants to do after you start.
Why it works
Chair, brand lead or out of the business entirely. Each one is a different job for you, so get the answer before you negotiate.
Do this
Talk to the lead investor on your own.
Why it works
Ask what they expect from the CEO in the first year and how they rate the founder. Half an hour with them will tell you more than three rounds with the founder.
Do this
Read the last two board packs.
Why it works
They show you the real numbers, the open problems and how decisions get made. If the founder won't share them, ask why.
What does a hired CEO earn at a seed-stage consumer brand?
A full-time CEO hired into a seed-stage consumer brand in the UK typically earns £100,000 - £140,000 per year, with a bigger equity grant than any other senior hire.
What is the CEO salary range at Series A?
At Series A, a hired CEO at a UK consumer brand typically earns £130,000 - £180,000 per year, with candidates who've already led a raise at the upper end.
What is the CEO salary range at Series B?
At Series B, hired CEOs at consumer brands in London typically earn £170,000 - £240,000 per year, with equity of 1.0% - 2.0%.
What does a CEO earn at a scale-up consumer brand?
£200,000 - £300,000+ a year in London, for scale-up and established consumer brands: Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue.
What does a CEO earn in London across all businesses?
Robert Walters, CEO salaries UK 2026 puts a CEO in London at £150,000 - £300,000+ a year. That range covers every London CEO, from small businesses to large companies in every sector, which is why its lower end sits below ours.
What does a fractional or interim CEO charge per day?
Fractional and interim CEOs at seed-stage consumer brands typically charge £600 – £1,400 per day, rising to £800 – £1,700 per day at Series A. Engagements usually run two to three days a week.
How much equity does a hired CEO get at a consumer brand?
Hired CEO equity at seed typically ranges from 2.0% - 5.0% of fully diluted share capital. At Series A the range is 1.5% - 3.0%, and at Series B 1.0% - 2.0%. A CEO taking over from a founder who's leaving the business usually negotiates toward the top of the range.
What's the difference between a CEO and an MD/GM at a consumer brand?
A CEO leads the company and the board, and usually leads the fundraising. An MD/GM runs the business day to day, often with the founder still CEO or chair.
- CFO CFO salary UK 2026 Finance leadership, investor relations, unit economics, fundraising readiness.
- CMO CMO salary UK 2026 Acquisition, retention, brand building, performance marketing, growth strategy.
- COO COO salary UK 2026 Operational infrastructure, supply chain, team scaling, process, cross-functional delivery.
- MD MD/GM salary UK 2026 Running the business day to day, P&L ownership, commercial growth, the leadership team, so the founder can step back.
All five roles, with sources, on the salary benchmarks overview. For the decisions behind the numbers, read the hiring guides: your first finance hire, when to hire a CFO, fractional or full-time and executive equity.
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