Sylvain Querne | I help startups and scale-ups with their commercial development activities.

I am a transformational executive with 25+ years' experience scaling technology and fintech ventures. I specialize in commanding full P&L up to €500M, directing corporate strategy, and executing enterprise-wide digital transformations. I aim to secure market leadership, drive profitable revenue growth, and achieve business turnarounds.

Experience

Founder

JobMentis · Remote

01/2026Present

Solo-founded and bootstrapped JobMentis, a human-in-the-loop, AI-native freemium career operating system, acquiring over 1,000 users in one week via a viral loop.
Opened B2C and B2B monetization channels, driven by SEO/GEO, and press. Reached 110+ active paid users and adding 1.000 users a month through organic growth.
Scaled to profitability within 6 months of launch, achieving 10k ARR and 25% month-on-month growth.

Business Advisor and Fractional Executive

Multiple Startups and Scaleups · Milan, Italy

07/2024Present

Advised 10+ technology startups on unified revenue and GTM strategies, integrating sales, product marketing, and customer success to accelerate growth.
Architected a fintech startup's complete commercial structure, securing over €1M GMV through strategic partnership acquisitions.
Directed a post-M&A turnaround for a €30M company, establishing new business units and partnerships to embed predictable revenue growth.
Led commercial development and global GTM strategy for an ESG Joint Venture, exceeding $600k in sales and establishing a Middle-East office.

Marketing and Digital Director

MediaWorld (MediaMarkt Group) · Milan, Italy

06/202307/2024

Commanded a €500M+ eCommerce division with full P&L accountability, deploying a €60M+ marketing budget to drive profitability and market penetration.
Captured 1.2 percentage points of market share in a declining market via targeted omnichannel campaigns, SEO, and data-driven dynamic pricing.
Elevated digital CX, boosting eCommerce conversion rates by 15% through customer journey optimization, assortment strategy, and customer intelligence.
Increased divisional EBIT by 5.8x through marketing spend reallocation, logistics optimization, and enhanced inventory management.

Chief Digital Officer and General Manager, Board Member

Assiteca-Howden Insurance Broker · Milan, Italy

01/202106/2023

Directed Board-level corporate strategy and held full P&L ownership for the €60M consumer business unit, leading a 100+ person team in a digital-first turnaround.
Engineered a business turnaround, reversing -9% revenue decline to +4% growth via comprehensive digital transformation and demand generation overhaul.
Unified a 100+ person cross-functional team under a cohesive strategic vision, enhancing customer retention and driving sustainable growth.
Architected and implemented a new technology stack, including Salesforce CRM and marketing automation, to create a 360-degree customer view.

Head of Marketing, EMEA Retail and eCommerce

Meta (formerly Facebook) · London, UK

08/201712/2020

Directed B2B industry marketing across EMEA for a $4B+ revenue portfolio, shaping GTM strategy for retail and eCommerce verticals.
Increased retail sector's contribution to total EMEA sales by 2 percentage points through targeted brand storytelling and sales enablement tools.
Forged alliances with commercial teams to create sales enablement materials, accelerating partner development and client acquisition for complex technical products.

Head of Marketing, Southern Europe

Meta (formerly Facebook) · Milan, Italy

03/201407/2017

Established the Facebook and Instagram marketing function in Southern Europe, building the regional team and strategy that supported 5x company revenue growth.

Marketing Director, EMEA South

Lenovo · Milan, Italy

03/201302/2014

Commanded a €10M marketing budget and directed operations for Enterprise, SMB, and Consumer segments, achieving double-digit sales growth in a declining PC market.

Key Account Manager - Vodafone Account

Nokia · Milan, Italy

05/201103/2013

Commanded the strategic relationship and a €100M+ sales quota, expanding market share from 8% to 14% within the account in 15 months via B2B and B2C channels.

Head of Digital Marketing

Nokia · Milan, Italy

05/200804/2011

Directed digital marketing strategy with a €10M+ annual budget, implementing marketing automation and digital analytics platforms to enhance campaign performance.

Marketing Manager, CRM

eBay · Milan, Italy

09/200604/2008

Orchestrated CRM strategy, driving a 10-point increase in customer retention by developing lifecycle marketing programs and segmentation models.

Various Marketing and Business Development Roles

Canon Europe · London, UK

09/200307/2006

Advanced through four progressive roles, leading channel partner development, sales operations, and marketing campaigns across eight European markets.

International Software Consultant

Orsyp Consulting · Paris, France

01/200209/2003

Executed consulting engagements for enterprise software implementation and business process optimization for clients across 8 countries, delivering projects that achieved an average 15% improvement in operational efficiency.

Stories

Facebook marketing setup

By the time I left in 2021, I had successfully scaled the Southern European marketing team from 5 to approximately 120 people.

Refashion your Thinking

The campaign catalyzed the establishment and significant elevation of the fashion vertical internally at Facebook/Meta. Scaling from EMEA to a global footprint, it demonstrated broad organizational impact.

6sicuro, value prop redefinition

The transformation yielded significant results: we launched over 20 new insurance products within six months.

Skills

Expertise

P&L Management (€500M+)
Corporate Strategy
Business Turnaround & Transformation
Go-to-Market (GTM) Strategy
Commercial Strategy & Operations
M&A Integration
Revenue Growth & Demand Generation
Digital Transformation
eCommerce Strategy
B2B & B2C Marketing
Sales Enablement
Partnership Development
Market Intelligence
Omnichannel Marketing

Tools

Salesforce CRM
Salesforce Marketing Cloud
Marketing Automation Platforms
Google Analytics
Business Intelligence (BI) Dashboards
Digital Ad Platforms

Education

Bachelor of European Business with Technology
Pole Universitaire Leonard de Vinci · France
2001
Bachelor of Business with Technology
Politecnico di Torino · Italy
2001
Executive Training Program
SDA Bocconi School of Management · Milan, Italy
2010

Certifications

Digital Ready for Board
DRFB
2024
Certified National Insurance Intermediary (RUI)
IVASS
2021

Awards

Top 100 CEOs (Italy)
Forbes
01/2022

Languages

French (native)
Italian (native)
English (fluent)
Spanish (fluent)