Frances and Kevin, the CPD-accredited marketing training business founded by James McCracken FCIM and based in Greater Manchester, has launched the In-House to In-Demand programme — a structured training course designed to help experienced in-house marketers build independent marketing careers as fractional CMOs, interim marketing directors, and senior consultants.
The launch coincides with new data showing explosive growth in demand for fractional marketing leadership. The global fractional CMO market has reached $1.27 billion in 2026 and is projected to more than double to $2.68 billion by 2031 (Vendux/industry research, 2026). LinkedIn profiles identifying fractional leaders grew from 2,000 in 2022 to over 110,000 by early 2024, a 5,400% increase in under two years (Vendux, 2024).
"The demand for experienced independent marketing leaders has never been higher. But most in-house marketers with 10 or 15 years of solid experience have no clear path to making that transition. They know they could do it. They don't have a framework for how to start, how to price, how to win clients, or how to position themselves against the competition. That is what In-House to In-Demand is built around."
James McCracken FCIM, who founded Frances and Kevin alongside his fractional CMO practice McCracken Marketing, also chairs CIM North West. He says the Manchester and Greater Manchester tech and digital community is particularly well placed to benefit from the growing fractional market.
What the programme covers
In-House to In-Demand is a structured course for senior marketers with significant in-house experience who want to move into independent practice. The programme covers:
• How to position yourself as a practitioner rather than a generalist — defining your specialism, your ideal client profile, and what makes you credible
• How to price your services — day rates, retainer structures, and what the market actually pays for senior fractional marketing leadership in 2026
• How to win your first clients — where to find work, how to approach conversations, and what a good first engagement looks like
• The practical and commercial fundamentals of running an independent practice — from contracts and IR35 to managing multiple clients simultaneously
• How to build a reputation that generates referrals — content strategy, LinkedIn positioning, and professional credibility
The course is CPD-accredited through Frances and Kevin's existing accreditation and is delivered by McCracken, who made exactly this transition himself; moving from senior in-house marketing leadership roles at Bruntwood, Apprentify, Campus Living Villages, and DPG plc into an independent fractional practice.
"I made this transition and I know what the gap feels like from the inside. There is a moment where you have the experience, you understand what good marketing leadership looks like, and you can see clearly that businesses need what you have — but the commercial and practical side of making it work as an independent feels opaque. The course closes that gap."
Why the Manchester digital community is well placed
Manchester and the wider Greater Manchester tech and digital sector has produced a significant cohort of senior marketers with exactly the experience the fractional market values; people who have led marketing functions in scale-ups, digital agencies, tech businesses, and SaaS companies, and who understand both the commercial and technical dimensions of modern marketing.
Research by Heidrick and Struggles (2026) found that 85% of interim leaders working independently have done so for more than a year, and that new entrants to independent practice jumped from 6% of the supply pool in 2020 to 15% in 2025. The market is attracting experienced practitioners, but the April 2025 employer NI changes have also made it significantly more attractive for businesses to engage fractional leaders rather than make full-time hires.
"For someone in the Manchester digital community who has run marketing at a scale-up or digital agency for the last decade, the fractional model is a genuine career opportunity right now. The demand is there. The question is whether they have the commercial framework to go and get it. That is what we are building with In-House to In-Demand."
About Frances and Kevin
Frances and Kevin is a CPD-accredited marketing training business founded by James McCracken FCIM and based in Greater Manchester. The business offers structured training programmes for senior marketers, including the In-House to In-Demand course for marketers moving into independent practice and the Marketing Leadership Programme for in-house marketers developing toward director level.
The SOSTAC® planning framework — created by PR Smith over more than 30 years of marketing practice and one of the most widely taught marketing frameworks in the world — is available as a separate course through Frances and Kevin in collaboration with PR Smith.
Frances and Kevin courses are CPD-accredited. Further information at www.francesandkevin.co.uk.
