Market data / MD/GM · Updated October 2026
MD/GM salary benchmarks for consumer brands, UK 2026
At a consumer brand the MD/GM runs the business day to day so the founder can focus on brand, product or the next raise, or step back altogether. London salary ranges for consumer brands from Series A to scale-up, with seed alongside, plus fractional day rates at seed and Series A. For context, Robert Walters puts London MDs across all businesses at £120,000 - £250,000+. If you're about to make this hire, here's how I run a search.
Managing Director / General Manager
Running the business day to day, P&L ownership, commercial growth, the leadership team, so the founder can step back.
Full-time
Series A
£120,000 - £170,000
per year
Series B
£150,000 - £210,000
per year
Scale-up
£180,000 - £250,000+
per year. London.
Seed
£90,000 - £130,000
per year
Scale-up means Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue.
Fractional
Series A · 1 - 2 days/week
£750 – £1,500
£3,000 – £12,000/month
Seed · 1 - 2 days/week
£550 – £1,200
£2,200 – £9,600/month
Size of the P&L
The range moves with the size of the business the MD/GM is running. An MD or GM taking over a £5m brand from the founder is a different hire from one running a £50m business with its own leadership team, and they're paid accordingly.
What the founder keeps
Some founders hand over the whole business. Others keep brand, product or fundraising and want the MD/GM to run everything else. The more the MD/GM owns, including the board relationship, the higher the package.
Channel mix
Consumer MDs and GMs who have run DTC, retail and Amazon at the same time are rarer than those who know one channel well. If your growth depends on retail listings or a second market, someone who has done it prices at the top.
Company pedigree
Candidates who have run a founder-led consumer brand before, working alongside the founder, are worth more than those who have only run divisions of large groups. They know how to take the business off the founder without taking the founder out of the brand.
When a consumer brand hires an MD/GM
Most founders bring in an MD/GM for one of two reasons. Either the business has grown past what they can run alongside the brand and product work they want to keep, or they want to step back from the day-to-day altogether. Both are good reasons, and both need the founder to be clear about what they're handing over before the search starts.
The hire is easier to get wrong than a CFO or CMO, because the role is defined by what the founder stops doing. If that isn't agreed up front, a strong MD/GM ends up as a COO with a bigger title, and usually leaves.
Ask
“What would you want me to stop doing in your first six months?”
Why it matters
An MD/GM only works if the founder actually lets go of something. A candidate who can't name it, or won't say it to your face, won't be able to take it off you.
Ask
“Tell me about a business you ran alongside a founder. Where did you disagree, and how did it end?”
Why it matters
Every founder and MD/GM disagree. You're listening for whether they settled it in private and stood behind the decision in public.
Ask
“Walk me through the P&L of the last business you ran. What moved the margin most?”
Why it matters
Separates people who ran the business from people who ran a function inside it. The detail should come easily.
Ask
“How would you split the board relationship with me?”
Why it matters
At a scaling brand the board wants to hear from the person running the numbers. Agreeing who owns what before day one saves an awkward first board meeting.
Do this
Find out what the founder is really handing over.
Why it works
Ask what they'll still do every week once you start. If the answer is everything, the role is a COO with a bigger title.
Do this
Meet the board before you accept.
Why it works
An MD/GM answers to the board as much as the founder. Ask to meet the chair or lead investor, and ask them what they want from the role.
Do this
Agree how decisions get made.
Why it works
Which calls are yours, which are the founder's and which are joint. Getting it in writing early is a lot easier than unpicking it after a bad quarter.
What does an MD/GM earn at a scale-up consumer brand?
£180,000 - £250,000+ a year in London, for scale-up and established consumer brands: Series C and beyond, profitable, or £20m+ revenue.
What does an MD/GM earn at a Series A or Series B consumer brand?
£120,000 - £170,000 at Series A and £150,000 - £210,000 at Series B, with £90,000 - £130,000 at seed. An MD/GM usually earns more than a COO at the same stage because they own the whole P&L.
What does an MD earn in London across all businesses?
Robert Walters, Managing Director salaries UK 2026 puts a Managing Director in London at £120,000 - £250,000+ a year. That range covers every London MD, from small businesses to large companies in every sector, which is why its lower end sits below ours.
What does a fractional MD/GM charge per day?
Fractional MDs and GMs at seed-stage consumer brands typically charge £550 – £1,200 per day, rising to £750 – £1,500 per day at Series A. Engagements usually run one to two days a week.
What's the difference between an MD/GM and a COO at a consumer brand?
A COO usually runs operations alongside a founder who's still CEO. An MD/GM runs the whole business day to day, including the P&L and often the board relationship, so the founder can focus on brand, product or the next raise, or step back altogether.
- CEO CEO salary UK 2026 Leading the company and the board, fundraising, strategy and the senior team.
- 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.
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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