019 Oliver Harcourt
Chief Marketing Officer, Taxfix UK (formerly TaxScouts)
Oliver Harcourt is CMO at Taxfix UK (formerly TaxScouts). He joined as VP Marketing in 2021 and led the marketing function through TaxScouts’ merger with Taxfix Group last year. Prior to this, he worked in marketing strategy at Samsung Electronics, and was a consultant at Gartner.
“Because it is so often viewed the wrong way - as the sole area responsible for growth.”
The interview
What’s your coffee ritual?
I don’t drink coffee unless I desperately need a caffeine hit (e.g. tired and driving). I am a daily tea drinker though.
What was your first marketing job?
Telemarketing. Outbound cold calling. A tough but valuable experience.
What finance apps do you have on your home screen?
Starling (current account), Credit Karma (always checking my credit score), PensionBee UK (good to keep on top of my pension), Lloyds Bank (credit card), Wise (work card), NatWest (mortgage), Taxfix UK (formerly TaxScouts) (obviously), Taxfix.
Which newsletter, podcast, or book do you recommend most?
Lenny Rachitsky’s recent podcast with Jerry Colonna on leadership.
What’s an underrated growth channel in fintech?
Optimising your product end-to-end for growth opportunities.
What keeps you up at night?
Mostly my teenage kids.
What are the most useful measurement tools you use in your work?
Business performance KPIs.
What’s one fintech brand (other than your own) that’s getting marketing right?
From a subjective point of view - Starling for acquisition and Credit Karma for customer engagement.
Why is marketing so hard?
Because it is so often viewed the wrong way - as the sole area responsible for growth. Marketing needs to work closely with other key functions to drive growth as a shared goal.
Whose answers to the above questions would you most like to read?
Matt Lerner. I really enjoy his weekly newsletters. Succinct and valuable.