Available from September 2026
Tom Buyens - interim marketing leader for retail, FMCG and digital growth.
Senior interim, freelance and consultancy support for teams that need marketing leadership, partnership structure, digital channel ownership and practical AI-enabled marketing operations.
Role fit
Best when the business needs a senior operator, not another advisory layer.
Tom steps into transition moments where marketing needs direction, structure and momentum: leadership gaps, campaign pressure, franchise or store activation, underused CRM/app assets, agency complexity, digital transformation and AI adoption that needs to become operational.
Recent assignments at Panos, Colruyt, ALDI, TheValueChain, Cardoen, Goed and Duvel create a practical story across food retail, FMCG partnerships, ecommerce, digital channels and team leadership.
Best-fit missions
Flexible senior marketing support from 1 to 5 days per week.
Interim Marketing Manager / Head of Marketing
Leadership continuity for transition, reorganisation, maternity/medical cover, team pressure or urgent commercial calendar ownership.
Typical rhythm: 3-5 days/week.Partnerships & Retail Activation Lead
FMCG partner models, shopper activation, franchise alignment, promotional governance and store-facing campaign execution.
Typical rhythm: 2-4 days/week.Digital Channels / CRM / App Growth Lead
Website, email, app, ecommerce, SEO/SEA, analytics, automation, UX testing, data capture and agency orchestration.
Typical rhythm: 2-4 days/week.AI-Enabled Marketing Operations Lead
Copilot, SharePoint, Power Automate, prompting, planning workflows, knowledge sharing, reporting and governance.
Typical rhythm: 1-3 days/week.Relevant proof
Built from assignments where marketing had to work in the real world.
Food retail and QSR: Panos, Colruyt and ALDI experience across campaign planning, digital channels, app activation, retail communication, partnership governance and team leadership.
FMCG partnerships: campaign and promotional work with partners including Coca-Cola, Danone Alpro, Red Bull, FrieslandCampina, Lactalis, Heinz, Mondelez/Oreo, Spa/Spadel, Suntory Schweppes and Q8.
Digital and ecommerce: +250% ecommerce sales and +300% organic visitors at Goed; +50% email database growth at ALDI; online media and conversion-funnel work at Cardoen.
B2B and consultancy: go-to-market, C-level content, lead capture, SEO/SEA, events and marketing budget priorities at TheValueChain, part of Gumption.
First 30 days
What a strong interim start should create.
- Diagnose: clarify commercial priorities, team setup, agency work, data assets, campaign calendar and decision bottlenecks.
- Stabilise: create a weekly operating rhythm, define decision forums, reduce noise and align stakeholders around the work that moves the business.
- Accelerate: turn priority campaigns, partnerships, CRM/app journeys or AI workflows into visible execution with clear owners and measures.
Start the conversation
Looking for senior marketing support from September?
Use the contact form and mention the expected mission type, days per week, start date and location. Tom is based in Essen, Belgium and works across Belgium, the Netherlands and hybrid/remote contexts.
Best-fit sectors: food retail, QSR/franchise, FMCG, ecommerce, retail healthcare, automotive retail, SAP/ICT consultancy and B2B services.
Languages: Dutch, English, French and German.